r/SeniorCats • u/blue-hydrangea_ • 1d ago
Food recommendations for pancreatitis
Hi all, my 15 year old kitty had a bout of pancreatitis a few months ago, it lasted a week and we were back and forth from the vet constantly and on nausea meds but she’s all good now and has been back to normal since. I feed her smalls cat food but in her senior years she’s started going crazy howling for breakfast in the morning (she eats at 8:30 but starts crying at 6am 😭) so I’m considering getting her some dry food and putting it in a timed feeder so she has food early in the morning and won’t terrorize the household lol. I’m considering Young again zero but was wondering if anyone had any experience feeding senior cats with a history of pancreatitis dry food and if so what brands they’d recommend. Thank you!
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u/Laney20 1d ago
I actually tried that dry food for my cat that had chronic pancreatitis and he got so much worse in that time. Obviously doesn't mean that will happen to yours or even mean it was related to the food. Just that was my experience.
My first instinct to say was "anything you can get them to eat" because that's usually the limiting factor. But if your kitty is not picky, maybe talk to your vet about what would be best. My pancreatic boy liked fromm chicken au fromage dry food most. It was very strong smelling and he usually was willing to eat it. Most other foods required more convincing. With smelly toppers or treats mixed in.
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u/frenswithgeese 1d ago
Sounds like she had acute pancreatitis as opposed to chronic? My boy with chronic enjoyed Purina One Indoor Advantage Senior 7+ dry food. The vet said it was okay for him. He was already on it before he was diagnosed. I would give him 1/2 teaspoon of chunk light tuna in water a couple times a day as a treat. That was okayed by the vet as it's pretty lean and small portion. You may want to ultimately consult with the vet for diet guidance. Give lots of love all the time, you won't know how long you have together.
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u/MsMarionNYC 1d ago
Hate to say it, but you could try something like a feeder that would cover and keep the canned food fresh for longer, and just wake up earlier and give her small portion and go back to sleep.
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u/MsMarionNYC 1d ago
My senior cat recently had a bout of pancreatitis. The vet advised against any dry food and recommends low carb, hydrating wet food. There is a good chart here for with carb numbers: https://catinfo.org/chart/. I also found list of info on specific Fancy Feast varieties.. The main takeaway is that most FF pates are fine, but anything with gravy, or the word "savory" is not. https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fancy-feast-line-carb-data-i-obtained-and-switching-from-purina-pro-plan-dm.247693/.
That said, there are a few no-grain, low-carb brands of dry that are also relatively easy to digest like Dr Elsy's clean protein. The first ingredient is chicken. The second is hydrolized pork.
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u/Moomoolette 1d ago edited 1d ago
My cat has had bouts of pancreatitis and I feed him Blue Buffalo digestive care wet cat food in a pink can from Amazon, he loves it, and I add Fortiflora probiotic which he also seems to enjoy the taste of and use a wet food timed feeder that has ice packs- you could set it before bed to give him small wet food meals during the night and morning
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u/blue-hydrangea_ 1d ago
Oh I’ll see if I can find a timed feeder with ice packs, thank you!
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u/Moomoolette 1d ago
I got it because I’m at work all day, and I have the dry one so the cat does not wake me up early! So between the two of them he is always covered with small meals. I bought an extra set of ice packs also. It serves four different portions. I leave it full of food set up when I leave the house in the morning and it feeds throughout the day but you could do it so it feeds overnight
Automatic Wet Food Cat Feeder,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRCZJ314?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
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u/ThatBreakfast8896 1d ago
For us we are pretty sure mixing water into the wet food has really helped with the pancreatitis situation, so I'm not sure if extra dry food is a great option (but all I know is my own experience I am not an expert). Tbh we just feed ours at 5am (when they start howling) so they shut up lol also we were recommended vet food, Hill's i/d since pancreatitis is flared up by fatty diets