Hello
@skittles2.
If your cat cannot chew, bite, or even pick up a piece of food from a plate, but she can still lap up the consistancy of a gravy or sauce, then she can live on the mixture below.
Start with the right finely ground canned paté cat food.
You aren't going to like this, but the expensive ones won't work.
I've bought them all, and I've even gone to the trouble of working the cat foods through a sieve.
On the inexpensive end, Friskies is a No too, it's ground too coarsely. Its also has a disturbing 'rubbery' feeling.
Special Kitty is also bad. I found the most & biggest sharp bone chips and other inedibles in the Special Kitty brand.
Hands down, the best one for this is the 5.5oz Heart to Tail brand cat food from Aldi's. I've used the Turkey & Giblets or the Salmon.
What makes this brand work best is it's very finely ground food particles will break up even smaller and remain suspended (rather than immediately sinking to the bottom of the dish). That's crucial if your cat can only take in food by lapping.
Rather than gunking up a blender or mixer I make this one serving at a time so I can see exactly what's in there, and I can adjust the food to water ratio as needed for each meal.
For best results, heat the plate before you start. Use a spatula to spread and mash down a portion of cat food on a shallow plate. Using pressure, keep drawing the spatula across the plate in a 'smear' and add a small amount of very hot water to both break up the food particles and soften the fats. Don't rush this part.
After the fats have softened just slowly add cooler water while you continue mashing & smearing until you reach the right consistency.
I realize some people are rolling their eyes, saying Geez its just mixed cat food and water.
No. If your cat can't or won't eat, finding a technique that allows them to have the comfort and joy of eating is a big deal.
I use this, quite diluted, as a water substitute for one cat who is a very poor water drinker. With this she stays well hydrated.
I also used this exclusively to feed a cat 2 weeks before and after oral surgery. She eats solid food now but she will never be able to chew. She has teeth, but swallows everything whole, so still enjoys lapping this up.
P.S. heating the cat food in the microwave 'cooks' it. Everything about it changes and the cats don't like it.
But using a heated plate and hot water only softens the fats without cooking the meat.
Sorry to write to such a long post, but I've made this mix daily for about a dozen years, and I wanted to give you the benefit of my trial and error.
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