My senior cat is a picky eater after dental work. What should I do?

Question

My 16 yr old cat is a female calico. She recently had a lot of dental issues. Has had to have all but front 4 teeth removed. She has no issues mechanically, but her preferences have changed greatly. Wants a new flavor food each meal, which leads to a huge waste. Can this be changed somehow? Totally healthy in all other ways. Plays like a kitten. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 17 years and 10 months old | 7.5 lbs

Lisa Mausbach, DVM · Accepted Answer

Good Afternoon...thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 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 she is maintaining (and has not lost weight within the past 6-12 months...). You may want to consider a visit to your veterinarian for additional diagnostics including a full senior bloodwork/urine profile, and possibly an abdominal ultrasound and chest radiographs to ensure nothing more sinister may be going on. I hope this helps, good luck!

My senior cat is a picky eater after dental work. What should I do?

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