? wet food stuck in kitty's nose

[MayL]

Hi there, my 19-year-old kitty is on a strict wet food diet because of IBD, diabetes, and kidney issues. Recently, he is burying his face into his wet food and inhaling it into his nose. We then have to use a nose pick or carry him and burp him to help him dislodge the food. Sometimes it takes 10 mins or more to clear it from his nose. We have changed deep bowls to flat plates, flattened his wet food, or offered him little food at a time, but he still manages it to get it in his nose. Does anyone has experience with this? Any advice?

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

I see 2018 readings but can't find any for 2019. Are you still testing? I was trying to see what his current glucose levels are.

If they are not controlled your cat may be trying to eat quickly because the are very hungry.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

The reason I asked if you are testing is this is the best way to determine if the glucose levels are being controlled. If they are not, a cat's body doesn't process food properly and they are always hungry. If this is what is happening with your cat he may be trying to eat the food quickly and shoving his head in to get all of it. I have seen this before with one of the diabetic cats I adopted. Once her levels were controlled, she began eating at a slower pace.

There are ways to make it harder for pets to eat their food too fast. I have to do that with my dog. If you search for Gobble Stopper you will find a variety of items that will slow the pet down from eating too quickly. This is what I use for my dog https://www.chewy.com/loving-pets-g...8fRO-lcC08L-4HHHCaXdhpWXaUBtwjKIaApBYEALw_wcB

They come in different sizes. I also found some bowls that have dividers to help slow down eating too quickly. Hopefully this will help.

 

[CandyH & Catcat]

Catcat was gobbling too fast to suit me, I could barely get test or shoot accomplished before he was done -- what I did was tilt his bowl so all the food was nearly under his chin, so he has to lick it upwards to get a mouthful, plus I put the round soupspoon, that I use to scoop the food into the bowl, IN the bowl on top of the food, so he has to move it around to get to the goodies -- he loves to lick both sides of that spoon afterwards

 

[Candy&Company]

It could also be fatigue and neuropathy, unable to hold the held up enough while being hungry.

Does your baby lay down to eat, sit, or stand on all 4 legs?

Also a blocked nose (cold/mucus/etc.) could be causing your baby to ignore the food in the nose because they can't breathe through it anyway so it doesn't bother them that much.

My Doberman Missy had a bad neck (we lost her in 2002 at 12.5 yrs old), and did this constantly so we had to devise a "brace" for her - please let us know so we can maybe advise you further.

God love you and your baby!! xxx

 

[Candy&Company]

Catcat was gobbling too fast to suit me, I could barely get test or shoot accomplished before he was done -- what I did was tilt his bowl so all the food was nearly under his chin, so he has to lick it upwards to get a mouthful, plus I put the round soupspoon, that I use to scoop the food into the bowl, IN the bowl on top of the food, so he has to move it around to get to the goodies -- he loves to lick both sides of that spoon afterwards

That is REALLY clever, I never would've thought of that, good job!!!!

 

[MayL]

The reason I asked if you are testing is this is the best way to determine if the glucose levels are being controlled. If they are not, a cat's body doesn't process food properly and they are always hungry. If this is what is happening with your cat he may be trying to eat the food quickly and shoving his head in to get all of it. I have seen this before with one of the diabetic cats I adopted. Once her levels were controlled, she began eating at a slower pace.

There are ways to make it harder for pets to eat their food too fast. I have to do that with my dog. If you search for Gobble Stopper you will find a variety of items that will slow the pet down from eating too quickly. This is what I use for my dog https://www.chewy.com/loving-pets-gobble-stopper-slow/dp/47359?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Loving Pets&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQjww47nBRDlARIsAEJ34bmY3aAA7lwwYEue-6ed0QA8fRO-lcC08L-4HHHCaXdhpWXaUBtwjKIaApBYEALw_wcB

They come in different sizes. I also found some bowls that have dividers to help slow down eating too quickly. Hopefully this will help.

Thank you so much for all your tips! Milo has always been quite the bouncing cat and we test him as often as we can, but not as diligent as we were in 2018.

 

[MayL]

Catcat was gobbling too fast to suit me, I could barely get test or shoot accomplished before he was done -- what I did was tilt his bowl so all the food was nearly under his chin, so he has to lick it upwards to get a mouthful, plus I put the round soupspoon, that I use to scoop the food into the bowl, IN the bowl on top of the food, so he has to move it around to get to the goodies -- he loves to lick both sides of that spoon afterwards

I will give it a try! We do tilt the bowl when we feed him but not with that specific intention to get it under his chin!

 

[MayL]

It could also be fatigue and neuropathy, unable to hold the held up enough while being hungry.

Does your baby lay down to eat, sit, or stand on all 4 legs?

Also a blocked nose (cold/mucus/etc.) could be causing your baby to ignore the food in the nose because they can't breathe through it anyway so it doesn't bother them that much.

My Doberman Missy had a bad neck (we lost her in 2002 at 12.5 yrs old), and did this constantly so we had to devise a "brace" for her - please let us know so we can maybe advise you further.

God love you and your baby!! xxx

Thanks for sharing your story! Milo is 19 years old and has severe arthritis. He usually sits or us laying down when he eats. He seems to have good head control, it's mostly his hind legs that are struggling.