Don't shoot me - does anyone feed their oldies cat food?

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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Let me explain first, she is 15yrs old - has always been very picky but has got worse since she's got older. Her blood tests etc are fine for a oldie but her appetite isn't great, she goes off things quickly and somedays will hardly eat anything. However she is ok in self (senile though) if you saw her running up at yard you'd never guess her age.

All the normal things dogs love she goes off, just the same as dog food. I'm finding the best thing is to change what I feed daily and give her small amounts. She won't eat dry food now (teeth arn't too bad) but will eat dry cat biscuits and she also loves (ATM) cat food pouches.

I know it's not ideal but at her time of life I don't really care as long as she eats something!!
 
I think cat food is higher in protein than dog food(i stand to be corrected)
Also,i think alot of people feed it to racing greyhounds,again i stand to be corrected!!!
 
Our oldie is the same - he has always been a fussy one (although he's thrilled whenever he finds any dead rabbits) but he loves cat food. Not just you usual whiskas or anything though, his real favourite is that stupidly expensive stuff you buy in small tins. we had some once that my sister had got through some work thing, it was chicken and cheese or something, all ncie and shredded. he loved that and it was the only thing i could encourage him to eat one time when he was very poorly.

I don't think it does them any harm. Ours also likes tuna and the odd sardine - it may be worth trying yours on those too as I believe the oily fish is good for them.
 
I new an elderly lady who feed her old Bichon cat food. It had something wrong with its liver and refused to eat anything other than cat food!! It didnt do it any harm as far as im away, although it was quite portly :p
 
I wouldn't personally give mine cat food coz it's obviously tailor made for a cats needs; not all the time anyway. I use tripe, it's really good for stimulating appetite. It'd be worth a try anyway
 
My old childhood dog ate cat food, he would look in disgust at the dog food we gave him (and we tried all sorts!), then shove the cats out of the way to eat theirs! It was like he was jealous of whatever they had, and his couldn't possibly be as good! lol. (I suppose it's like what you pinch a chip off OH's plate - they always taste better somehow! lol :D) We gave up in the end and he had the same as them!
I miss that dog! RIP Charlie :(
 
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Not an oldie, but we once reared a pup on Kit e Kat. She was the runt of the litter and just would not wean onto solid food in any form, other than pick a moutful or two The breeder gave her to us in desperation to see if we could tempt her to eat, she refused everything and then one day pinched the cats food. Not sure if its still the same but kit e kat used to be disgusting pink stuff that stank! For about a month that was all she ate, then gradually changed onto dog food, she grew up into one of the best dogs I have ever had who had a successful show career, but did have terrible hips which may not have been helped by her early diet.
In the case of your oldie, if she is eating it and happy on it I really wouldn't worry too much, bless her.
 
My geriatric terrier has cat food on her kibble so that she eats her metacam.
When she's off her food she has roast chicken...

Not ideal I know but at her age she can have what she wants :D
 
Not great for the kidneys as its quite high in protein compared to dog food.Its also usually much higher in fat.
But in an older dog thats losing weigh(and hasnt got kidney issues!) it can be very good for the short term or as a mixer!many dogs when sick and refusing food will take cat food or a/d..(which is also very high fat) as its tasty! overall small amounts are ok in the healthy dog but too often or as a main diet not a great idea.

Could you tempt her with meat?
tripe often goes down well,chicken, tuna(not the oil based one) all would handy to add to dog food to encourage them to eat(sometimes blending with some water and stock(chicken or beef) and mixing it in with dry food can tempt them to take some kibble to :)
or heating food so it smells better.

How are her teeth?chances are they have been checked :) but sometimes it can be teeth trouble that are putting older dogs off eating..not as likely in your if shes always been a picky but always a good one to look at.
 
I've got my old dear (16 1/2 yrs) who's got terrible teeth (not going to pull them now tho!) on Land of HOlistic Pets Robbies -- it's a holistic food that you soak with hot water to turn in to a meusli. It's a bit like a pot noodle! But her weight, coat, and overall health are fab. She's blind, deaf, very senile - but she certainly knows when it's feeding time. She loves it and has no problems with "chewing" it cos it's so soft.
 
My old collie dog would only eat cat food.He was extremely fussy and we tried everything dog food wise from the cheap to the expensive to get him to eat and he wouldn't have any of it.So cat food it was then until we lost him at the grand old age of 18 due to back legs giving way.
 
Just a update and a thanks for all your replies. She is loving her cat food, she doesn't have it every day but when she does she really enjoys the whiskas oh so meaty/fishy pouches xx
 
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