Food for foster question

[kitten645]

A foster kitty has recently come to live with me from the shelter I work at. Long story short, the poor baby, prolly about 13-14 years was dumped in a cage at the Petco the shelter works on weekends without anyone seeing the "dumpee". He's a super sweet flamepoint that doesn't seem to have anything wrong with him other than age His teeth are horrid and he's just plain old but such a sweet guy I can't believe anyone would dump him that way. Thing that breaks my heart most is not knowing his name. I've named him Smudge but can you imagine after having a name for all your life suddenly having to adjust to a new place, new name, new everything??
You know if you're coward enough to dump a pet or take them to a "night drop" at a shelter to hide, leave a f**king piece of paper with their name and what you might know..name..age..history..whatever. urgggh..makes me furious.
Anyhoo, I ended up with him (much to my boys chagrin! ) cause the shelter was going to put him down just because he was "unadoptable" just because of his age!! So I literally snatched him on his way to "the room"
Sorry for the ramble but here's my real question for all you experts...I've tried every kind of food for him. Remember his teeth are bad (or not there!). He's thin as a rail so I feed him whatever I can whenever he wants. Quite a challenge with two fattie young kitties home too! Huvering like vultures...LOL.
I need to know the softest mushiest wettest food you know of. Like I said I've tried a variety and they've come from all sorts of places...the shelter, my mom, my sister, various kitty friends, stuff I've picked up, samples etc. The one he seems to have liked best was called NuPet. For the life of me I can't find it now!! And of course I don't know where it came from!! I've looked high and low (and online!) and can't seem to find it. He's doing okay on Fancy Feast (a small fortune!) but he licks up the gravy and eats a few of the chunks and leaves the rest. I've tried mashing up a variety, food processing...you name it!! The NuPet was super wet and just a mass in the can. I thought it looked like the cheap stuff but possibly vet only?? I've looked at Petco, Petsmart, Walmart, every supermarket chain in a 20 mile radius!!

HELP!!!!!!

Kitten and Smudge

[kitten645]

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[catmandu]

I Would Try A Premium Kitten Food As Smudge Sounds As Though He Needs Some Protein.
Royal Canin Kitten, And Little Kitten Food Are Usually In Specially Marked Bags Making Them A Good Deal.
Bless You For Taking That Older Cat.
You Should See If Theres A Vet College Near You Who Will Help With Smudges Teeth, As The Infection Could Be Dangerous.

[jenluckenbach]

He might not be eating because of the bad teeth. But he also might not be eating due to depression. As an older cat, now abandoned by his family he could feel quite insecure.

Will the shelter be getting him to the vet for dental work? I would think that would be an important first step to making him feel better.

I do not know about a food called NuPet, but try canned foods that are ground texture (not slices or chunks) A kitten canned would be the best because of extra nutrition/calories.

A vet could possibly get you some canned a/d which is for this type of problem.

Also, get some nutri-cal paste. At least it will get nutrition and calories into him until his appetite perks up.

Try also, some baby food meats. Not overly nutritious, but they like the taste. If he DOES eat it, you can them add canned cat food to it slowly adding more cat food and less baby food.

[kitten645]

Thanks so much for the advice. He has been seen by a vet. They don't want to do anything drastic ie teeth due to his thiness and age. They want to stablize him first and then see what to do next. He's on a hyperthorid (sp?) med in case that's the reason for his weight issue. Other than that he's got a clean bill of health that AGAIN makes me question why he was dumped. He seems to eat, drink and poop okay but he just doesn't seem to be putting on weight. He sweet and friendly enough. Loves head rubs but not a lapcat like my two boys..but of course he is part oriental so that's part of their nature sometimes. I must also say he doesn't particularly seem "happy" like my guys but again, every cat has a personality and maybe he's just an old guy...
I'll try the baby food..he does seem to LOVE ANYTHING that isn't kitty food...I can hardly eat at home anymore!! I just can't see cooking him his own chicken every night when I don't even cook for myself!! May just be the way it has to be I just want to make his last years nice ones for him.
Can anyone suggest specific "ground" cat foods? Most don't have pictures on the outside and I've bought a couple I thought were mushy and ends up they were chunky. I know most of his eating issues are due to his teeth. Nutri cal paste is a great idea!! Thanks..off to Petsmart tomorrow! I was a little worried that kitten food might be too rich for his poor old tummy but I guess if he's not gaining weight it can't hurt..I just don't want to give him runny poo's or vomits.
Again it just pisses me off someone would do this to him. He's clearly been an indoor cat as his pawpads are soft and he doesn't even THINK about hanging around or bolting out the door. "People"!! Oy vey!

[allmypets615]

Hello there!
It is a sad thing when people dump their pets. What you could do to try and get him to eat is heat up some soft canned food, maybe add some nutra cal to it for extra vitamins. A trip to the vet is a good idea because you dont know why he was dumped..maybe he was found to have something and the people couldnt be bothered with him.
Missy

[allmypets615]

LOL..I see Jenluckenbach and I think the same way on the subject..Sorry, maybe I should read the posts before posting myself .
Nutra-cal is a great product..it is very useful for litle kitens too. I am glad the old fella found his way to you...good luck with him

[jenluckenbach]

Could they do a blood test to check his thyroid? (to be sure) Cats with thyroid problems might need special diets as well (and I would hate to think we are telling you the wrong things to feed him)

If you buy the canned foods like friskies, 9-lives, you can almost always tell what consistancy they are. They may not be the BEST food around, but many cats prefer their taste over the so-called GOOD stuff. (don't we all??)

[kitten645]

HA!! I figured when I got him I'd give him whatever he needed regardless of cost foodwise. My boys eat the "good stuff"..low cal dry and I've never had a problem but now that the little one (not age wise but size wise ) is eating Smudges "leftovers" he's getting tubby not to mention bad breath and smelly poops!! Oh well. I can only do so much! LOL! But I also tried cheap stuff as I figured it was mushier and smellier than the good stuff so maybe he'd like it. I can't figure if the NuPet is the good stuff or the cheap stuff?? LOL
Smudgie had a full battery of tests though to tell the truth I don't like the "free" vet much. He acts like you are questioning his authority when you ask ANYTHING. I'm trying to budget to take Smudge to my regular vet but I'm not working at the moment and budget is tight.
Anyhow, the vet that saw him did a blood test and said his tyroid was borderline which is why they put him on meds. I only give him half a pill once a day so I guess that's a pretty low dose. Sometimes I think some kitties are just thin and some aren't...LOL...like people.
My boys are littermates and calvin is 9 lbs and Hobbes is 20! They are both healthy so there you go.
Smudgie is definately thin and needs to put on some pounds but if he's healthy by all accounts maybe I'm just a worrywart. I'm spoiled my guys are so easy. Freefeeding dry low cal and no problems healthwise whatsoever.
I've tried heating up his food and it makes no difference whatsoever. I've even tried different bowls! Bowls, flat plates, ceramic, plastic, disposable...LOL..maybe I'm just neurotic!!! I just want the best possible for him. I think the nurti cal paste might be just the ticket. Thanks again everyone and anything else you can suggest will be appreciated! I saw somewhere there was a "gravy" you could put on food that might make it more palatable? Anyone have any experience?
I've also tried treats and he doesn't like any of them. He does like eating catnip though he doesn't zone out on it like my guys do. He just eats it and sleeps wherever I put it!
Kitten

[Randy_K]

Many of the cats adopted by my family as I was growing up were cats whose owners had died and the family or whomever cleaned out the house left these older cats to fend for themselves. Like, "Sorry, kid. Your home is gone." It must be hard on them to loose everything all at once but they respond to the slightest kindness with true affection and become the best pets. They still have a lot of life left in them if someone cares.

[CultureJunky]

Oh I'm so glad you've adopted him though, fancy putting a cat down because of it's age, that's just so annoying It's the same with old people, people think they're not worth anything anymore, grrrrrrrrrrrr.
Could we see a pictures of your new friend by any chance?

[kitten645]

His pic is posted above...too big I know but I couldn't figure out how to resize it Bit of a cyber dummy here...LOL. Thanks all for your good wishes. He is a sweet guy.
Kitten

[emily_the_spoiled]

You might want to give the 9-lives tuna a try. It has a consistency that is rather mushy and the cats seem to just lick it rather than having to chew on anything.

[Lizzie]

Thank you for snatching Smudgie from the jaws of death and taking him home.

It's amazing how much cats will eat even when they are in extreme mouth pain, so I also think there are other issues. I adopted an elderly FIV+ cat recently that had a bloody mouth full of rotten teeth and it was nearly a week before they could remove them all. He was put on antibiotics for the mouth infection and that really helped after a few days. He ate from the start, but his mouth seemed to hurt less once the antibiotics kicked in. Can your vet prescribe Amoxi to use while you wait for surgery? I used Fancy Feast also, the gourmet selection so there are no pieces, and I mushed it up with plenty of hot water. A/D, which you will need to get from the vet, is very high calorie and most cats really like it. When I'm force feeding it to one of my cats, the other cats stand around trying to lick up the mess.

I tried the gravy, not one cat out of 9 liked it. It didn't look all that good either when I poured it over the food so I wasn't surprised.

Did the vet say there was thyroid enlargement? Sometimes even the T4 test won't show the true level of hyperthyroidism, but most of the time it's correct.

Smudgie is a flame point so has plenty of Siamese in him, which does mean that his feelings are very keen. I adopted a Siamese in her teens last year (fortunately the shelter removed most of her rotten teeth) and she was frighteningly thin. Even during the first week in my home, while she was in isolation, she ate only enough to keep herself alive. But once the shocks of losing her home, life in a shelter, moving to my home wore off, she really blossomed. Given time, care and attention (which you are already providing), I am sure that Smudge will blossom also.

[kitten645]

It could be he's still upset. My boys aren't exactly lovey dovey with him but the tolerate him with no hisses etc. I tried 9lives and he ate it for a few cans but then he stopped. I may try it again. I'd like to find one food and stick with it so he doesn't get an upset stomach and I can monitor his poopies more consistently. The woman at Petco told me that different foods produce different bacteria so to try to introduce new foods gradually..unfortunately when he decides he doesn't want something, he doesn't want something period!!
Dr didn't mention an enlarged tyroid but I'll try to call him and ask. Like I said he isn't the most forthcoming with info!! I think I can get amoxi from the shelter.
I had a part siamese before (though he was a tuxie). Thankfully Smudge doesn't talk nearly as much as Jersey did!!
Thanks again everyone!