I don't think I can care for my 10 year old girl anymore

[louisstools]

I have a 10 year old girl and we're both relatively new to the world of wet food and meal times (6 months). For 9.5 years we did kibble free range but due to a turn of events from her brother cat's cancer related death she now is getting canned food. FWIW the vet and I would be ok if the cat went back to the old diet but the cat seems to want wet food so that's ok. (We actually tried that back in Feb/Mar but after a four week transition to only kibble the cat stopped eating the kibble. This transition was attempted to ease the stress from both of us because I'm near the point where I can't handle this due to the massive amount of daily stress feeding is causing me.)

Anyway, I've been having a lot of issues over the past six months trying to figure out how "wet food meals" work with my cat. With her kibble, she'll go up to the bowl, sit, and chow a bit, then leave and return. She's always done this and this is normal behavior for her. If she's ever not interested in kibble that's a trigger for a vet visit since it is so out of the ordinary.

With wet food:

1. sometimes she'll sniff it and walk away. these foods i'll try a few times and assume she just doesn't like it and never offer it again
2. sometimes she'll eat a little bit (like 10 licks) and then walk way, these foods i'll offer again and sometimes have better luck.
   1. usually she can't be coaxed into eating more (i.e. moving the bowl to where she is and offering it again)
3. sometimes she'll eat a bit more (like ~.5oz) and then walk away, these foods i'll offer again
   1. usually she can be coaxed into eating more (i.e. moving the bowl to where she is and offering it again) but not always
4. sometimes she'll eat the whole serving and that's that. this has happened consistently with exactly one food that is essentially discontinued due to covid supply chain ingredient changes.

Kibble is always given in the same place and again she'll walk up and sit down before eating it.
Wet food is always initially offered in the same place near the kibble but she'll walk up to it and if she will eat it she'll eat a bit standing up and then decide to sit down after a bit. If she walks away it is either before or after she sat down, it's not consistent.

Usually I'm dealing with option 2 or 3 at each wet food meal time. I can't figure out why. I can usually tell within the first five seconds of a meal how it is going to go based on her lick speed. Foods that she scarfed down in one sitting previously or maybe ate ok-ish the day before or earlier that day she suddenly won't touch for a given meal. If I prepare something else she'll usually scarf it down.

I'm completely at a loss as to what to do. I don't know what's going on with the cat. Is she not hungry? Is she a picky eater? Is it something medical like a upset tummy? How do I diagnose any of these things?

With kibble, she usually only eats it when I'm standing near her or watching her. She's always been like that if I'm in the house. She'll eat a bit over night when I'm sleeping but not always.
Wet food is given at 6:00 AM and 3:00 PM, kibble is free range all day in .8oz increments and she is allowed up to 1.4oz total kibble for a day, measured by weight.

She's been to the vet and everything checked out. Vet's not sure why she's giving me problems. Maybe she is self regulating was her guess. Could be, I don't know.

 

[louisstools]

I have a 10 year old girl and we're both relatively new to the world of wet food and meal times (6 months). For 9.5 years we did kibble free range but due to a turn of events from her brother cat's cancer related death she now is getting canned food.
....

I'm not sure how this ended up in this thread, meant this as a separate thread/post.

 

[louisstools]

I thought I created this as a separate post/thread but somehow it got into an older post/thread by me. Apologies if this looks familiar lol.

 

[maggie101]

I don't either but I don't remember names so you might get some suggestions you've already gotten

 

[FeebysOwner]

It still looks like a separate thread to me. But - and I hope I am not stepping out of bounds by telling you that - sometimes moderators will 'merge' threads if they are basically addressing the same/very similar issues.

First and foremost, a 10 yo cat is technically considered a senior - and the first line of 'defense' is a full blood work up to see if the numbers indicate a problem that warrants further investigation. So, when the vet checked her out, did she have the full-scale blood work done? Was that included in one of your previous threads?

Secondly, many cats as they age can get very picky about their food. Many prefer to eat a little bit at a time. Those who used to be on dry food only tend to have been 'grazers' - and it seems that habit is 'transferred' to how they eat canned food as well. I know this from personal experience. Feeby also tires of the same food being given to her after she has eaten some of it, and mostly does better when a 'new' food is introduced to her later in the day.

I know you are frustrated with having to try to deal with these things, but experimentation is about the only way to try to tackle this. More water added to the food might make it more appealing. Scooping the food back up into a pile when it gets 'flattened' out? Chunky foods, or ones with gravy, or pates, or even mousse? Each cat prefers different textures, and textures also vary from one brand to the next (aka - not all pates are the same). Adding FortiFlora (a probiotic, which is more like an appetite enticer really) to her food, crumbling up her favorite dry food or treat and adding it to her food. Only giving her a partial can of food and storing the rest in the fridge for another day, and then opening up another can that same day and repeat storing the rest for another day. Most canned foods will be fine if stored in the fridge for a day or two. Some cats want their food warmed to room temp if it is coming out of the fridge, others don't care. Storing the food in something other than the actual can itself can help to reduce any kind of 'canny' flavor. The list of ideas goes on and on and on.

The other thing to rake into consideration is that with all of the supply problems, we don't know exactly how changes may have been made to some of the foods and if that impacts what a cat wants to eat from one time to the next.

Tbh, there is not any one solution that you can just start doing and automatically have everything resolved. Hang in there - this is the life we all deal with when taking care of a beloved cat as they age.

 

[maggie101]

So you have 2 cats? My cat Maggie prefers to eat in my bedroom with the door closed so she doesn't hear my other cats chomping away. Peaches I lock in my bathroom it has stopped her throwing up instead of worrying my other cats will steal her food or tries to finish fast so she can eat theirs. I have to sit with Maggie while she eats or she will leave. Must be from all the vet visits. If you do a search on Amazon cat food timer 5 days,there are a bunch for wet and dry. This would be expensive but board her at the vets or friends and see how she does without you and get a break. Good luck!

 

[louisstools]

Oh, yeah, a merged thread, that makes sense. I just assumed I screwed up posting.

Vet did not do blood work b/c she had bloodwork done in Feb and that showed a healthy cat. I think the vet is assuming it's more behavioral but that's where I'm completely lost because I only know what was normal for my cat, not what could be in the range of normal for the average cat. It's likely this new to me behavior is completely normal but I lack the frame of reference to know that.

Perhaps as you say she is just a grazer at heart and that just means some tweaking to meal amounts and possible number of meals. Could be day dependent too. Good thinking switching the food up in a day, I'll try that and see if she's less picky!

You're absolutely right about the supply problems...I wish more companies were forthright about having to make the changes. Blue Buffalo, I'm looking at you!!!

Appreciate the guidance! Feeby is a lucky cat.

 

[Robyn5678]

from the sounds of your vet appt, it sounds like your girl is healthy so I wouldn’t stress too much tho I know that’s easier said than done. i think you may be overthinking this a little too much and she could be picking up on it.

Cats can be picky. Most people will tell you they have several foods in rotation. My cats will scarf down a food and as soon as I buy a case, they may not eat it as quick. I put food down for them at 6am and 6pm and walk away. If they eat it, great. If they don’t, they are gonna be hungry before their next meal. Mike typically come and go several times over a few hours before it’s all eaten

 

[louisstools]

So you have 2 cats? My cat Maggie prefers to eat in my bedroom with the door closed so she doesn't hear my other cats chomping away. Peaches I lock in my bathroom it has stopped her throwing up instead of worrying my other cats will steal her food or tries to finish fast so she can eat theirs. I have to sit with Maggie while she eats or she will leave. Must be from all the vet visits. If you do a search on Amazon cat food timer 5 days,there are a bunch for wet and dry. This would be expensive but board her at the vets or friends and see how she does without you and get a break. Good luck!

I had two cats. The other had terminal cancer and passed last December. They ate in the same room -- different ends of that room -- and seemed to have some sort of understanding. I sit with Missy most of the time and she seems to like it. I don't mind it as it's kinda fun to watch her eat away.

Thanks maggie101 !

 

[FeebysOwner]

Feeby is a lucky cat.

LOL! Don't ask for her opinion on that, especially on the days I tell her she is a 'butt-head' when she doesn't eat what I give her!

 

[louisstools]

LOL! Don't ask for her opinion on that, especially on the days I tell her she is a 'butt-head' when she doesn't eat what I give her!

I hear ya. My cat, like two minutes ago, went downstairs to do a potty and came back up and into my office meowing at me like she was giving me an order to "go clean up my box, hooman!"

 

[louisstools]

I looked at my journal entries back a few weeks to when she started to be picky about wet food and noticed that her interest in kibble is the same or more and it's been consistent since kibble was added back to her diet three months ago. She might refuse wet food but never kibble and will beg me to walk with her to the kibble bowl to "fluff" it up for her so she can have a bit. She does not nor has she ever begged for wet food like she does kibble. If the kibble and a favorite wet food are next to each other in the morning she'll go straight to the kibble sometimes literally walking over the wet food.

I wonder if all this behavior is simply her telling me she likes the kibble more? Her body language around the foods is different: kibble she walks up to, sits, and eats but wet food she walks up to, stands, sniffs it, and then eats. Since the passing of her brother in Dec, I've tried twice to switch her back to all kibble (basically back to how things were) and it failed, likely b/c I over reacted. Vet is ok with the cat being on the all kibble diet and maybe this is what the cat would prefer. It's easier on me, that's for certain. The vet even mentioned at the last visit (this past Tuesday) I might just not offer her wet food one meal and see how she does with just kibble if that's what she wants.

My plan for the next week is to keep portions the same but not give her wet food at her AM and PM scheduled meals until after (so flipping the order of food I offer) she's had a fill of kibble first (when she walks away). See if she starts to eat more kibble on her own. If she eats the kibble a bit more I'll decrease the amount of wet food offered (when she walks away from the wet it gets pulled up and that's that). Perhaps repeat for a few weeks until the wet food is just a "treat." Regardless, the wet food she eats is the wet food she eats and I really can't do anything other than offer her food.

Calorie wise, she's been getting ~200kcal a day and that's slight weight gain for her. Her daily average for this month is 0.9oz of kibble a day which is ~100kcal. So we're already at a half-way point with calories in switching her diet if that's what the cat wants.

Just an update.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I wonder if all this behavior is simply her telling me she likes the kibble more?

As far as I know, most dry food (kibble) has flavor enhancers added, and I don't think canned food does - or, at least not the same kind. Probably the difference. If you want her to eat more canned food, try chopping the dry food into very small crumbles and use it as a topper for the canned food, or mixed it into the canned food.
Dry Pet Food Flavor Enhancers and Their Impact on Palatability: A Review - PMC (nih.gov)

 

[louisstools]

As far as I know, most dry food (kibble) has flavor enhancers added, and I don't think canned food does - or, at least not the same kind. Probably the difference. If you want her to eat more canned food, try chopping the dry food into very small crumbles and use it as a topper for the canned food, or mixed it into the canned food.
Dry Pet Food Flavor Enhancers and Their Impact on Palatability: A Review - PMC (nih.gov)

I'll check that out. Frankly if it was up to just me I'd prefer her to eat just the kibble because that's how things used to be and that's what I know. What I wouldn't give for the schedule and routine to go back to what it was pre-brother-cat-cancer/death and was for a decade.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I'll check that out. Frankly if it was up to just me I'd prefer her to eat just the kibble because that's how things used to be and that's what I know. What I wouldn't give for the schedule and routine to go back to what it was pre-brother-cat-cancer/death and was for a decade.

Not that I advocate feeding a cat nothing but dry food (due to the lack of moisture that cats need), but if she likes her kibble - how did you end up starting her on canned food? You've probably told us, but I don't remember.

 

[Robyn5678]

I'll check that out. Frankly if it was up to just me I'd prefer her to eat just the kibble because that's how things used to be and that's what I know. What I wouldn't give for the schedule and routine to go back to what it was pre-brother-cat-cancer/death and was for a decade.

I had a cat that would not touch wet food for 16 years. I tried ever brand and flavor. So for 16 years she only ate kibble. She was on a kidney one from the vet but it did help improve her numbers. Within the last 6 months she’s decided she wants to eat some wet food since it’s what j feed my new cats. She maybe will eat 1 ounce a day. I don’t push it, she wants her dry food

 

[louisstools]

how did you end up starting her on canned food? You've probably told us, but I don't remember.

It was during the storm of her brother having terminal cancer last fall. He couldn't eat the decade old kibble diet they were on due to the oral cancer making a hole in the hard part of the roof of his mouth going into his nasal passage. We learned if I hand fed him that we could control the angle of how he ate and the hole in his mouth wasn't a problem but if he ate on his own accord he got food up in that hole and that caused discomfort. I hand fed him hills a/d went for his final three months but it took sometimes 6-8 feedings a day to get him his calories (basically get a 5.5oz can into him). This completely upended the routine of life and added a new food being offered.

That got Missy, my girl cat, off her schedule and she wanted what her brother was getting. Then she needed a big dental where like 16 teeth needed to get removed. Then her brother passed a two weeks later. She wasn't really into the kibble after he died so I offered her wet just to get food into her. That's basically how and why wet food is even a thing in my house. Like I said, if it was up to me we'd never have gotten off the well oiled routine that worked stress free for so many years for all parties but cancer threw a wrench into our lives and things have never been the same.

I tried a few weeks after her brother died to get her back on kibble cold turkey, I didn't know better, and she just refused to eat it. I tried doing a three week transition in Feb after two months of not giving her kibble and that worked well until two days after the transition she refused to eat the kibble. Both attempts were with the vet's approval and the reasoning for the diet change was really to take stress off of me and to get back to the routine that I know. I'm a high functioning autistic and I can't handle not having routine, we can create new routine but it needs to be consistent and never deviate...which is how things were for a decade before the cancer storm.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If she is back to eating the kibble, maybe just continue to put down a bit of the canned food until you run out of it. By then, maybe she will have 'gone back' to eating as she once did. It sounds like that might actually be happening already.

 

[louisstools]

If she is back to eating the kibble, maybe just continue to put down a bit of the canned food until you run out of it. By then, maybe she will have 'gone back' to eating as she once did. It sounds like that might actually be happening already.

Yeah I wonder if that's what is happening. Mostly going to just let it happen with gentle nudges.

Course she would decide to go back to the old routine after I stockpile about a year's worth of wet food.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Course she would decide to go back to the old routine after I stockpile about a year's worth of wet food.

That is what cats do!!