Amputated tongue help!!

IMPORTANT: If your cat is in any distress or discomfort, please consult your own vet as your first priority.
Post Reply
Ninjakitty
New Cat Chatter
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 1:10 am
No. of cats in household: 2
Location: Texas

Amputated tongue help!!

Post by Ninjakitty »

I recently had to amputate half of my cat's tongue. She is able to eat mushy food ok but has not been drinking (she has to stick her head too low into the bowl so she won't do it). I've purchased a pet fountain and a guinea pig water bottle but my attempts to show her how to use these have failed. She has a 4 week period before I'll have to surgically replace the feeding tube (currently only used to keep her hydrated). I am looking for anyone with experience in similar situation or anyone who can advise me on training a cat?!? Please Help!
User avatar
meriad
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 1313
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2014 1:14 pm
No. of cats in household: 6
Location: Surrey

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by meriad »

Gosh, what a worry - why was the amputation necessary? Poor girl this must be quite hard for you both :(

What about a very shallow and wide bowl, like a saucer from a flower pot? Yes you'll have to refill it lots of times but at least she may use that?

But generally I'd have thought that if you don't feed any dry food at all and have her on a wet food only diet (with added water if need be) she will get all the water she needs so she may not even need much in the way of additional water bowls?

but definitely try something flat, shallow and wide

Good luck and let us know how you get on
User avatar
Lilith
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 3600
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:00 pm
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: West Yorks

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by Lilith »

Poor girl!

Yes, agree with Meriad - she may be getting all the hydration she needs from the wet food and water, and about a shallower bowl too, but wondered, might it help to give her a water bowl raised up to her chin level, so that she can drink without having to bend down and make the effort to suck the water in.

Do hope she goes on ok, paws crossed x
User avatar
Kay
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 1961
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2014 2:50 pm
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: West Wales

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by Kay »

one of mine always chooses to drink from the top section of the Catmate fountain


http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001NYGB8W/r ... K6PETYWDXY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
lilynmitz
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 1090
Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2014 2:41 pm
No. of cats in household: 2

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by lilynmitz »

One of my cats only ate wet food and I almost never saw him drink water, so they can get all they need this way. (His companion, on the same diet, drank like a fish(!) so all cats are different up to a point).

However, part of the problem for your puss is that cats drink by catching the water on the underside of their tongue and scooping it into their mouths (saw it on telly slowed down recently). If she's lost part of her tongue, this is going to be really hard for her.

I would suggest using something like a pate food with a lot of water added so that it's almost like a very thick soup, so she can get a lot in her mouth with high water content, but not so thin that she cant get it into her mouth without lapping.
User avatar
Lilith
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 3600
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:00 pm
No. of cats in household: 1
Location: West Yorks

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by Lilith »

lilynmitz wrote:However, part of the problem for your puss is that cats drink by catching the water on the underside of their tongue and scooping it into their mouths (saw it on telly slowed down recently). If she's lost part of her tongue, this is going to be really hard for her.
Lilynmitz you're right! I once saw something similar on youtube, with the slow-motion lapping and though I was thinking that she'd have to slurp and suck water with part of her tongue gone, I'd forgotten that cat lapping is so precise - it's going to take her some while to adapt, though I bet she does; they are such fighters where disability is concerned.

Probably the mushy food is easier for her at the moment, good luck to her :)
Cussypat1974
VIP Cat Chatter!
Posts: 385
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2015 12:29 pm

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by Cussypat1974 »

Cripes! Never came across this before..... Did the vet not give you any advice? Maybe they will on tube removal? Hope puss is doing well. X
Angel+
New Cat Chatter
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2020 1:00 pm

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by Angel+ »

meriad wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:52 am Gosh, what a worry - why was the amputation necessary? Poor girl this must be quite hard for you both :(

What about a very shallow and wide bowl, like a saucer from a flower pot? Yes you'll have to refill it lots of times but at least she may use that?

But generally I'd have thought that if you don't feed any dry food at all and have her on a wet food only diet (with added water if need be) she will get all the water she needs so she may not even need much in the way of additional water bowls?

but definitely try something flat, shallow and wide

Good luck and let us know how you get on
Hi my cat had oral cancer called Carcinoma; she had no use of her tongue. I gave my cat Alkaline water- for cancer-in a small syringe little by little but it’s not recamended because she can aspirate some in her lungs. I finally found a SWAN fountain on amazon that she was able to drink from because she can drink from the kitchen faucet on the side using her teeth. For food I put her food in bleander in baby bottle.
Angel+
New Cat Chatter
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2020 1:00 pm

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by Angel+ »

meriad wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:52 am Gosh, what a worry - why was the amputation necessary? Poor girl this must be quite hard for you both :(

What about a very shallow and wide bowl, like a saucer from a flower pot? Yes you'll have to refill it lots of times but at least she may use that?

But generally I'd have thought that if you don't feed any dry food at all and have her on a wet food only diet (with added water if need be) she will get all the water she needs so she may not even need much in the way of additional water bowls?

but definitely try something flat, shallow and wide

Good luck and let us know how you get on
Hi my cat had oral cancer called Carcinoma; she had no use of her tongue. I gave my cat Alkaline water- for cancer-in a small syringe little by little but it’s not recamended because she can aspirate some in her lungs. I finally found a SWAN fountain on amazon that she was able to drink from because she can drink from the kitchen faucet on the side using her teeth. For food I put her food in bleander in baby bottle. Also you can try elevated tilted food bowls on Amazon but you still have to bleand her food.
Angel+
New Cat Chatter
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2020 1:00 pm

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by Angel+ »

meriad wrote: Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:52 am Gosh, what a worry - why was the amputation necessary? Poor girl this must be quite hard for you both :(

What about a very shallow and wide bowl, like a saucer from a flower pot? Yes you'll have to refill it lots of times but at least she may use that?

But generally I'd have thought that if you don't feed any dry food at all and have her on a wet food only diet (with added water if need be) she will get all the water she needs so she may not even need much in the way of additional water bowls?

but definitely try something flat, shallow and wide

Good luck and let us know how you get on
Hi my cat had oral cancer called Carcinoma; she had no use of her tongue. I gave my cat Alkaline water- for cancer-in a small syringe little by little but it’s not recamended because she can aspirate some in her lungs. I finally found a SWAN fountain on amazon that she was able to drink from because she can drink from the kitchen faucet on the side using her teeth. For food I put her food in bleander in baby bottle. Also you can try elevated tilted food bowls on Amazon but you still have to bleand her food.
Karen Snow
New Cat Chatter
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 2:10 pm

Re: Amputated tongue help!!

Post by Karen Snow »

My cat had to have his tongue amputated when he was a teenager. I always feed him Friskies shredded fish with gravy. He can't eat pates. Its too hard for him to maneuver. I provide him with water in a gravity feeder but I have never seen him use it. I do, however, find him drinking out of our (very clean) toilet quite often. I hope this helps! Oh, and he LOVES Temptations cat treats catnip flavor.
Post Reply