Our twenty-year old cat, Maggie, is a fiesty active kitty, but she’s losing weight the way a lot of elderly critters do. The vet says that she’s otherwise healthy and suggest that we tempt her with some high calorie treats.
Our challenge is that our 10 year-old cat does not need anything high calorie, but totally knows every time we pull out the wet food. I’ve been looking for something bitesize and kittylicious but she’s pulling the whole finicky thing on me. Any suggestions for something soft, yummy and high calorie?
I’d like to know, too!
The last one that I had problems with (liver disease) ate a prescription diet- A/D. High calorie and very palatable. You might also try the supplement Nutrical- it’s nonprescription and kitties usually like it.
My cats absolutely LOVE Greenies. It’s a little more expensive than I really like to spend on kitty treats, but they like them so much I do it anyway. I don’t know how they stand on calorie count, though.
At the boarding place, we often give tuna, the AD mentioned above, or meat-only baby food (chicken, beef, etc).
Get some Nutri-Cal. It’s a high-calorie paste that every cat I’ve ever known will eat off your finger and ask for more.
Tuna. If she turns up her nose, microwave for ten seconds…trust me. Other fish chunks. Chicken chunks, very easy to accomplish! Meat baby food (same thing as tuna, nuke it for ten seconds if she won’t take it cold/room temp)
The only problem with A/D is that it’s in a can. Have you thought about the wet food that comes in pouches? That could work for a LITTLE bit, lol.
I’ll think on it more and prod my former coworkers about. I personally solve my cat food problem, with one porker that doesn’t need any more than what she gets, and an E.coli bladder infection survivor who only eats wet food now because of the increased water content, by feeding the latter behind a closed door. ^.~
My NukuNuku is fond of Friskies Tender treats. I use the Hairball Remedy kind because, well, you know. They’re high calorie, and you can give out only one or two of them at a time (you really shouldn’t use them for feeding, but as rewards for good behavior, etc.), which prevents the other cat from getting them. Though the other cat might get jealous. -_- Not sure how to deal with that; my cat’s the type who doesn’t play nice with others, so I’m a one-cat woman.
With a geriatric cat, one of the best treats is baby food. I have yet to see a cat who doesn’t like it, assuming they’re still willing to eat. It’s easily digestible and packs some calories. Mix it as a treat with some water because otherwise it’s sticky. About half a jar at a time. And then distract cat #2. The typical flavors are the meat ones, naturally: chicken, turkey, beef, etc. And nowadays they have few, if any, additives. We’ve used baby food as a supplement for several geriatrics over the years.
Oz
Poor kitty. I’ll echo the tuna idea. Our kitties, three in all (yep), will usually respond to something with a lot of smell to it. They also like butter, but those aren’t the carbs you’re probably looking for. Hope all goes well.
I have owned a number of geriatric cats over the years. Mine never liked baby food. I was only successful in coaxing them to eat high-end canned cat food. And it couldn’t be chunky. It had to have baby food texture and be in the fish or beef family.
While not wishing to be a doomsayer, I feel obliged to mention that you should be prepared for the possibility that your aging companion will continue to lose weight and slowly decline.
I’d second the Friskies Tender Treats suggestion. I’ve had geriatric cats over the years, and that’s seemed to be the one thing that everyone will eat (or something very similar).
That said, I also had a cat who became anorexic, so she had a feeding tube put in her side, and for six months that’s how we fed her. The vet gave us the feline version of Boost or Ensure to push through her tube, and when she did start eating by mouth again, that was what she went for. We kept her on it for almost a year- I can’t remember what it was called now as it was over 20 years ago, but maybe ask the vet if he/she has a liquid that might be appealing that you could try.
Well, with all these sensible suggestions, I just have to add that a friend trained her cat to do tricks using smoked salmon rolled around little lumps of cream cheese… now that maggie is a NYer, perhaps lox with a schmear is the answer? Admittedly salty and perhaps not the most healthy, but if it brings joy to an aging lady, perhaps it is doing it’s job…
Who wouldn’t do tricks for smoked salmon rolled around cream cheese?
My cat loves cheese, she’s 14 now and not frisky at all, but whenever I grate some, I give her a tiny little piece and she goes nuts!
my cat loves castor and pollux cat treats http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/store/organix/organix_organic_cat_treats and is in love with wellness cat jerky treats http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_wellness_treats_pure_delights.html my vet warned against “grocery store” cat treats because they are loaded with sodium and not good for my older kitties kidney’s. of course, my cat always loves a spoonful of yogurt or ice cream too.
We’ve been trying her with tuna and she just licks the oil off. Next up. Baby food.
when my cat goes through the “i’m not eating and you can’t make me” a few drops of fish oil on her dry food motivates her. also, grinding up tuna, chicken, turkey, with a bit-o-h2o might be more appealing than baby food. good luck with this culinary challenge.