Teeth and Kidney friendly food recommendations

[kittyprincesss]

Hi friends. I need some help. My last senior girl, is currently having some severe teeth problems where its hard for her to chew. We already have an appointment set up with her primary physician, however I am struggling to get food in her currently. She is losing weight as a result. She is a kidney cat, but the lack of being able to chew well is affecting her weight now too. I've been researching some alternatives but I usually love having your guy's input. Some quick questions, has anyone tried NutriGel? I've been looking into it to see if it is a good substitute just to get some extra calories in her. She is currently eating Fancy Feast Grilled (its all she will eat now). Do any of you have some soft food alternatives? It seems like with the current food she just eats the gravy and nimbles at it until her teeth hurt and she will stop eating. Please help me with some good ideas, I've never felt like such a failure as a momma, shes my third senior girl and last one....I don't want her to wither away.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

There are some suggestions for items to help weight gain in the below thread:

Looking for high calorie syringe food.

Hello a basic history. my cat should be 6.25kg I have 4 other cats, but one is gaining weight which I don’t want. I have Bubbles age 13 (5.3kg), Taffy age 12 (6kg) Bollo age 12 (nearing 6.75kg) all from same parents. Buttons age 10, 5.75kg and Nala age 6 (about 4.25kg) Bubbles was 6.5kg why...

thecatsite.com

Additionally, I have used Nutrical for my last kidney cat, although I couldn't get her to eat very much of it. She was very picky, and I attributed that to her kidney disease. As far as your asking for soft food alternatives, pates usually have more calories than foods with chunks or slices, and they would be easier for her to eat, plus you could even add some water to them to make them more soupy, which would be even easier and even better since she has kidney disease. You just have to try different foods to see what she will eat. I had so many different cans for my girl, same fancy feast, some Iams, some Merrick, some Earthborn (NOT pate) some Hounds and Gatos, some Wellness, etc, etc, etc. I didn't worry about the amount of phos in the food since it was just critical to get her to eat! The Vet agreed. If your girl absolutely won't eat anything but the FF grills, then you could try putting it in a blender with more water and turning it into a pate. Maybe then she would eat more of it since it should have the same flavor. Are your familiar with this site? http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm#canned_usa

 

[FeebysOwner]

Baby food meat, while not nutritionally complete for a cat, will at least add some calories to her diet. Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut are the two I have used - there is one other brand I am aware of - Goya (made by Beechnut). Depending on which ones you buy a single 2.5 oz jar can add as much as 90 calories to her intake. It is not a long-term solution and shouldn't entirely replace cat food, but at least it is not loaded with phosphorus.

 

[Alldara]

Hi kittyprincesss .
Sorry to hear about your cat's medical issues.

I recommend using a blender, adding some water and blending your cat's food. After being a senior/geriatric cat owner these past 5 years, I always recommend having a blender on hand for senior cat emergencies

If her teeth hurt, you can try feeding on a piece of paper towel on the floor. Touching her face to her bowl can hurt too.

After blending her food, you can use the floor technique, or a spoon or syringe to feed her off the side. Even your finger works!

Sometimes I put just a tiny dab on their nose if they are unwilling to try it. Usually, they realize it's good and will eat it. For a cat feeling sick, you might have to offer it a couple times so they can try a few licks, see if it makes them sick and then continue to eat.

You might be able to get her to eat her kidney food that way. If not, any senior blend would be best as it will be a touch lower in phosphorus and other nutrients that may make her feel a bit sick. A urinary diet is another good one to try - Purina and Science diet both have urinary blends at the local pet store. Royal Canin has a 10+ senior food which is lower in those things and comes in Pate which can easily be blended.