How to Help Geriatric Cats that Won’t Eat

Just like people, geriatric cats often quit eating and become frail. Older cats usually have health issues that make it difficult to get the nutrition they need. But, there are ways to help geriatric cats that won’t eat. Make sure your cat has a clean bill of health in other regards and then try these ideas to help fatten your pet up.

Feed cooked, real meat as a treat
Plain, cooked chicken seems to be the favorite for most cats. Make sure it’s fed for extra calories and not for the main meal, though, since you want to insure Fuzzball is fed a balanced diet. And don’t add onion, salt or anything else while cooking the meat.

Add broth to their wet food
Older cats often enjoy liquids more than the actual food. My mother-in-law has a cat that is very finicky and does exactly that — just slurps off the liquid and then walks away. If yours is the same, add extra broth onto the food. Be sure it’s plain broth, not bouillon, which is too salty.

Make a slurry of their food
I have two older cats, and when I say older, I really mean ancient. Both are seventeen years plus. One has no teeth. The other has bad teeth, but the vet doesn’t dare risk pulling them for fear Pretty Kitty won’t live through it. I buy them canned food, the pate variety, and mix in water in small amounts until it’s a slurry. Both cats are able to slurp it up.

Purchase a high calorie booster
Never heard of a nutrient booster before? Me neither, until about 6 months ago. Pretty Kitty got in a fight this spring — apparently he doesn’t know he’s ancient. Or neutered. Plus he gets wicked hairballs when shedding his winter fur. He looked and acted like walking death — wouldn’t eat at all. I tried all the tricks up my sleeve, but was losing the battle. A visit to the vet found a bad tooth, so they gave him a pain killer and an anti-inflammatory. He finally ate about 3 licks of food. Not enough to stay alive. It dawned on me that there must be a cat equivalent of Ensure, so I hit the pet stores, and voila! Found a high calorie booster for cats.

Talk to your vet about the above methods and see if he feels they’ll help your geriatric cats. If your cat has diabetes or organ issues, you may not be able to use all the methods, but hopefully one or two will work for you.

I use all of the above to keep my two hairy monsters in good health. Pretty Kitty is now fine and fluffy again, and I give him the high calorie booster a few times a week, as a supplement. Naturally, being a finicky cat, he doesn’t like the taste âÂ?¦ but I just spread it on a paw.

And for an old, ferocious dude, he sure is prissy about cleaning his paws!

Sources: Personal experience

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