What dry or wet food will my picky senior cat eat besides treats?

If Christian is doing well ont he Fancy Feast, I would just continue with this, as it is a safe food and as long as he doesn't have any other health issues should be fine if he is eating it well. I would, however, recommend having him examined by a vet to ensure there isn't a reason he stopped eating hard food such as oral pain, and also as a senior pet it is recommended to have a check up and bloodwork yearly. Canned/wet food is actually ideal for cats due to the fact that they often don't get enough water through drinking so the wet food is better for urinary tract healthy, but any time we have a change in appetite, it should be investigated!

Good Afternoon...thank you for contacting Boop by Petco! I empathize with your struggle and Munchkin's picky diet. I certainly do not want to cause alarm, but many times cats will become "picky eaters" for many other reasons other than their teeth. As a veterinarian, this symptom always give me pause. Cats with dental issues still usually have a normal appetite, even with a bad tooth - they will still eat. There are many other conditions which can cause an older kitty to change their eating habits and influenced "what tastes good to them" - conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (even with no other GI symptoms), kidney disease, liver disease, and many types of cancers (that can be within any organ of the body...) can cause an older kitty to change their appetite preferences. I would want to know if Munchkin is maintaining her weight, or has she lost weight? If she has lost weight, this is also more concerning. I would recommend you monitor her weight very closely - if sh

Senior cats can certainly be a challenge. You didn't mention if Tony eats canned or dry food. Since you are having to change every few days, I would suspect that it is canned. One thing that will entice my older cat to eat is if a grind up dry food and sprinkle it over the canned food. Dry foods have a number of flavor additives in them and grinding them up (in a coffee grinder) seems to make them smell better to an older cat. (You can also do this if Tony has a favorite dry treat.) Adding small amounts of the water that canned tuna, salmon or chicken are packed in can also be a good way to get them to eat if he likes those flavors. There are a number of companies that make food "toppers" that are ment to be extra flavorful. Some cats really love liver, so dehydrated liver treats or toppers are a great idea for senior cats. Finally, sometimes we rotate foods on a regular basis instead of just feeding him a food for as long as he will eat it. Good luck! I hope that was helpfu

Thank you for using Boop by Petco! If Lady Patches is losing weight, it can definitely be due to her dental disease. However, other causes for weight loss include underlying medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes, IBD, and cancer - all of these and others can be ruled out by your vet. You can definitely encourage Lady Patches to eat more by moistening her dry food or getting a food that is in smaller pieces. There are multivitamins available for senior cats, but they do not provide many calories. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you have!

It is pretty likely that he has a tooth ache, has severe gingivitis or other problems in his mouth that make eating hard dry food difficult, so he will not eat enough to satisfy his hunger. Keep giving him more wet food and schedule an appointment with your vet for a dental exam. Older kitties often have dental problems and eating with a tooth ache is horrible.

If your cat has problems eating his dry food, then he likely has bad teeth, excess tartar and/or severe gingivitis. He does not need his fangs for chewing. So I strongly suggest you have Bud's teeth checked by your veterinarian. He may need a dental cleaning and removal of any bad teeth. You can give him the baby food provided there is no xylitol in it (checck the label) as an interim feed. Unfortunately baby food does not fit the nutritional profile of a senior cat, so is not suitable as permanent food. You may want to try other canned kidney diets for your kitty.

You may want to look at his teeth, especially his molars (cheek teeth). Mikkel may have a lot of tartar on his teeth and severe inflammation of his gums which then hurt when he eats dry food. If you see brown concrements on his teeth, then he should be seen by a veterinarian and get his teeth cleaned under anesthesia. There is no need to have a tooth ache, and the bacteria in tartar can actually cause heart and kidney problems.

Try warming it slightly or mixing in a teaspoon of baby food. If Leelee will allow, check her mouth and teeth for signs of periodontal disease (redness, bleeding, swollen gums, loose teeth, bad breath, etc). See your veterinarian for an exam if necessary or if she doesn't eat for more than 2 days. If she has significant periodontal disease, she may need a dental cleaning. If the decreased appetite has another cause, a physical exam and blood work may diagnose it.

Sweetiepie needs to eat cat food because it has certain amino acids needed for heart health that are not found in dog food. If she gets into it every once in a while, that's fine. Fancy Feast seems to offer a variety of flavors. It's not the best food but its not the worst and it's important she eats. Also, I recommend to have Sweetiepie examined by the veterinarian if you are noticing finicky eating. At her age, kidney disease and other health concerns become more common and finicky eating can be one of the first signs of a problem. I hope this helps.

Appetite changes and weight loss in older cats are usually due to an underlying medical problem, rather than just "getting old." Some common possibilities would include chronic kidney or liver disease, diabetes, or dental problems. Many of these issues are very treatable once a diagnosis is made, so I would recommend taking Poppy to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can do blood work to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment.