Cats can lose their teeth for many of the same reasons that we humans do. It can be from periodontal disease, or it might be part of the aging process. Either way, watching your cat struggle to eat their favorite food can be heartbreaking, so it’s time to start looking for new food.
You need to focus on food that will not only be easier for your cat to chew but also provide the appropriate nutritional balance.
Here are reviews of 10 different cat foods that should work for your dentally challenged cat. Hopefully, this list will help you find the right food for your feline friend.
Blue Buffalo’s Tastefuls Spoonless Singles Pate is the best overall food for cats with no teeth. You get a healthy and easy-to-eat pâté that your cat doesn’t need to chew and will provide a balanced diet. It doesn’t contain artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors or any fillers like soy, corn, or by-products. One unique aspect of this food is the containers. Each container is single serve, so there are no leftovers. It also has a little fork-like attachment that you can use to chop up the food so you don’t have to dirty a utensil.
The only major flaw with Tastefuls is the price, which makes it not suitable for multi-cat homes.
Pros
Pâté texture doesn’t require chewing
No artificial ingredients or fillers
Single-serve containers mean no leftovers
Container has a “chopper,” so no utensils needed
Cons
Pricey
2. Fancy Feast Grilled Seafood Variety Pack Canned Cat Food — Best Value
The best food for cats with no teeth for the money is Fancy Feast Grilled Seafood Feast Variety Pack. The bonus with a variety pack is that it’s a great way to figure out what your cat’s favorite flavors are. It also adds variety to your cat’s diet. There are three seafood flavors (tuna, seafood, and salmon and shrimp) that come in grilled soft chunks in gravy that don’t need much chewing. It’s balanced with added vitamins and minerals, and most cats love it!
However, some cats without teeth might still have trouble with the chunks, so you might need to mash them up. Also, some cats don’t like the chunks and might only lick up the gravy.
Pros
Well-priced
Different flavors add variety to the diet
Grilled soft chunks in gravy
Balanced diet that most cats love
Cons
Might need to mash the chunks
Some cats only lick up the gravy
3. Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Aging 12+ Thin Slices in Gravy — Premium Choice
Royal Canin’s Feline Health Nutrition Aging 12+ is our premium choice pick. It’s ideal if you have a toothless senior cat over 12 years old. It has thin slices of a pork and chicken mixture with gravy, so it’s tasty for most cats, and it’s easier to chew. Since it’s for senior cats, it has controlled phosphorus levels to support kidney health and omega-3 fatty acids for joint health.
But it is fairly expensive, and the texture of the food can be inconsistent. Sometimes it’s large chunks instead of thin slices, which might need mashing.
Hill’s Prescription Diet t/d Dental Care is our vet’s choice for cats with dental problems. This food is best for cats that still have a few teeth because it’s dry food that helps clean the remaining teeth and reduces the bacteria that causes plaque. The texture of the kibble cleans the surfaces of the teeth of tartar, plaque, and stains, and it also helps reduce bad breath. This food was formulated by veterinarians and nutritionists, so the food has the right balance of vitamins and minerals, and the kibble size should work for most cats.
However, it is expensive and might not work for cats with no teeth at all. Plus, you’ll need a prescription from your vet to purchase this food.
Tiki Cat’s Velvet Mousse Variety Pack offers six different flavors (tuna and mackerel, chicken and salmon, salmon, chicken, chicken and egg, and tuna and chicken), all in a soft mousse texture. The meals come in 2.8-ounce pouches and give your cat high-quality, high-protein, complete, and balanced nutrition. Each pouch includes a broth for added moisture and flavor and doesn’t contain any fillers or artificial ingredients.
It is pricey, though, and the texture of the food is thick, which makes it challenging to get it out of the pouches.
Earthborn’s Holistic Monterey Medley Grain-Free Natural Canned Food is a completely natural, shredded wet food. It has whole tuna and mackerel as the main ingredients, and being natural means there are no artificial ingredients. There are added vitamins and minerals to support the immune system and taurine for vision and heart health. It also includes omega-3 and -6 for healthy skin and fur, as well as natural fiber for gastrointestinal health.
But it is relatively expensive, and the shredded texture might be difficult for some cats to eat.
Pros
Shredded wet food with whole tuna and mackerel
No artificial ingredients
Added vitamins and minerals, including taurine, for heart and vision health
Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids for healthy skin and fur
Natural fibers for gastrointestinal health
Cons
Expensive
Shredded texture might be difficult for some cats to eat
Sheba Perfect Portions Seafood Pate Variety Pack gives you three different flavors (salmon, seafood, and whitefish and tuna). It’s affordable and is a nice, light pâté in single-serve trays. You just peel and serve, and there are no leftovers or artificial preservatives or flavors.
The packaging can be a problem, unfortunately. It can be a challenge to open the trays — the foil can be difficult to open without spilling some of it. Additionally, while these are advertised as seafood flavors, each has chicken as the main ingredient.
Pros
Three different flavors
Affordable
Easy to serve
No artificial ingredients
Cons
Packaging can be difficult to open
Seafood flavors but with chicken as the main ingredient
8. Purina ONE Tender Selects Blend With Real Chicken Dry Cat Food
Purina’s ONE Tender Selects Blend is dry cat food and might work for cats with a few teeth. But while it is kibble, softer tender morsels are mixed in with it, which are tasty and easy to chew. It has a combination of ingredients that help your cat’s digestive health, which maintains the microbiome balance. It includes prebiotic fiber that supports the immune system and gut health. It also contains four antioxidant sources, calcium, and omega-6 for overall body health. There are no artificial flavors, preservatives, or fillers.
But some cats might only want to eat the meaty morsels, and many bags of this food seem full of broken and crumbled pieces.
Pros
Kibble with easy-to-chew tender morsels
Supports gut and immune system with prebiotic fiber
Contains four antioxidant sources, calcium, and omega-6
No artificial flavors, preservatives, or fillers
Cons
Some cats only eat the meaty morsels
Many bags of food seem to arrive in mostly crumbles
While Fancy Feast’s Classic Broths With Tuna & Vegetable isn’t exactly a meal, it is a broth that can be added to dry food to help moisten it and make it tastier. The main ingredients are pieces of tuna in a healthy broth containing fish and vegetables. It comes in a pouch, so you just need to open it and pour it over your cat’s dry food, and it’s available in several different flavors.
But while it isn’t expensive, you don’t get much product for what you pay for, and the pouch’s design makes it difficult to empty. Additionally, there are pieces that need chewing, so it might not work for cats with no teeth.
Pros
Broth that can be added to moisten dry food
Main ingredients are tuna pieces in a healthy broth
No artificial ingredients
Cons
Pricey for not much product
Pouch design makes it difficult to get everything out
Chewable pieces might be challenging for toothless cats
Nutro’s Wholesome Essentials Chicken & Brown Rice is a dry food formulated for senior cats. This means your cat will need to have at least a few teeth in order to chew the food. It’s natural food with balanced vitamins and minerals that features real chicken as the main ingredient. Added nutrients such as taurine will support your senior cat’s heart, as well as omega-6 for a shiny coat and healthy skin. There aren’t any artificial ingredients or fillers.
But while it isn’t one of the more expensive cat foods out there, it is still pricey compared to most other brands. Additionally, picky senior cats might not like it, and this food probably won’t work for toothless cats.
Pros
Formulated for senior cats
Real chicken is the main ingredient
Included taurine for heart health
Omega-6 for skin and coat health
No fillers or artificial ingredients
Cons
Pricey
Toothless cats might have trouble eating it
Picky cats might not like it
Buyer’s Guide — Choosing the Best Foods for Cats With No Teeth
Now that you’ve had a look at possible food choices for your cat, let’s go over a few tips for shopping.
Best Foods for a Toothless or Almost-Toothless Cat
Any dentally challenged cat will do best with wet and canned cat food, particularly when it’s in a mousse or pâté consistency, as it won’t require any chewing at all. You’ll also have many choices in flavors.
Your options can include:
What’s most ideal are gravy-based foods, soups, broths, terrines, and shredded meats.
Dry food can be crushed up into much smaller pieces for cats that prefer dry food. You can also add broth, water, or gravy (made for cats) to soften the food (broths and gravies made for people will have seasonings and are not good for cats).
You can try making your own foodfor your cat so you can shred and tenderize it. Always cook any food meant for your cat plain, with no seasonings.
Senior Cats
You can use the ideas in the previous tip, but remember to include nutrients for senior cats. This way, your older cat will still receive the proper nutrition to support them in their old age. Wet food will not only be easier for a cat with dental issues to eat, but it’s also high in water content, so it can keep your cat well hydrated.
Giving your pet the highest quality nutrition is a top priority, so why not give them a food and water dish to match? The Hepper Nom Nom Bowl is our product, but it’s too good not to share.
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Feeding Only Wet Food to Your Cat
If you’re wondering whether it’s safe to feed your cat only wet food, it is a good option for the most part. Wet food is highly palatable and has high water content, so it is effective at keeping your cat hydrated.
Dry food has its advantages, particularly if a cat needs to put on weight (dry food is typically high in carbohydrates), and it does help a cat’s oral health. But to ensure that your toothless cat has an optimal diet, speak to your vet for food recommendations.
Image credit: mik ulyannikov, Shutterstock
Taking Care of Your Cat’s Teeth
You can speak to your vet about this, but starting your cat at a young age will make the dental care journey much more manageable. Keeping your cat’s teeth clean starts with brushing their teeth, but only use products meant for cats, particularly the toothpaste. Most cats won’t tolerate minty human toothpaste, which can also be toxic to cats.
This is where dry food has an advantage. The kibble’s texture does an excellent job of scraping the tartar and plaque off and aids in keeping their teeth cleaner.
Beyond that, ensure that you see your vet once a year, which will include a dental checkup. The more you look after your cat’s teeth while they are still young, the less likely that they will lose them.
Royal Canin’s Feline Health Nutrition Aging 12+ is our premium choice pick for cats with little to no teeth and that are seniors. The controlled phosphorus will support your older cat’s kidneys, and the omega-3 is great for an older cat’s joint health.
We hope that these reviews of these 10 foods designed for cats with dental problems have helped you narrow down your choices. Opting for regular oral care and a balanced diet should help your cat retain their teeth longer and continue to live a healthy and happy life.
Featured Image Credit: Krakenimages.com, Shutterstock
