Strange eating habits

[jrbb586]

My older cat has been seemingly very healthy and active all her life.  She is over 17 years old.  Recently, her eating habits have been worrying me.  She will rarely eat hard food, which I thought might be because her teeth were too brittle for it.  I began giving her wet food, which she would usually overeat until she threw up (she has always thrown up every once in a while, which the vet said was not necessarily abnormal...her whole life).  I have given her less and it has helped but now she will barely touch it, if ever.  Most of the time she will drink the fluid.  She won't eat hard food unless she absolutely has to and constantly begs me to feed her the wet food but then won't eat it.  She will eat soft cat treats, but begs all the time.  I have no idea what is wrong with her and want to try everything I can before I have to take her to the vet because I am a college student and really don't have the money to do so.  Please give me any suggestions possible!!! Thanks!

[zodiacqueen]

Hi-NO it's not fun in the least to look into a cat's mouth.  NOT fun at all.  You can try to hold him by the scruff of the neck, and try to look into his mouth that way.  Or, you can get someone to help you  But, this is a good thing that it points to a problem with the mouth and NOT something more serious.  Mouth problems are easily fixable!!

I agree, this is a great forum,  All of us love cats, and have "been there, done that" and can offer great advice.  So, any questions you may have-"Bring em' on".

[jrbb586]

Thanks a lot for your ideas...hopefully it is just her teeth because otherwise she seems really really healthy.  No problems in the litter box that I have noticed...thats one thing that confused me!  I think the vet is going to have to be the best option just to make sure...she is also very unpleasant (haha) when I try to look inside her mouth.  I really appreciate this...I think it is so nice that people care enough to help each other with this stuff! And thanks...I think I am doing things somewhat well although she is spoiled to death :)  Anyway, until I get her to the vet I welcome any more suggestions.  Thanks again!

[zodiacqueen]

I agree, that it's probably a problem with her mouth, either a bad tooth or infected gums-this is especially likely, if you haven't had kitty's teeth cleaned yearly.  And, another "giveaway" is that the cat is begging for food, but once he gets it, he doesn't want it.  That proves that the cat is hungry and has an appetite.  Also, have you noticed any weird head tilting when the cat does try to eat?  I had a cat that did that, and it was a bad tooth.

WOW-17 yrs old?  You are obviously doing something right-which is so nice to read on this forum, FOR ONCE!!!!  KEEP up the good work.

[Mrs_Savas]

Unfortunately, especially at her age, you really should get her diagnosed.  It could be her teeth (at her age she's entitled!) and it could also be an illness like pancreatitis or a liver problem.  Nausea could also cause this kind of behavior and can be caused by a variety of conditions.

When she goes to the litter box, does she have any difficulty?  Are there signs of diarrhea, constipation or any trouble urinating?

In the meantime, try KMS mother's milk replacer, it's a highly nutritious dietary supplement that all cats, in my experience, just adore.  It's a powder that you mix with water, sold in pet stores for weaning kittens and feeding pregnant and ill cats.  They also make a 2nd step weaning food that is semi-solid when made up, you can try one or both kinds.  If she can eat it, I would recommend also giving her some fresh cooked chicken as well, just plain, of course, no seasonings.  You can shred it up for her.   Make sure she is getting enough fresh water, too.

It is important that she gets as nutritious and balanced a diet and you can manage, but you do need to find out if there is something serious underlying her symptoms.

Good luck.