Emanciated cat

Question
I have a very loved male 15 yr old cat, Binky, who has had gingivitis for 7 yrs. He is under vet care, but currently is out of med and I am out of money till Sept. I WILL get him in. He is unable to eat much. I have offered him soggy dry food with ample broth which he drinks but then is in pain. I have offered wet food which he turns down now. I handfeed him raw burger which he loves but soon causes pain. He does not like tuna juice. It burns. His ribs are showing. What can I encourage him to eat that he can get down? Ihave a feeling the vet is going to chew me out. It isn't neglect. It is 100% worry and 1,000% love on my part. I love my baby.
Ineed some food in him till his appointment very early Sept
Please respond soon!!!!.

Answer
I'm so sorry that Binky is having such problems.  Your mentioning that he is 15 years old, has had gingivitis for 7 years, and that his ribs are showing really worries me.  He may need to be on antibiotics now, before his dental appointment, especially if he'll need to have a dental cleaning and teeth removed.  His refusing to eat, due to pain, and weight loss could indicate a more severe problem...especially if the gingivitis has gone untreated for so long.  Have you checked to see if your vet will offer a payment plan, discounts, etc?  If not, would you consider getting some consults with other vets?  I'm really concerned that Binky needs vet treatment immediately.  All you can really do at home, at this point, is to make sure that he is drinking plenty of water, and just keep encouraging him to eat.  Any kitten formula food is going to contain more calories, fat content, and nutrients, and would better help him to gain weight or prevent further weight loss.  I'm a major advocate of feeding by-product free foods such as Wellness or Nature's Variety.  If you can't afford these, try any kitten food that you can...canned only.  You can also offer him regular baby foods in any of the meat flavors, like Gerber.  You can also offer him cooked meats and if his teeth are really painful and he's picky, boiled meats might be easier for him to eat such as boiled chicken in chicken broth.  It's pretty crucial for him to be getting food and plenty of water down.  He needs to be seen by a vet as soon as possible.  If you can't get into the vet any sooner, see if your vet has any vitamins or supplements that you can give him in his food or by mouth in a syringe.  You can't afford for him to become dehydrated or malnourished.  Sorry that I can't offer more advice...