|
My cat has a very severe case of feline oral resorptive lesions. He had about eight teeth out in the spring and needed more out, but the vet wanted to wait six months for him to heal. (He bounced back very fast, thank heavens.) Four months later he's drooling profusely again and losing weight. (He's up to date on his vaccines and not FIV positive.) Per his vet's advice, I'm taking him into the dedicated feline dental clinic, and I'm assuming he's going to be coming out with very few teeth (at best). Those of you who've had toothless cats, what did you feed them? Please tell me they led long healthy lives.
|
# ? Oct 3, 2014 03:39 |
|
|
# ? May 3, 2024 02:43 |
|
It'll be ok! It's really not as bad as it seems. Toothless cats actually do very well and can even eat hard food, they just eat it one piece at a time and swallow it without chewing. So after he recovers from surgery (he'll probably need to eat only wet food for a few days), pretty much feed whatever you cat will willingly eat.
|
# ? Oct 3, 2014 05:41 |
|
Cats don't really chew their food to begin with, so it probably won't make much of a difference at all. Also post pics of cat please.
|
# ? Oct 3, 2014 08:46 |
|
Yeah my sister's cat has only one canine left and he eats dry and wet food just fine. Recently she's increased his wet intake, but that is because he's diabetic and like 15.
|
# ? Oct 3, 2014 20:49 |
|
My Newton cat keeps losing his teeth due to the resorption thing, and he does fine. He eats everything and anything with no issues...just a bit slower but he still manages to keep his title of Fat Newton.
|
# ? Oct 4, 2014 05:15 |
|
Sasha (24 year old Siamese) has had only her canines for years and hasn't had any real issues eating. She even eats hard treats, although she eats them whole. If your cat has issues to begin with, water down/use a hand blender to puree the food a bit to see if it helps.
|
# ? Oct 4, 2014 20:10 |
|
Thank you, everybody. By popular demand: Majestic gummycat dominates his surroundings.
|
# ? Oct 6, 2014 19:15 |
|
One more vote for 1) cats with teeth don't really chew (mine used to vomit up whole kibbles as proof) and 2) toothless cats do fine. I don't hesitate to recommend full-mouth extractions when it will make the cat more comfortable.
|
# ? Oct 6, 2014 21:02 |
|
My old, old-man cat (also 12 years old) had FIV and stomatitis. He eventually had a full-mouth extraction and it wasn't a big deal. That said, he had a super bad and super scary reaction to the anesthetic that they used and took like four or five days to recover. I know I opted for the 'cheap' anesthetic because the whole thing was already $1200, but I'd never do that again. Definitely pay for better anesthetic if you have options-- it's much better than watching your glassy-eyed cat walk in circles for days without recognizing anybody or anything.
|
# ? Oct 6, 2014 22:44 |
|
My cat has all his teeth but we still water down his dry food a bit for him- it gets more moisture in without being as expensive as canned food.
|
# ? Oct 6, 2014 22:59 |
|
You can give him whatever but it can't really hurt to give your cat an all-wet diet either way.
|
# ? Oct 9, 2014 00:03 |
|
Unfortunately, he doesn't believe that wet food is real food. He is willing to snack on it, but food is kibble.
|
# ? Oct 9, 2014 00:09 |
|
If he ends up having a hard time with kibble (unlikely) just sprinkle warm water over his kibble to soften it.
|
# ? Oct 9, 2014 01:40 |
|
My old cat lived the last 6 years of his 18 year life on a diet of canned food further diluted with a bit of cat milk and he loved every minute of it.
|
# ? Oct 11, 2014 20:55 |
|
|
# ? May 3, 2024 02:43 |
|
My cats are both 2 years old, healthy and spry, but hardly chew their food. Like Dr. Chaco said, I've seen vomited kibbles as proof. I'm sure your kitty will be just fine. Maybe try several varieties of wet food to see if there's something he will accept? Or mix a little wet in with his usual kibble to see if you can slowly transition him to eating both. He is beautiful!!
|
# ? Oct 17, 2014 15:48 |