food for elderly cat?

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My Porky is estimated to be 19. She's a feisty old gal, active enough and eats well. Even so, over the years she has lost weight. She used to be overweight, but now I worry she's too slim. A year ago she survived surgery for a cancerous growth on her chest. There's always a chance she has a contributing internal cancer, though her weight loss is not sudden. She loves half-and-half and no have bad effects from dairy, so she has a TBS when I have my AM coffee. The cats get some wet and some dry food. Does anyone know of some that are higher-calorie, so that what she eats just delivers more? Her annual check-up is coming next month and I will ask the vet, too. Thanks. 

[paquebot]

When our cat began losing teeth, we switched to canned food, mostly pate type. As she got older and began going downhill, went with the softer types which were basically bits of meat in a thick liquid. In the end, there were only a couple of Fancy Feast chicken that she liked.

Martin

[gracielagata]

Not to add to possible issues, but you may want to confirm she is not in kidney failure. My childhood/heart cat was diagnosed with that when she was about 18 based on the symptoms of losing weight and drinking more. Though the weight loss was the easier one to notice. Putting her on a kidney diet with sub-q fluids helped.

But I second the let her eat whatever tolerable high calorie food she wants. Toonces grew to hate the kidney diet. And consuming any calories in old age is more important that the type most times. I had to start mixing it with any of the cheap canned foods and eventually got to the point I let her eat whatever she wanted. She lived 5+ years more from her diagnosis point. The last year or 2 I quit caring what she ate, as long as she ate, as she got so picky.

Cooked meats from our meals, rice, pop tarts, spaghetti, milk, milk soaked cereal. Those were a few of her favorites. I would even give her a few syringes of watered down wet food to add some more calories on the days she wasn't up to eating enough calories She was very healthy and active aside from that, as odd as that sounds. I think I remember the vet saying part of it was just the old age symptoms of not enjoying or tasting food the same anymore, like humans do. So she would perk up after her syringe feeding.

[Woodpecker]

Our pup is 14 now. He won't eat any sort of dry or wet dog food. He eats, the same as graciel's cat, whatever we eat I have to break into small pieces and hand feed him.

The one thing I thought of was, being your cat loves half & half...try giving him some Ensure or Boost. My dog loves it and has no side effects from it or a human diet. He's slowed down a lot, he is deaf and now can't get up the back stairs. My son built a little ramp for him. We have to pick him up now for the two steps going into the kitchen from the mud room.

I did have a beloved cat, Micky who lived to be 13. He had cancer and wouldn't eat a thing, until I bought canned crab meat. That was the only thing he would eat. He drank plenty of milk too.

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gracielata, my dear cat Spooky had kfd, but before he was diagnosed, he acted SO sick. He spent some time at the vet's while they stablizied him, and then I kept him comfortable for a good four years, via sub-Q fluid and a stomach med. Porky just doesn't have symptoms. A year ago when she had surgery for a growth on her chest, all her blood tests were good. Better than they anticipated. It's time for her check-up, though, so I'll ask. I have a baby scale, so I think I'll start charting all three cats. Better than sitting around worrying.

[LauraD]

Definitely have her checked for kidney issues. I had a cat that was down to skin & bones - ended up it was kidneys. She was switched to a kidney diet, regained almost all her lost weight, and lived several more years.

[Maura]

As we get older our bodies don't utilize nutrition as well as when we were younger. Some people get fat, others get thin.

You can help your cat along by adding a pinch of vitamin C to her food. I have used it on both cats and dogs. There isn't any data on how much, so I just used a pinch. Try Thompson's buffered Vitamin C. It comes in granules rather than capsules.

You can also try switching her to predator raw. That is raw meaty bones, such as chicken wings. If she can't chew the bones you can smash them with a hammer or grind them.

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Maura, you mean plain raw meat from the grocery or butcher, not a food brand, yes?

[Maura]

Yes, the same stuff you bring home and cook. Just don't cook it. It costs more than commercial kibble, but how big is a cat?

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Porky update. Vet appt. AM. He is not worried about the ounces she has lost. Doesn't recommend any food changes. Said she's in surprisingly good condition, in fact. He showed her blood panel pre-surgery last year to an intern who was shadowing, and she was shocked at how "normal". A couple of small things prompted him to suggest a thyroid test, which wasn't included last year. hers is overactive enough that I'm starting her on a med tomorrow.