Need a very soft food for a sick cat that doesnt like wet food...

capt_jordi

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It's been a while since I've been here, but I figured you guys would be my best option for help!

Joey went to the vet yesterday and had a tooth pulled and unfortunately they found a mass under the base of his tongue. We are waiting on the results from the biopsy to see what we are dealing with. 

But the vet said we need to be feeding him very soft food because of the tooth and with his tongue being so swollen that the dry food isnt good for him right now anyways. 

Usually we leave dry out all day and at night feed a can of Tiki Cat split between the 2 cats. But Joey only ever eats the sauce and leaves the meat for Google to finish up.

I tried a very soft prescription Royal Canin the vet gave us and he turned his nose up. I tried Tiki Cat this morning and he licked some of the sauce but that was all. And I tried kibble soaked in water with a splash of salt free beef broth for a little extra flavor. So far nothing. 

Is there anything I can make for him or go get for him that will be easy for him to eat? Maybe a type of liquid or gravy or something? 
 

kittylove542

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Hi, sorry to hear about Joey! I've never had a problem with my cats eating canned food. They prefer it over the dry any day. However, I've read before that warming up the canned food in the microwave can help their appetite by enhancing the food aroma. Good luck!
 

denice

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Just for the short term you could try meat baby food.  You want the type that is just meat and make sure there is no onion in it.  There is one type that has onion in it, not sure which one.  I don't get the whole thing about putting onion in baby food.  Some people have luck with that.  You could also try Fancy Feast, I've heard that one called Kitty Crack.  Of course baby food isn't complete and should'nt be fed very long but it would be protein and calories.  
 

vball91

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I second the baby food and Fancy Feast. The Fancy Feast kitten is very soft. All of the FF classic pates are pretty soft. You could also try blending it with some water to make it more gravy like and easier to lap up. If he really likes his kibble, you could crush a few and sprinkle it on the wet food to make it smell more familiar.

If none of these ideas work soon (like today), I would consider syringe feeding him to get him over this. Cats cannot go long without eating without the risk of developing fatty liver disease.
 
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capt_jordi

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Just for the short term you could try meat baby food.  You want the type that is just meat and make sure there is no onion in it.  There is one type that has onion in it, not sure which one.  I don't get the whole thing about putting onion in baby food.  Some people have luck with that.  You could also try Fancy Feast, I've heard that one called Kitty Crack.  Of course baby food isn't complete and should'nt be fed very long but it would be protein and calories.  
We used to feed fancy feast and he would only eat the gravy lovers and even then would only lick the gravy off and Google would get the rest. 

And yeah I think baby food may be my next go to option and a syringe if needed. 
 
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capt_jordi

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I second the baby food and Fancy Feast. The Fancy Feast kitten is very soft. All of the FF classic pates are pretty soft. You could also try blending it with some water to make it more gravy like and easier to lap up. If he really likes his kibble, you could crush a few and sprinkle it on the wet food to make it smell more familiar.

If none of these ideas work soon (like today), I would consider syringe feeding him to get him over this. Cats cannot go long without eating without the risk of developing fatty liver disease.
yeah I have been trying to coax him to eat all day. He ate a few pieces of the Tiki Cat this morning but not much.

Although he just had the surgery yesterday and you could tell he was still feeling the drugs when we brought him home.
 

franksmom

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Yes a lot of gravy lickers will eat blended wet because it looks like gravy. I got my gravy licker to eat wet with nature's variety pride- he also likes tiki cat. Does he like freeze dried chicken? You can crush that up very finely on top of the wet to get him started. Fortiflora also often works to attract them to the food.
 
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capt_jordi

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I was able to get him to eat some baby food with a syringe. But he'd only do about 6mL before he got really upset with me. I figure I will give him about that much every hour or so? The vet said he could eat as much as he wanted, but what is the minimum amount I should make sure he eats?
 

peaches08

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When I had to syringe feed my late CRF cat, I bought a magic bullet blender for baby food. It smoothed out lumps so I could feed any canned she would eat.
 

franksmom

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I was able to get him to eat some baby food with a syringe. But he'd only do about 6mL before he got really upset with me. I figure I will give him about that much every hour or so? The vet said he could eat as much as he wanted, but what is the minimum amount I should make sure he eats?
I am not sure with baby food but when I syringe fed with AD I aimed for a can which I believe it is about  5.5 OZ. From my memory 1 oz is 29 cc and I tried to feed 29 cc about 5 times a day. Here is a great thread on how to do it (http://www.thecatsite.com/t/227858/syringe-feeding-lucky-video-if-your-cat-is-not-eating). 
 

denice

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I don't remember if they have calorie counts on baby food, it's been a long time ago for me.  The rule of thumb for maintenance is 15 calories per pound of the cats ideal weight.  That doesn't help much if you don't know the calories in the baby food.
 
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