Older cat--My cat is 16 years old. Recently we found out she has a cancerous lump on her neck, but she acts?

Question

healthy. She used to weigh 8 to 9 pounds, but now she weighs 6 pounds. She ate dry food most her life, but now we give her canned food, as her teeth are getting bad. How much canned food do you give your cat and how much does he/she weigh. We dont want to under feed her or over feed her either--Thank you.

Answer 1

In regards to your food question- I actually read that wet food is better for cats because it helps them get their water into their diet and because in nature they do not run around eating dry food. In regards to the amount to feed your cat, that will depend on the food. Food higher in protein require less per kitty because they satisfy the kitty faster and for a longer period of time, just as a human can eat a steak and be full for longer than eating a larger sized bowl of cereal.

I give my 11 pounder Innova Evo , 1 can daily (tuna size cant) and we sprinkle in some try food for little snacks throughout the day, like literarlly 40-50 kernels of dry food throughout the day.

Because your cat has cancer though, she might not be eating as much, some cats when they know they will be dying chose not to eat on purpose. Have you taken her to the vet, is there a surgery scheduled? I would say if your cat is loosing weight so rapidly just let her eat until she feels satisfied, whatever amount that may be. The cell division that occurs in cancerous cells is very rapid and burns off a lot of calories and fat/muscle tissue. ... so feeding her extra is not going to harm her.. you want for her to maintain her ideal weight as much as possible.

Answer 2

Canned food is not the best for cats unless they have no teeth. Seeing she is losing weight so rapidly I would talk to your vet about what maybe a good choice for her.

Has she had surgery for the cancer? If not that may well be a good part of the reason for her losing so much weight. She is obviously very sick.

If the cancer is inoperable maybe she has reached a stage with the cancer when it maybe best to start talking over the options with your vet. The last thing she needs to do is suffer. I know you don;t want this either.

Untreated cats tend to go downhill very fast with cancer. I ahve lost 2 to it myself. Please let your vet be the one to guide you both on the subject of food and her quality of life.

Praying there is something that can be done both for the cancer and the weightloss.

EDIT: Okay I guess the many vets I have spoken to about cats with cancer over the years have all been wrong going on the thumbs down. Cancer is a serious problem that should only be dealt with by a medical professional, not people who want to hazzard a guess. I'm looking out for her cat here. Having fostered probably at least 30+ cats with cancer I have learned a little along the way.

Answer 3

Cats are very good at hiding their illnesses, they'll act as if everything is okay, does she hide under the bed or other places out of sight? they sometimes hide when sick. Cancer will cause weight loss, and seems like she's losing it fast, she must be in pain, I have never heard of cancer without pain, and the weight loss, she is fading fast. Please talk to your vet and discuss what can be best for poor kitty, there's no cure, don't let her suffer, don't worry about the under or over feeding, she is very ill and if her teeth are bad, she could be having pain in her teeth too. I believe that maybe you should start thinking about putting her to sleep, I know it sounds cruel but she is in pain and no cure. Sorry.

Answer 4

mine has 1 and half tins a day,but older cats sometimes eat less.