what to feed older sick kitty

[jonny166]

Hi, i am new here this is my first time posting and im sorry it will be a bit long. I have a cat who is atleast 15 (not sure of exact age as it was inherited with house). He has been diagnosed with asthma as well as a heart murmer. He also has an anxiety disorder which causes him to lick all the hair off his legs and makes him very anxious and shy. but none the less we love him very much. My question relates to his diet. He has horrendous teeth, but the vet says due to his age/heart condition he cant be sedated for teeth cleaning. I have tried the cat teeth cleaning kits but these upset him so much he hides for days afterward and just shakes the whole time. The reason his teeth are so bad is becuase he wont chew his food, he swallows it whole (which also makes him vomit constantly). Well if anyone has any suggestions about how to care for this or a good food let me know, we and the vet are out of ideas. thanks a lot =]

hi Jonny !!
Welcome to Pettalk !!!

About your cat now ; have you tried the dry food especially made for elder cats ? They usually have some tooth missing and cannot chew very well !!
I wish you all the best with this !!

[lynnestankard]

Hello Johnny and a big welcome to Pet Talk - I'm sure a little chat to your vet could help a great deal.
If your cat's having trouble with his teeth and because of his age maybe he could be put on a 'wet' food - or even chicken and rice, which a lot of older cats seem to prefer - especially minced, no proper chewing involved!
By the way whats the name of your furkid?

Lynne

[jonny166]

His name is Spooky =] Thanks for the advice, we will ask the vet if that is a possibility. We have tried atleast 10 different cat foods to see if he can hold them down better. The poor baby throws up atleast twice a day, tho he does seem to do a little better on the wet food. Also due to an accident where his tail was cut off up inside a car (before we got him) he has to get a lot of wet food anyhow to help him pass it, apparently thats common in cats who lose their tails.

[moosmom]

Jonny166,

I have a 13 year old Maine Coon that has bad tartar build up on her teeth. She won't eat dry food, only canned. My vet is going to clean her teeth in a couple of weeks and didn't mention anything about not being able to because of her age.

I think I might try crushing up dry food and putting it in the canned food.

[tatsxxx11]

Hi Jonny. Your beautiful senior Spooky sounds so precious. As with humans, the seniors do so much rely on our help as they grow older. Perhaps you could discuss again with your vet the possibility of a dental cleaning/? Of course, the medical conditions you mentioned do pose some risks. But, the anesthesia used now for dental cleanings is quite "light." I think, as others have said, that crushing dry food in with the wet might help. I would also suggest giving him smaller, frequent meals, instead of a greater amount at any one time to reduce the risk of vomiting. Please give your Spooky a hug and kiss from me. You're a very caring parent

[yorkster]

Does he take meds for his asthma/heart/anxiety?
I know when my cat first starting having heart probleems, etc., he threw-up alot - like a few times a day.
Once he got on meds and felt better, he did not vomit anymore.
At least he might feel better if that could be stopped.

[kohala]

Hope you're still checking in here - I'm a newbie, too! My cat is almost 16 years old, and was vomiting and having diarhhea a lot. My vet had me take her off dry food completely, and whenever she has this problem now I switch her to Beechnut baby food. Chicken or turkey only, and Beechnut at it has the least (if any) additives.
Hope all is still well, or better I should say.