# Feeding a cat fish fingers - help please!!



## AStokes (Sep 25, 2014)

Hello, I am looking for some advice regarding fish fingers. My 11 year old cat has a mouth infection which the vet believes was caused by her attempting to capture a rat or squirrel, she is a prolific hunter. She has been ill for over a month now and my biggest worry is how thin she has become. She doesn't eat conventional cat food and can't handle dry food at all because of her mouth. She usually hunts all her own food but I have been told to keep in her indoors and feel she is fading away. I asked the vet today what I could feed her that would be soft and nutritious and he said fish fingers (without the coating obviously). This may sounds really stupid but I'm vegetarian and have never dealt with fish fingers before! Should I just defrost them, remove the coating and feed them to her as they are, or should I cook the fish bit first and then give it to her?


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

To be honest with you, fish fingers really aren't a great thing to be feeding your cat. If it's fish she likes, you could go and get her a cod fillet, then gently steam it before serving. M and S also do some pretty cheap coley ones that I use for cats who're being picky. Really though, she needs to be eating cat food that is nutritionally balanced. HAve you tried her on different types of wet food? Nature's Menu is easily available in pet shops and is very soft and mushy and easy to eat.

I'd also suggest that you order some NutriPlus gel from the internet or your local vet. It's so, so good at encouraging apetite in poorly or off-colour cats, and is nutrition in itself. Most cats really like it too.

I'd also recommend buying FortiFlora. This can be mixed with water and added to food to make it irresistible to cats.

Hope this helps, but do stick around here, as what she can tolerate will change as she mends, and we can help you as you progress.


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## Polski (Mar 16, 2014)

erm...

What has she been eating for a month, I know you say she has lost weight but she must have eaten something

What treatment is she on for the infection? Can the vet not give her something to increase appetite and lessen the discomfort.

Fish fingers are _*not*_ suitable as they simply do not contain nutrients (like taurine) ESSENTIAL for your cats well being. Try pate cat foods, finely shredded chicken etc to tempt her.


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## AStokes (Sep 25, 2014)

Thank you for your reply, I've bought a box of the damn fish fingers now! Will look into the things you've mentioned. The vet also suggested sardines in oil (which I thought was weird?) and pate. All things outside of my dietary knowledge!! I've got to start giving her antibiotics crushed in food as of today, so that is going to be a challenge. I tried her with whiskers but she just licked all the gravy off and let the meaty bit.


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## AStokes (Sep 25, 2014)

Hello Polski - not sure how to reply to individual posts here? She has only been locked in for the past week. Before that she was hunting and trying to eat her kills, but both the vet and I believe this is why her mouth hasn't healed as the wound keeps being reopened.


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## Polski (Mar 16, 2014)

Try food in jelly, its a little harder to just lick the jelly off. Also try kitten food to build her back up...its also much smaller chunks so she may prefer them while her mouth is sore

As for the fish fingers...if she does like them then they need not be wasted. cook them, remove the coating and then finely chop them and use them as "sprinkles" on top of foods you are trying to persuade her to eat.

Is there a reason why you have to crush the antibiotic up instead of just giving them whole? If getting your cat to eat is going to pose a problem in itself the last thing you need is to make food even less appealing. Ask the vet about giving them straight into the mouth..you can be sure of what dosage has been taken that way

Sardines in oil was probably suggested as sardines are strongly scented and many cats can't resist and the oil is high in calories...my cat wouldn't eat them in oil but loved sardines and pilchards in tomato sauce.


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## LostSoul (Sep 29, 2012)

in the freezer department of most supermarkets they will sell cheapish white fish pieces, they would be better than fih fingers, as for the fish fingers, i would cook them and then take the coating off, there are a lot of pate style cat food available, i think some whiskers tins are pate style so maybe that would be easier for your cat to eat. I would have thought pate that humans eat could have things like garlic or onions in it which are highly toxic to cats so i would avoid that.
what were you feeding before? surely she cant have just been surving on what shes hunted, i wouldnt have thought that would be very good for her at all...but my cats only hunt fluffy mice and feather toys so what would i know


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## GingerNinja (Mar 23, 2014)

If she hunts and eats her prey for food, you could try one of the commercial raw diets which are complete and no fuss.

The main ones that are easy to get hold of are Nutriment, Natural Instinct and Natures Menu (which is quite mushy but comes in separately frozen cubes).


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

What about Hills AD which is a specially enriched and delicious mousse that comes in a tin. Its sold by the vets and Im sure at [email protected] and is especially for building up really poorly cats.


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## Polski (Mar 16, 2014)

Yes, raw is a very good suggestion considering her diet normally.

Shame you can't buy coarse minced mouse really, be ideal for her


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## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

I wouldn't give a cat fish fingers, won't do her any good. You may as well buy her a piece of fresh fish and boil it. You could try this. It's a new good quality wet food, like mousse and very soft so might suit her sore mouth..Meowing Heads Drumstix Cat Food
Alternatively you could try Liquivite which is like broth so she can lick it and it contains all the nutrients she needs.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

Isn't a fish finger without the coating called fish 

Yep I would go raw as well


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## Ely01 (May 14, 2014)

As said, probably easier to get a bag of frozen cod filets from a supermarket if you'd like to feed her fish, rather than stripping fish fingers down 

All other advice good.

Hope she gets better soon.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Definitely don't feed your cat pate for humans, as it will contain salt, pepper, and probably garlic and onions, all ingredients that are bad (or toxic) for cats.

Many cats love sardines but as mentioned by Polski, sardines in tomato sauce may be more attractive to her. Or sardines in Spring Water (sold by Waitrose and Sainsbury's). If you do try these I would mash a small amount for her so she can almost lick them off the dish. 

Can you say a little more about the mouth infection? Whereabouts on her mouth is it, her lip, or inside the mouth? Could it be a gum infection or an infected tooth? Has a mouth swab been taken for the lab to identify which antibiotics the infection is sensitive to? 

Is she actually drinking liquids? If not she is going to become very dehydrated which could be life threatening. If she is able to drink then you could liquidise any cat food in the blender. A couple of whizzes and it turns to a liquid mush, which maybe she could lap.

But if her mouth is too sore and painful for her eat anything, then has the vet suggested tube feeding? The vet would need to put the tube in under anaesthetic.


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## AStokes (Sep 25, 2014)

Thanks for all your replies. Of all the things I bought the only thing she likes is a fancy pouch cat food called 'High Life', although it's a 'complementary' cat food so I'm not sure it's hugely nutritious. 
chillminx I don't really know much about the infection, but worryingly I don't think my vet does either. He is usually brilliant and has always been great in the past, however, I'm finding the whole experience of this unbelievably stressful. When I first took her to vet he said there was nothing wrong with her mouth except a bit of tartar, but I knew there was. When I took her back (about 3 weeks later) she was drooling and so unhappy, this time he looked under her tongue, there was a wound there and another one on the side of her gum. 
I'm upset that things have become as bad as they are now. She spent the night sleeping on my bed but this morning her whole mouth, neck etc was covered in blood! So shocking. I have cleaned her up now and it doesn't seem to still be bleeding. However, there is no way I can get her to touch the food once I put the antibiotic in it, she sniffs it and walks off. I'm going to go back to the vet this morning and see if I can get a liquid one, but I'm wondering if I should just take her to a vet hospital??
I have an 18 year old tom and always thought he would be the first to go, but he is fighting fit. I'm so scared that she is going to die because of this and it's just so silly, if only he'd looked at her mouth properly to begin with. I just want to do the right thing by her, she is usually such a happy and loving little thing but she looks so forlorn it's unbearable.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Is there any reason the vet hasn't given antibiotic by injection?


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Also, Hi Life is fine! Anything rather than nothing. You could try mashing up the antibiotic in a little carnation milk.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Oh poor girl, no wonder she doesn't have much of an appetite :sad:
I think she should probably see the vet again - (maybe a different one). 
Also I agree with the others, Hills AD is good but if she wants High Life then fine for now! I also think she needs an anti biotic injection and pain relief too whilst her mouth heals.
Please do let us know how she gets on, I'd be as worried as you if it were me.


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## AFKMatrix (Jun 18, 2014)

If it were me I would be straight back to the vets if its still bleeding and she is having trouble eating and this is affecting how healthy she is. Please don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you want of your vet, if they are a good vet they won't mind in the slightest and if they do then change vets!

I learnt this after letting my MC Shadow have a long lasting antibiotic and didn't think to ask any questions and later googled and realised I could of put my cat in danger as if he had a reaction to it then its in his system for upto a month and your stuffed, where as an antibiotic given orally you can instantly stop! So Shadow had to go in for an op and was also put on 2 medications as he had really red/sore gums as part of him having the CaliciVirus and I have asked a ton of questions and had a good google around as well. The vet is more than happy to answer my questions etc.

So get down to your vets and ask about what has been done to date for your cats care for her mouth and ask to see any test results or anything like that. Then I would insist that she be given some pain relief, my Shadow was given Metacam/Loxicom and it has really helped with his pain. You may need something different if she is in more pain. Metacam is easy to give as its in a syringe and I just squirt it in Shadow's mouth after he has eaten, takes 2 secs to do. 

Then I would take on the guys advice here about food to give her. If your wanting to try raw have a look on the raw sites mentioned here as they give details of local garden centers etc that stock their food so you can get a small amount to try as you have to order a minimum of 5kg from the websites. Good luck and let us know how it goes


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## QOTN (Jan 3, 2014)

Could your poor cat's 'wounds' be stomatitis? I expect it is unlkely as surely a vet would recognise the condition, but if it is stomatitis, antibiotics are unlikely to help much. Whatever the cause, she needs strong pain relief. Cats hide their pain and they know they have to eat to survive, so if she is refusing food it must be unbearable for her.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

In this case, I actually wouldn't suggest raw due to the little pieces of bone in most minces. HiLife will be fine in the short term, but you may need to use a pill giver for the antibiotics. There are threads on here re how to give pills and ideas for disguising them, and it would be well worth your time to have a look at them.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

As others have said, anything you can get her to eat for the moment is OK. But just to mention that HiLife Natures Essentials (from [email protected]) is a complete food, so if you can move her on to that at some future stage it would be better for her. 

Can you put the antibiotic pill straight down her throat, or is it impossible to touch her mouth at present because it is so sore? Which antibiotic is it? If it is a broad spectrum one such as synulox she may be better with something like Metronidazole, which is often given for dental problems. Antibiotics can be given by injection, or even through an IV line, if they absolutely can't be given orally because of the cat's injuries. But if they are given by IV your cat would need to be an inpatient for the duration of the course. If given by injection you could take her in to the surgery as required. 

I do feel as the poor lass has been bleeding a lot from these wounds that more investigations need to be done. Maybe you should get a second opinion from another vet at a different practice. There must be a reason why the wounds are not healing. I cannot see how she can even want to drink when her mouth is so sore. Is she drinking plenty? If not then is she dehydrated? Are her gums a nice healthy pink and quite sticky or are they pale and dry? Does her scruff "tent" when you lift the loose skin between finger and thumb and let go, or does it spring back into place?


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## Finfendy (Sep 9, 2014)

At the moment with your cats mouth the way it is, just feed her whatever she will eat, it's important to keep her strength up. When she's all better then start worrying about the complete /complimentary stuff.
I had to give an elderly cat tablets everyday for years and refused to force them down his throat. Someone will probably shout at me for the next suggestion....  and as a vegetarian you will hate it, I did. The thing I used was raw liver, just a little bit, cut it up small and put a little slice in the top to put the tablet in (whole, unless there is any reason to crush it), it's soft and slimy and seems to be very tempting to a cut.
if you have a local butcher you can usually get liver in there if you go early or supermarkets will sell it but much more than you need... it's very cheap though.


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## Esemais (Sep 8, 2013)

As others have said, for the time being whilst she recovers, it doesn't matter if the food is complimentary or not. Just feed her any decent meat, or if needs be fish. Someone else suggested Hills AD, and that's definitely worth a try IMO. Water it down, make it sloppy for her to lap up. 

Use tricks like crumbling thrive treats onto the wet food, or adding a little bit of grated Parmesan. Chicken usually works when a cat won't eat, if she's struggling to chew and you have a blender you could mush it up.


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## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

Hilife is fine, the ones in boxes are complete, and also so is Sheba Fine Flakes and is very easy to eat.

Boiled fish fillets would be ideal too (but she needs Complete cat food in the absence of raw)


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## AStokes (Sep 25, 2014)

Thanks for all your replies. I am going to take her back to the vets in the morning and ask for pain relief and the possibility of me taking her there everyday for the oral antibiotics. It's just so impossible me trying to do it because the problem is her mouth, so trying to syringe anything in or hide crushed antibiotics in butter (which other sites suggested) just doesn't work as she drools it all out. The vet did give her an injection but the tablets are to back it up. They are huge and I'm supposed to give her a quarter a day, which is easier said that done. 
I've managed to get some in her and yesterday she really seemed to be getting better but this morning when she was eating the food got stuck in her mouth and she was trying to dislodge it with her paws and then started bleeding really badly again. I'm just so frustrated that something that started so seemingly insignificant has come to this, she looks awful as she keeps grooming herself when she's bleeding. She's predominantly white so the lasting effect is just dreadful.
I'm finding it helpful reading your replies though everyone, so thank you. My boyfriend is not a cat person and has always been weirdly jealous of her, so he's not the best person to try and talk to about all this.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Most cats love cheese. Have you tried rolling the tablet into a ball with the cheese?


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## LostSoul (Sep 29, 2012)

I just wanted to wish you all the best for the vets tomorrow...i hope you can come up with a solution to the table taking, it isnt easy at the best of times and i can imagine how uncomfortable it is with a sore mouth.

we all crazy about cats here (some are just plain crazy!! ) so youre in the right place, we do understand what your fur baby means to you.
these peope have answered my questions many times, listen to me repeat myself over and over and explained things when my vet couldnt..they are a wonderful group of people and someone is always here to offer advice or just to listen to you rant.

please keep us updated xxx


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## Kidlington (Aug 26, 2013)

I'd have thought the best way forward was either to feed her a liquid diet syringed direct into her throat or get her admitted to the vets and put on a drip for a few days - just so her mouth can heal and she can get proper nutrition. 

Very difficult scenario - I'd go and find a cat specialist too - not sure where you live but better to get best input you can. 

Hope you and your cat are doing a bit better today. 


K


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## Kathyvet (Aug 24, 2014)

Hi there,

I haven't read through all of the posts so I apologise if this is going over old ground-
Is it definitely just an infection in your cats mouth? I asked because cats can develop horrible ulceration in their mouth related to a condition commonly known as a rodent ulcer. It is basically a hypersensitivity reaction to something.
The treatment for this is steroids, no amount of antibiotics will make it better therefore it is definitely worth discussing the possibility of this with your vet (they will likely need to do scrapes/biopsies to diagnose this before treatment)

Please let me know how you get on,

Kathy


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Kathyvet said:


> Hi there,
> Is it definitely just an infection in your cats mouth? I asked because cats can develop horrible ulceration in their mouth related to a condition commonly known as a rodent ulcer. It is basically a hypersensitivity reaction to something.
> The treatment for this is steroids, no amount of antibiotics will make it better therefore it is definitely worth discussing the possibility of this with your vet (they will likely need to do scrapes/biopsies to diagnose this before treatment)


I believe the vet found a wound under the tongue and another wound on the gum. Not dental issue. Vet thought a hunting injury.
Would the vet know the difference between an injury and ulcer - I would have thought so :confused1:


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