Eating: Back to square one.

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Jeanne & Dottie

Jeanne & Dottie

Member Since 2016
One previous poster to another thread, was right....I'd started feeding Dottie "catsoup", and for a while she gobbled it down. "But will it last?"

Nope. Starting yesterday she'd clamp her jaws shut, and turn her head when I came at her with a fingerful of pureed food. After two meals of refusal, and food flung all over, I doubled down and got out...the syringes:facepalm:

Fun, fun...NOT. Those youtube videos make it all look so easy. Good little cat, wrapped up like a burrito, Mom in a nice apron, all no-nonsense and cheery demeanor. Very little mess in spite of the warnings uttered at the beginning of the video.

Not my girl. I brought in my 'equipment'..doesn't sound like it's going to be an appetizing meal, does it? ...sat my kitty on my lap, and went for it.

By the time we got done I was covered from head to foot, and Dottie had a brown goatee and mustache, a remarkable set of eyebrows, and a brown bindi in the middle of her forehead, too. (How the heck did food get up there?) All through it she had this sad, reproachful look on her face. She didn't try to escape..she's gentler than any kitty I've ever had...good because I don't have the strength in one arm to hold her tight...but she just kept turning that little head of hers, away. She even had food in her ear.

Although I did get most of the food in , most of it went in when I finally resorted to pinching the sides of her toothless mouth, and popping a fingerful of food in the front of her lower jaw when she'd open wide. It just seemed gentler.

I was afraid that she was becoming food shy, but nope..when I put her down and she spotted a stray piece of dry food that Gizmo had dropped, she made a beeline towards it. I let her have it, too. I felt bad that she no longer wanted wet food. It appears to irritate a spot in her mouth, back near the throat. A sharp edge left from dental surgery? Dunno...if it continues I'll have to take her to another vet to check. My vet swears there's nothing back there that should make her gag and cry after a bite of soft food.

*sigh* And I suppose that if I'm going to get a second opinion I might as well drive the two hours to Cornell, and let them look at it. But in the meantime, she's fighting me, and I don't want this to escalate into making dinner stressful, something to hate.

So for a short time I'm throwing in the towel. I ordered from the website, Young Again. After reading about their dry food, it occurs to me that perhaps Dottie's mouth really hasn't healed perfectly yet, and she needs to get food into her anyway possible. The dry pellets go down without irritating the back of her mouth/throat..so I will at least have that available, should she get too stressed out from me lap-feeding her the wet stuff.

I'll let you know how that food does. If it works. And again, it's only a temporary solution, until Dottie's mouth issue is solved. Eventually I want her on wet food, completely. But right now I don't want to make dinnertime hateful for her..it will impede her progress. She's still getting used to ear pokes and injections, and the need to eat decent sized meals. This may be part of the problem..she has never had to fill her stomach before. So I'll have to ease her into it.

And in the meantime she won't go down in weight. That's a big fear for me. She's a very tiny kitty anyway, and very, very lean. At this point I gotta get food into her any way I can.
 
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Jeanne,

Have you tried Stella and Chewy's? It's a raw food that is flaky and very dry. Not crunchy but not wet, unless you add water to it. (Which some people do). It is a little pricey but it might get her eating again, even sprinkled on top of the pate.

Your descriptions are priceless. You should write a book!

I would definitely have her mouth checked out. Wonder if there could be part of a tooth under the gum line that isn't visible to the eye?
 
My heart goes out to you. Even though it's certainly not a laughing matter, I did find some humor in your post, only because it's something we've been through, as well. I know how stressful, frustrating, and messy it can be to try to make a kitty eat when she doesn't want to. Your story sounds so much like my Hannah. Sometimes I also force feed, although I'm able to sit Hannah on the sink (easy cleanup, there) and put food in her mouth with my finger, avoiding those awful syringes. I manage to pry her mouth open with my little finger, then quickly get a glob of food in there with another finger. She spits out some of it, but she does chew and swallow some, as well. Then we repeat, repeat, and repeat again. Sometimes it gets a little tricky, as Hannah still has all her teeth. I've been bitten a few times, but because she's also a very sweet, gentle little fur person, nothing serious. This works fairly well for us, as Hannah panics when there is a syringe involved. And I also know your fear of Dottie losing more weight. That's a concern for us, too. Hannah is also a small kitty. When she was first diagnosed, she had dropped to a little under seven pounds. She was skin and bones. She is currently just under nine pounds. Like Dottie, she never eats much at one time. Oh how I envy those whose cats eat so well and even beg for food. We've resorted to giving Hannah cyproheptadine to stimulate her appetite, and it's been a huge help. But she still has her days of, "Nope, I'm not going to eat that!" That's when we head for the sink and my fingers do their magic. Hugs and best wishes to you and Dottie.
 
Jeanne & Dottie said:
it occurs to me that perhaps Dottie's mouth really hasn't healed perfectly yet
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Jeanne, I'm curious as to when Dottie had all her teeth removed. It certainly could be possible that there's a little fragment of tooth still under the skin, causing issues. I'd definitely have another vet take a look. And since you live about 2 hours from Cornell, it might be a good option to have her checked out, there. The vets and care at Cornell are outstanding. Have you been there, previously? We live about an hour from there and have relied on their vets for services that our usual vet recommended.
 
I feel for you, Jeanne! I have a tiny civvie that I go through the same thing with. I've discovered that if I feed her half-, or less, sized meals given more frequently, she is more inclined to try them. FortiFlora is a big help, as well (it tastes like the dry kibble junk), just sprinkle a bit on top of the food. Candy will at least usually eat the top layer now, until she can't taste the FortiFlora anymore. It's not perfect but it helps get food into her, and I spend less time syringe-feeding!
 
Freshpet makes a wet "kibble" that worked out as a good transitional food for my cats who had a hard time getting off the kibble. It's a little more firm and easier to eat when they are used to kibble. Also, if a lot of teeth were removed, you cat might be having a hard time swallowing. The removal of teeth can change the mechanics of swallowing ever so slightly. Thiner pate foods would probably be the most difficult, as they would stick in the back of the mouth/throat and may even cause gagging. Max had some issues with this at first after his dental - he drooled SOOOO much and he had to use his tongue a lot more to keep the food in place. Took him a few weeks to get the hang of it. Also, wet foods that have meat "slices" or "chunks" instead of pates were much better for him. Wellness makes some good ones.
 
Oh Dottie is having a time of it. Your description of feeding is priceless. Hopefully you will find out the reason.
 
Meya14 said:
Freshpet makes a wet "kibble" that worked out as a good transitional food for my cats who had a hard time getting off the kibble. It's a little more firm and easier to eat when they are used to kibble. Also, if a lot of teeth were removed, you cat might be having a hard time swallowing. The removal of teeth can change the mechanics of swallowing ever so slightly. Thiner pate foods would probably be the most difficult, as they would stick in the back of the mouth/throat and may even cause gagging. Max had some issues with this at first after his dental - he drooled SOOOO much and he had to use his tongue a lot more to keep the food in place. Took him a few weeks to get the hang of it. Also, wet foods that have meat "slices" or "chunks" instead of pates were much better for him. Wellness makes some good ones.
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Your description of Max's problem sounds spot on, Meya. Dottie is having trouble swallowing. She eats too fast and I think everything backs up in her throat... At least I hope it's that and not a jagged piece of bone or tooth. Iwill check out FreshPet as well. Oh and Dottie won't touch shreds or chunks she just licks out the juice.

Today I will try making mini-meatballs out of wet food and drying them out in my convection oven. And figures... not long after I posted this thread Dottie made a liar out of me by walking over to her dish of pureed food which I left out, and lapping it up.. The whole dish! Little bratcat! The very food she's been gagging on for a whole day! :banghead: Cats! Grrr...Now I am back to wondering if she's just messing with me?

Oh heck... I don't know what to think.

Well, I will try all avenues of attack, even if I must stick a funnel in her mouth and stuff her like a Christmas goose! (Joke:p)

I am not giving up and totally caving in to a 9 pound feline. Not yet. :p
 
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After Buttons had her teeth removed (all but the 4 canines) we had a hard time with food because of course her mouth was sore,
but we also noticed that she was swallowing funny.
The Vet said her throat might be sore/have a sore because of the tube she had down her throat during surgery.
She is not diabetic and she did a 21 day course of liquid doxycycline and seems fine now (anti jinx). I wonder if Dottie could have a sore and because she's diabetic it's not healing and causing her pain. Was she on any kind of antibiotic after her surgery?
 
Your description of feeding time at the zoo was priceless, Jeanne! :D

Humour aside, I feel for you over the food struggles. Sending anti-food-frustration hugs ...

:bighug::bighug::bighug:



Mogs
.
 
Ohhhh I hadn't thought about the healing issues in Diabetes. THANK YOU for reminding me!:bighug: Yes, she was on two rounds of Clindrops after surgery. I'm still getting her tummy's flora back in shape after that ordeal, (She had the total extraction done on 1/7/16.)

Whatever the problem, it's way back in the mouth on the left side. You can tell from the direction her head turns when she gapes and flinches. So far I have put it down to her not opening her mouth wide enough, frequently enough, after surgery. And this gaping and flinching?..it also happens when she wakes, ...she immediately gapes and flinches..like something in her mouth is sore or stiff

When she eats dry food, she rarely flinches. It's the wet stuff that gets to her..especially if it's grainy or coarse in any way. My guess is that it's right in the joint of the jaws, where the soft tissue of upper and lower jaws meet. ACK..could it be a form of arthritis? I'm giving her krill oil for inflammation.

Ack, just found this on FreshPet, and remembered that only recently there WAS a recall on their wet dog food. (this article is older, however the recall was only weeks ago) I had thought to put that report in here in case anyone was using Carnivore's foods for cats..then assumed that it was already known, and didn't. My apologies

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/freshpet-pet-food-having-mold-problems/



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Critter Mom said:
Sending anti-food-frustration hugs to you, too, Carol.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:


Mogs
.
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Thanks, Mogs. Actually, since the introduction of the cypro, Hannah's eating issues have lessened (Oh, big anti-jinx, now that I've opened my mouth about it.) For the most part, she does okay with her eating. She will never be a scarfer, and only eats a little at a time, usually over a period of about 5 hours after insulin. If that's what works for her, then it works for me, too. Today was a good day for her, so I'm in a thankful mood. We even had friends over and they brought their small dog along. Hannah handled it quite well. She hid (and napped) while they were here, but as their vehicle was pulling out of the driveway, she reappeared in the kitchen and resumed eating, not at all concerned that a drooler had found refreshment from her water bowl and had shared her space for a couple of hours. She's just the best little kitty!
 
That's unfortunate about the FreshPet, it's really not a bad food and is great for transitioning - there's not really another wet-kibble out there that I know of. But it sounds like the company is setting much too long of a shelf life for this product. Seems like no foods are safe these days.
 
Jeannie, you really do write very well, so visually perfect and so comical although I realize that her not eating is serious and not funny. When you said:
Jeanne & Dottie said:
a remarkable set of eyebrows, and a brown bindi in the middle of her forehead, too
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I lost it! I could picture a kitty Groucho Marx!
Here's hoping that the YA food will work for Dottie, although I don't quite understand if the back of her mouth was sore why dry would be better but, what ever works!
 
I think the wet food might coat the throat and burn. Or it might slip into a crevice left by surgical removal of the teeth. It's also possible that she's biting her tongue when it gets coated with wet food. Cats will gulp dry food. They don't chew like you and I. Their jaws are hinged to go up and down only. So in the wild they just tear off meat and swallow it whole. The dry food goes down faster, and probably isn't getting stuck in a fold of skin or lesion, where the wet food would coat the area, and since meat tends toward the acidic, it probably burns.

The young again food has a bite sized product that is listed specifically for cats who have had their teeth removed. So there's gotta be something to this. It'll do until Dottie's mouth can heal a bit from whatever, and will allow me to avoid Dottie's getting an aversion to mealtimes, especially if she's having control issues.
 
Jeanne & Dottie said:
I think the wet food might coat the throat and burn. Or it might slip into a crevice left by surgical removal of the teeth. It's also possible that she's biting her tongue when it gets coated with wet food. Cats will gulp dry food. They don't chew like you and I. Their jaws are hinged to go up and down only. So in the wild they just tear off meat and swallow it whole. The dry food goes down faster, and probably isn't getting stuck in a fold of skin or lesion, where the wet food would coat the area, and since meat tends toward the acidic, it probably burns.
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That is interesting and thanks for explaining that. It makes sense now. :)
 
Stella and chewys is freeze dried and very soft-it can be broken up and given dry or you can wet it--very good quality food... worth a try??
 
Yes, it might be worth it! I have the young again on order, and will try it first. Seeing as Dottie's mouth may be an ongoing problem I will have to be trying several foods to find something optimal.
 
Jeanne & Dottie said:
Yes, it might be worth it! I have the young again on order, and will try it first. Seeing as Dottie's mouth may be an ongoing problem I will have to be trying several foods to find something optimal.
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just for refernce-
young again is a dry food with smallish kernels --
stella and cheesy is not really like dry cat food other than the fact that is it dry (unless you rehydrate it) it is much softer than any freeze dried I have used.
I don't know if they have samples--
you may want to get a sample of young again before opening your bag-make sure she likes it as it is not cheap....
 
:rolleyes:I've already considered the possibility that Dottie might not like the Young Again. She's a cat, after all:cat: What I plan to do if she balks, is turn some regular dry food to dust, and sprinkle it over the new food, in a bag for 24 hours..the smells should swap. She's already liked a food that is similar in size..about the size of a BB. So the shape of it won't be any problem. And she's so keen to get at the dry food that I'm not even sure it will matter how it tastes..she's hungry..just doesn't want to hurt her mouth.

Annnnd there's always FortiFlora to tempt her into eating it. That and parmesan cheese, at least for a while. Stella and Cheesy, huh? I'll definitely put that on The List. The suggested softness of it is a good point..but that can work against Dottie too, if the powdery grains get into whatever 'crevice' is causing her problem. Whatever she eats has to go down f a s t.

And according to the Young Again site...while the food looks more expensive..it may actually be cheaper in the long run, than regular food. They don't eat as much in bulk.

If a food is roundly disliked, I'll donate it to our shelter no matter how much it cost us. There's already two diabetic cats there...one I would adopt in a second, were it not for the fact that I am really financially strapped. The poor guy's sitting up there with huge sores on his body...he's very brittle. Yet the shelter is managing to keep him going. Our local shelter uses Cornell to care for very sick cats, and there are volunteers to take up any cats that need care.

Dottie's diabetes is for our family, as it is for many on this message board... We're going without rock-bottom basics so our babies can have what they need. Whew..:nailbiting:At the rate we're going I'm going to need to evaluate the local bushes' leaves in the Spring, for toilet paper substitutes:nailbiting:...so we can afford Lancets, syringes and test strips. (Joke.:p.not that hard up...yet. But close!)

Gonna keep an eye on the Board's local 'store', too. ;)
 
Jeanne & Dottie said:
And according to the Young Again site...while the food looks more expensive..it may actually be cheaper in the long run, than regular food. They don't eat as much in bulk.
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We've definitely found this to be the case. They like it but only eat a few pieces at a time, so it really does last a lot longer. It's down all the time for them to nibble when they want. There is some wet down all the time too so they always have a choice. We're not going to have to sell the farm after all :D
 
All four of mine love YAZC, but they don't just eat a little bit at a time. They will scarf down a lot; I tried leaving it out for them on days when I know I won't be home to feed lunch, and it's always all gone before I even get out the door.
 
Mine have always been free fed and maybe that's why they didn't scarf. They did eat more of it for the first day or so and then leveled off.
 
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