How To Help Your Cat Lose Weight Safely
First and foremost, talk to your veterinarian before putting your cat on a diet. They will help you establish a cat dieting plan that supports gradual, healthy weight loss without restricting food intake too drastically.
Severe cat food restriction and rapid weight loss can actually make your pet very sick, causing a very serious disease in cats called hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease.
Weigh Your Cat To Ensure A Healthy Rate Of Weight
Regardless of diet, limiting access is the key. And a scale to accurately weigh the cat on is handy. Peoples digital scales can be used by weighing the person with and without holding the kitty. Monthly weights at the same time of day are sufficient.
We want about a pound a month of weight loss, not more. Sudden weight loss in a cat can result in serious health issues. Weight loss is hard to accomplish in a cat, no short cuts exist, and it takes an active process to achieve.
Just like people, it is an individualized program for each kitty and dealing with the behavioral consequences of a hungry cat can be one of the largest challenges. The hardest thing for people to accept is that a hungry cat is okay and healthy, it does not require fixing despite what the kitty may think.
Dr. Matt McCormick, DVM
Companion Animal Clinic has been serving Blacksburg, Virginia and surrounding Montgomery and Christiansburg communities since 1974. We are an AAHA accredited veterinary hospital and provide quality, professional care for dogs, cats, exotics, and small mammals. Learn more about our amazing team.
Snacks And Supplements For The Underweight Cat
A cat weight gain supplement is another idea when wondering how to fatten up a cat.
These products might help your cat gain weight. But get your vets approval before you try any of them.
Tomlyn High-Calorie Nutritional Gel For Cats
This gel-like substance* is very palatable and high in calories.
It provides appetite stimulation to help with your cats desire to eat.
Also contained are concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, and omegas.
HARTZ Delectables Bisque Lickable Treat
Treats are another highly palatable way to get those hunger juices flowing.
This is a moisture filled blend of chicken and tuna flakes* together with sauce so your cat can simply lick-away to her hearts content.
It contains vitamins such as E and B to support senior health, too.
Alternative Snacks for Underweight Cats
Some other short term sources of cat food for weight gain come from our own pantries.
Eggs are a good choice and are high in protein and calories.
Canned fish is usually accepted and is a valuable source of nourishment.
These human foods should be offered without seasonings and flavorings that can make your cat ill.
And they shouldnt be used as a long term replacement for a complete prepared cat food without your vets blessing.
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Lexelium Growth Booster For Cats
Lexelium Growth Booster for Cats is a high calorie powder supplement that you can feed an underweight cat. Every ingredient in this supplement is clinically supported to aid in a cats growth, and all the ingredients are sourced and manufactured in the USA.
This supplement can either be mixed into wet or dry food to give your cat a calorie boost. The main ingredients in this supplement are Beef Muscle, Yeast Extract, Siberian Ginseng, Vitamin D3, L-Taurine, Zinc, Calcium, Wheat Sprouts, and Creatine Monohydrate.
How To Fatten Up A Senior Cat
First, make sure your old furry friend does not have problems with teeth many senior cats have in their age. Second, see how active your cat is. Generally, senior cats start having problems with their bones, so their diet should contain enough protein at least 6 grams of protein per every kilo of the pets weight.
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How Much Should A Cat Weigh
Adult domestic cats generally weigh between 9 and 11 pounds . But the ideal weight for cats may vary by their breed and structure. For example, an adult Maine Coon can weigh 25 pounds and be healthy.
On the contrary, a healthy Siamese cat may weigh only 5 pounds. It is always better to consult your vet to figure out exactly how much weight is considered healthy for your cat.
Supplemental: Kidney Vitalize Support Chews
An alternative or optional product to help prevent your cat from further weight loss while promoting kidney health function is the Scruffy Paws Kidney Vitalize Support Chews.
The active ingredients in the chews have been scientifically-proven to reduce proteinuria which helps to reduce weight loss in cats.
At the same time, the Kidney Vitalize Support Chews are designed to help maintain kidney function to prevent the onset of CKD which affects 1 in 3 cats over the age of 10!
Theres also the added bonus that these kidney chews contain tasty real chicken giving your feline a few extra bites of protein and calories to help with nutritional support in between meals.
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Offer Human Food On An Occasional Basis
Human food should only be offered to the felines after taking permission from the vet. There are a lot of human food items that should not be served to your cat as they can cause damage to your felines health but there are certain foods that can be offered to a cat like canned sardines, yogurt, and scrambled eggs.
Help A Cat Gain Weight With A Different Food
A change in diet could be the answer to how to make a skinny cat gain weight.
The Happy Cat Handbook – A unique guide to understanding and enjoying your cat!
A new food that is tastier or even has a different texture may encourage her to eat more. The nutritional content of the food is important, too.
The best foods to help with weight gain in cats tend to be
- high in fat and calories
- formulated for kittens
- made with as many animal ingredients as possible
- made with limited amounts of plant-based products
Check with your vet before making a big change in your skinny cats diet.
It is also important that any changes are made slowly to avoid gastrointestinal distress.
So lets look at foods that should help with weight gain in cats.
Here are some popular choices:
Natures Variety Instinct Raw Boost Grain Free Recipe Natural Dry Cat Food
Natures Variety Instinct* is high in animal protein, grain-free and low in carbohydrate.
It also contains freeze-dried raw meat to boost nutrition.
Other beneficial components are probiotics, omegas, and antioxidants.
Iams Proactive Health Kitten Dry
Kitten food contains higher levels of protein and fat than adult alternatives.
It is deliberately highly calorific to support kittens rapid growth.
This means it can play an important part in how to fatten up a cat.
This kitten food from IAMS* contains a decent 41% animal protein for great taste and aroma.
It is easy to digest with prebiotics and has omegas for brain and eye function.
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Hi I Have A 16 Year Old Female Cat Who Needs To Gain Weight
How to fatten up a cat with ibd. If you tend to dress up their food with toppers, mixing it, and fussing over them. If your cat is nervous, make sure the food bowl is not near an object that is scaring them such as a cycling furnace, air conditioner, noisy pipe, or barking dog. Also has history of pancreatitis, last bloodwork showed slight elevation and mild kidney disease.
The idea was to soothe the gut. When it’s in dry food it sometimes doesn’t stay in the cat’s system long enough to be absorbed and goes out the other end with all the rest of the indigestibles. I am having trouble remedying my cat’s inflammatory bowel disease .
If you have a cat who gags or throws up hairballs more than once a month, consider it suspicious. Although almost 60% of cats in the us are overweight. He has lost roughly 2/5 of his weight.
I read on this website: Looking after your cats digestion during weight gain if your cat has lost weight through illness, its essential you dont overwhelm their digestive system during weight gain. That was a different cat and before i knew about things like probiotics and the like.
You should not expect instant results, and you will need to help your cat along. If you are wondering how to fatten up an old skinny cat, try these simple. Here are a few tips to make your skinny cat bulk up.
So, this was all about how to fatten up a cat. My cat shayshay has been losing weight for the past year He is 7 pounds in weight
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How To Care For A Siamese Cat
This article was co-authored by Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD. Dr. Nelson is a Veterinarian who specializes in Companion and Large Animal Medicine in Minnesota, where she has over 18 years of experience as a veterinarian in a rural clinic. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1998.There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 86% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 77,244 times.
Siamese cats are friendly, loving, and vocal animals. To care for them, feed them a high protein diet. Make sure to brush their teeth regularly and provide them with perches around your house. See a vet regularly and have your cat screened for conditions like heart disease and glaucoma.
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From Dry Food To Wet Food
Making the transition from dry to wet food can be quite tricky. The texture and taste of dry and wet food are different. A sudden change will confuse your pet cat.
How do you make a successful switch from dry to wet food without facing too many setbacks and hurdles? Here are a few tricks that will ensure that the change is successful.
Start by sprinkling the usual dry cat food on top of the new wet food. This will help the cat get used to the new smell of wet food. The next trick is to mix the dry food with wet food. Grind the dry food into a powder. Mix the powder well into the wet food before you serve it to the cat.
Warm the wet food as it will help improve the texture and taste. This will help cats successfully make the transition from dry to wet food.
A Hungry Cat Often Looks For Mischief
Another factor to consider is that a hungry cat is a busy cat, often seeking out food, stalking or grumpy towards the other cats , bothering the people around the house, or engaging in other destructive behaviors.
Being busy is good in that it makes the cat more active, which helps burn calories, but the nature of the business is often not appreciated by the rest of the house. By feeding a cat in response to these behaviors, the cat is encouraged to act this way. One of the hardest things to do is to let a cat be hungry without rewarding the associated behaviors.
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What Causes Weight Loss In Cats
There can be many reasons behind a cats weight loss. It is most likely that your cat is not eating the right amount of nutritious foods. Maybe your cat is not enjoying the foods you are offering.
The feeding environment can be noisy. The cat may also lose its appetite due to tooth and gum problems, or it can be depressed, facing physical illnesses, or discomfort.
However, constant weight loss may indicate that your cat is experiencing health issues like renal problems or hyperthyroidism. So, when you see your cat getting skinny day by day, you must consult a vet to identify the actual reasons behind it.
Have You Had Trouble Getting Your Cat To Eat
Does kitty keep on losing weight whatever you do?
We would love to hear your stories in the comments below.
Affiliate link disclosure: Links in this article marked with an * are affiliate links, and we may receive a small commission if you purchase these products. However, we selected them for inclusion independently, and all of the views expressed in this article are our own.
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How To Switch Your Cats Food
It is often quite challenging to switch your cats food. Take heart, as it doesnt have to be way too difficult. Even cats that are fussy and stubborn will be able to gradually adapt to new food. You do need to remember that cats love food and want to eat well.
Here is a list of helpful tips that will ensure a smooth switch to a new food:
Start the change by slowly mixing the food your cat loves having with the new cat food. Lower the amount of food that your cat is currently having and replace it with new cat food. The change from the current food to new food should be done in a gradual manner. Do this over a seven day or one-week period. Dont try to force anything on your pet cat.
If you try changing cat food and eating habits of the cat all of a sudden, it might result in diarrhea, vomiting, and other digestive issues. Apart from this, any sudden change will also affect the cat on a psychological level.
If the transition from current food to new food goes smoothly and successfully, you can start feeding the cat only new food within a week.
How To Fatten Up A Cat Summary
We hope we have helped you with how to fatten up a skinny cat.
We have learned that foods high in calories and fat are useful when considering how to make a cat gain weight.
Kitten foods are typically the most fattening cat food. So your vet might recommend them to help an elderly underweight cat, too.
It is important to remember that the best food for an underweight cat is one with as many animal ingredients in it as possible.
Plant-based products should be avoided or at least kept to a minimum.
Above all, if your cat is losing weight, take her to your vet for a comprehensive check-up before you do anything else.
Even the best when a cat needs to gain weight cant help if theres an underlying medical problem that still needs to be treated.
Make sure that you discuss any dietary changes with your vet as some conditions require a special diet.
If you work closely with your vet you are bound to find a way to help your cat gain weight.
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What Can I Give My Cat To Gain Weight
Give your cat foods that are nutritious, tasty, and rich in vitamins to gain weight. The foods can be a mixture of dry kibble and soft canned food. You can also give your cat fresh homemade foods like boiled and unsalted eggs, fish, and chicken.
Chicken broth and fish oil are two essential items to fatten up your underweight cat in the shortest possible time. However, you can increase the amount of food you give to your feline companion and offer treats between meals or throughout the day.
Common Diseases In Senior Cats That Cause Weight Loss
If aside from weight loss, your cat is also experiencing other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and changes in lifestyle, a serious disease might be the culprit.
There are numerous diseases that can affect your cat as it gets older and most of them are associated with weight loss.
- Respiratory Disease
One type of respiratory diseases that are common with senior cats is sinusitis. This issue hinders with their sense of smell resulting in a loss of appetite and weight loss.
Aside from that, your cat may also be suffering from asthma. Lung tumors whether great or small, result in weakness, breathing difficulties, and weight loss.
- Gastrointestinal Disease
GI diseases come in different types and each one of them results in weight loss. GI lymphoma is one of the most common types of GI disorder and older cats are prone to it.
Sad to say, this disease is a type of cancer that cannot be cured. Felines who suffer from this disease are usually exhausted and not fascinated with much food.
Another possible GI disorder behind your cats weight loss is IBD . This disease happens when a series of health problems in the GI tract eventually cause an increase in the number of inflammatory cells in the digestive tracts lining.
When this happens, it will cause diarrhea and vomiting that eventually lead to weight loss.
- Endocrine Disease
Endocrine diseases that are commonly experienced by senior cats are hyperthyroidism and diabetes.
- Kidney Disease
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Make Food More Appetizing
Elderly cats tend to lose weight fast because their senses decline during their golden years. A lack of smell can make your feline will lose its appetite. You can help restore it by:
- Adding aromatic ingredients
- Heating the food to enhance the aroma
Just make sure none of the flavorings and additives are poisonous to cats, such as spices.
How To Fatten Up A Cat With Ibd
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