Toothless cat not liking wet food anymore

[tml1991]

My cat, Lee Lee, who has had all his teeth removed is back to not liking his wet food much anymore. This has been a recurring thing for him all his life, long before his tooth problems ever existed. The issue is though now him being toothless means he can't eat the types and texture of food he used to. At first I thought maybe be was hurting again or sick, but he is very playful, more than I've seen in a long time, still loves those Delectable tubes which are just cat junk food and sniffs anything he sees me with. He also ate an ant for whatever reason. Any advice on getting him to like wet food more again? This is frustrating and confusing, as a few days ago be ate three cans of Fancy Feast and seemed to love them, especially the beef and chicken and liver varieties

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, it sounds to me as though you're going to need to provide him with a variety, not just for flavor and texture, but also for different nutrients.

Try pouch foods, there are a lot of brands and everything from mousse texture to chunks in gravy. Try tractor supply, chewy has some sales right now, Amazon has cat food, Walmart and target have some too.

 

[tml1991]

Hi, it sounds to me as though you're going to need to provide him with a variety, not just for flavor and texture, but also for different nutrients.

Try pouch foods, there are a lot of brands and everything from mousse texture to chunks in gravy. Try tractor supply, chewy has some sales right now, Amazon has cat food, Walmart and target have some too.

What I can't figure out is why he suddenly stops liking wet food. He's done this off and on for a long time.

 

[maggie101]

https://catfooddb.com/product/weruva/Press+Your+Lunch!

Weruva has some brands in hydrating puree. One of my cats likes a different protein every day and a different texture. Though she won't be able to have different textures

 

[Kflowers]

If the chunks of food aren't too tough/solid (think like raw meat) most of the toothless can manage them. Once the gums have healed from removing teeth they form strong ridges, gently move your finger across the top of the gums on one side of his mouth and you'll see. It's not as good as teeth for tearing into raw meat or say a mouse or snake, but cooked food - chunks or shreds - in a can it should do. It may take him longer to eat and to get used to it, but it's doable.

 

[Antonio65]

Despite what people may think, toothless cats can actually eat whatever they want, dry food as well.
One of my outdoor cat is toothless, she had a full mouth extraction nearly two years ago, and she eats whatever I give her. She likes kibbles, I give her kibbles regularly, and wet food as well, and she never rejected anything.

Same for a cat at the shelter who had all his teeth removed a year ago, and he just eats anything.

So, if Lee Lee likes his kibbles, unless there's another good reason not to, you can try with dry food and see if he likes to change.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Despite what people may think, toothless cats can actually eat whatever they want, dry food as well.
One of my outdoor cat is toothless, she had a full mouth extraction nearly two years ago, and she eats whatever I give her. She likes kibbles, I give her kibbles regularly, and wet food as well, and she never rejected anything.

Same for a cat at the shelter who had all his teeth removed a year ago, and he just eats anything.

So, if Lee Lee likes his kibbles, unless there's another good reason not to, you can try with dry food and see if he likes to change.

Absolutely. I was just at the Vet today for a regular check-up and I was discussing this with our Vet since one of our cats has only a few teeth left and I wanted to know about his treats, since sometimes they are very hard (freeze dried chicken). She said it's no problem for them with or without teeth. I knew kibble wasn't a problem if it was small enough, but she said they can even break up the hard pieces without teeth.

 

[neely]

Despite what people may think, toothless cats can actually eat whatever they want, dry food as well.

I completely agree! Carleton is practically toothless. He only has one tooth left in his mouth but eats dry food as a snack with no trouble at all. When it comes to wet food he prefers pate.

 

[tml1991]

Absolutely. I was just at the Vet today for a regular check-up and I was discussing this with our Vet since one of our cats has only a few teeth left and I wanted to know about his treats, since sometimes they are very hard (freeze dried chicken). She said it's no problem for them with or without teeth. I knew kibble wasn't a problem if it was small enough, but she said they can even break up the hard pieces without teeth.

He tries to eat the hard pieces and drops them, but I'm slowly getting him to eat the dampened pieces. He eats the wet pieces easily. I'm not sure why he suddenly stopped liking the Fancy Feast cans in the first place. Last week he loved them, especially the beef and liver, chicken, and turkey and giblets cans.

 

[maggie101]

He tries to eat the hard pieces and drops them, but I'm slowly getting him to eat the dampened pieces. He eats the wet pieces easily. I'm not sure why he suddenly stopped liking the Fancy Feast cans in the first place. Last week he loved them, especially the beef and liver, chicken, and turkey and giblets cans.

Has he tried nutro perfect portions or sheba?

 

[tml1991]

Has he tried nutro perfect portions or sheba?

Sheba, a few times. Not Nutro though. As a whole he's always been very picky and being toothless isn't helping the situation. His mouth stills a little inflamed in one area, as in a little redness on one part of his gum and what looks like one of the ulcers still remains, but looking less red. His FIV status makes recovery slower and how bad his mouth was prior. The remaining soreness makes him trying to eat hard food, instead of the softer stuff even more puzzling