help - kibble only eating cat and dental surgery

[Batinahat]

Hoping for some advice, my 9 year old DCat has only ever eaten dry kibble and yesterday she had dental surgery - double canine extraction with large cuts required to remove everything. Poor little thing, she's in a cone and feeling understandably sorry for herself. The vet advice is soft/wet food only for a few days at least while she heals. She last ate on Monday evening so I know she's hungry and she's visiting the bowl to sniff at the food but she's refusing to eat any wet food (tried 2 different varieties already and I know this is a hiding to nothing as she has never eaten wet food). I've also tried soaking her usual kibble but she's also refusing that after sniffing at it. Any advice or tips?

[Veterinari]

That's good to hear OP
Glad you're getting food into her, realistically the only risks to her gum flaps are hard food or if she somehow managed to scratch at her mouth (unlikely)

To be honest even if the flaps break down, they will likely heal by second intention/granulation anyway

[Batinahat]

Thanks again for the input and advice/perspectives. I am reassured to know that her scenting on furniture or rubbing the outside of her mouth won't be too disastrous... that knowledge has allowed me to give her longer periods of time with the cone off and without it on she is much more relaxed and of course can eat (as others have said, if only the vet had mentioned she was unlikely to eat with it on!). In case this helps others in a similar position I must reiterate that for my cat, refusing to eat anything wet - pouches, pate, soup, milk, cooked chicken, tuna, scrambled eggs...this is all completely normal and is her preference anyway. She has never liked any of those things no matter how hungry she is. She has only ever eaten kibble and dreamies. She won't be tempted! Obviously this is the challenge after this surgery - for us the only thing that has worked is blitzing her kibble in the food processor to make it a sand like texture. She will accept this grudgingly. She wants to just eat kibble normally but the vets have been clear at least until her 3 days check up she isn't to have full size kibble at all. This is a challenge for us! I have had success squirting the yoghurty tubes into her mouth so again, hoping this could help someone else in a similar situation.

[theoriginalmadambee]

Glad your cat has eaten a little, but please listen to Veterinari, your cat might be in pain.

[Veterinari]

Right so she's had an unusually difficult and painful surgery but still not been prescribed analgesia?
There are lots of drugs that don't impact on the kidneys (and in fact recent research on metacam shows that cats with kidney disease actually live longer on it due to the anti inflammatory effects supporting renal function)
And the vet didn't think to tell you to take the cone off for eating?

She'll not break down gum flaps by scent marking on furniture. Gum flaps break down when they're under tension. Canine extraction in cats is a horrible job but your post op instructions do seem rather unusual
Glad she's doing well now regardless

[Canshopwillshop]

@batinahat - actually having just seen madambee’s post I think it was the Hills restorative care that my cat had. It’s the same looking can. Your vet should know. Agree with comments about the importance of getting them to eat - cats can’t cope with long periods of no food.

[Batinahat]

Hi everyone, thanks for all the messages. The cone is to protect her wounds from her banging or rubbing her head/cheek on furniture. She had a particularly difficult extraction leaving large extraction flaps which have been closed with absorbable sutures which take a couple of weeks to absorb. Because the flaps are large there is a high chance of breakdown/infection so different recovery/precaution to some other more straightforward extractions. This is the same reason for the collar/cone and for the vet saying definitely no whole kibble allowed as it risks damaging the wound/flap which could then require further surgery to reclose which I am desperate to avoid for her and me! I spoke to the vets and they said to try removing the cone then giving her kibble blitzed to dust/crumb for her to lick. I have done this and she ate a small amount. I was also able to squirt a full lick e lix sachet into her mouth as well! So she has had something and she's been drinking which is good and has weed a couple of times which the vet was pleased about. She had a large dose of painkillers yesterday but because of kidney disease she hasn't got metacam at home so currently no further pain relief. She's a lot perkier in herself this evening and is alert and interacting with me quite normally which the vet was also pleased about. When the collar was off for the food she didn't paw at her mouth which is also a good sign. I am going to try giving her more blitzed up kibble tomorrow morning and another lick e lix and take it from there. Thanks again for all the comments and messages, appreciate everyone's experience

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

We had six teeth out last year, and a cone was never mentioned. Our cat does eat wet food, but she seemed a bit wary of eating, being off her food was the first sign she had teeth problems. I found putting the food in the microwave for a few seconds made it smell strongly, and helped tempt her to try it, and once she started she was fine. We had to give her a painkiller with a syringe, and a mouthwash as a spray. I think the painkiller was just for a few days after the extractions, but the mouthwash was a fortnight of fun and games!

[Veterinari]

@Batinahat
What exactly is the purpose of the cone? Is it to stop her licking her dental wounds?
Most cats in this situation won't eat with a cone on.

It's very important she eats and even more important that she gets her pain meds which she can't have if she's not eating.

I am assuming she's been given pain relief? Dental surgery is very painful and if she's in pain she won't want to eat

[Toddlerteaplease]

My girl had surgery to remove part of her cheek bone. She looked so forlorn in a cone. The vet too it off. She didn't need it anyway. She never touched the wound.

[dementedpixie]

What is the cone to prevent her from doing?

[Batinahat]

Thanks everyone, am working my way through some more pouches and a soup option, got a couple more to try but if she still isn't interested I will give her a small amount of dry food as I think it's important she eats for her recovery. The cone was provided by the vets with clear instructions not to remove until she's seen for her review on Friday. All surgeries are different but it is to do with the large size of the wounds this time a cone was deemed important. Vets are open until 8:30 so depending on how things go in the next hour I will call for their advice if she is still refusing the wet options.

[CornishPorsche]

Does she need the cone? My girl has had two dental ops, and not had the cone on after either.

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

Like madambee says, have a word with your vet. When Harry had his teeth out he wouldn't eat so the told me to put him back on dry food. This was despite having a broken jaw and losing 12 teeth! He also didn't have a cone as they were worried he'd hurt himself trying to get it off.

Good luck, I hope she's feeling better soon

[theoriginalmadambee]

Not to scare you, but please talk to your vet (and remove the cone when eating). Cats are not very good with not getting food, they quickly develop liver problems. When ours was ill, he was admitted because he didn't eat for a couple of days and they were afraid of liver damage. When he came home, we were given 'hills restorative care' wet food to feed him (with a pipette and later a teaspoon).

So hopefully not a problem for you, but please ask your vet.

[TheMemoryLingers]

You may find if you take the cone off she'll just want to wash herself and that will take priority over eating. A plate might be easier for her than a bowl while she has the cone on. I feel for you, OP, it's heartbreaking when they won't eat.

[Batinahat]

@dementedpixie I was wondering if I need to remove the cone just to see if she will then eat. I will have that as next option. You know what cats are like though...I'll take it off and there will be no eating, then as soon as it's back on she'll try to eat

[dementedpixie]

Could you take the cone off for eating?

[Batinahat]

So far she's refused cat milk, 3 different wet food pouches, scrambled eggs, cooked chicken and the soaked kibble! I tried blitzing her usual kibble in my mini chopper with just enough boiling water to turn it into a soft pate type consistency and she's shown interest in that so I've left her alone to see if she eats it as she doesn't really like being watched. I also think she's finding it hard to eat with the cone on. I've raised the bowl up off the floor about 6 inches on a upturned box so hoping maybe that will help? Thanks for all the messages, will update again soon...

[TheMemoryLingers]

@Batinahat Has she managed to eat anything yet?

[ElizabethMainwaring]

Canshop. Brilliant. Thank you for that.

[Canshopwillshop]

@ElizabethMainwaring - just googled and I’m pretty sure it was the Hill’s Science Plan nutrition mousse chicken and turkey. Sorry don’t have a clicky link. It’s made mainly for kittens and pregnant/nursing cats but might be worth a try for your kitty. Hope she’s better soon.

[Caspianberg]

One of ours is the worlds fussiest cats. Will only eat one type of dried, and 1-2 types of wet (none available locally!)

Anyway when he had to have soft food a few days he would eat:
Greek yogurt, cooked fresh chicken, Lactose free milk, salmon.

He wouldn't touch scrambled eggs, rice, white fish or anything else vet recommended.

[ElizabethMainwaring]

@Canshopwillshop
Do you know the name of the wet food your vet gave you? Thank you.

[dementedpixie]

Mine also like chopped cooked chicken.

[ElizabethMainwaring]

Mine only eats kibble too. However, she absolutely loves lick e lix. Chicken and cheese flavours, not liver. It's a yoghurt like consistency. With the cat treats, asda, Sainsbury's, ocado.