Helping a cat gain weight

[Pippity]

My 14yo cat is getting distinctly skinny. She's about as healthy as you'd expect for her age - heart murmur, she's had a benign tumour removed a couple of years ago, otherwise fine - and wolfs her food down, but I can feel the knobs of her vertebrae.

She currently has Iams biscuits available at all times, and gets 4-6 pouches of Felix or Whiskas on top of that.

Any suggestions for foods to try to get weight on?

I'll take her to the vet if I can't get any weight on in the next few weeks, but that's a traumatic experience for everyone involved, and they usually aren't able to actually examine her.

 

[AmyMay]

Get her some fresh fish or chicken to top up her food perhaps?

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I had exactly the same issue with my old girls who are both 17. My vet said as they age they can’t process protein in the same way as younger cats and and add in one of mine has colitis it took me ages to find something which worked. I tried tiny amounts of oily fish, fresh chicken and mince which one inhaled and then spent days in the litter tray while the other one turned her nose up so after a lot of trial and error I found the Purina ProPlan wet food to be the best for them. The one with colitis is still skinny but the fussy one is looking much better as she no longer throws up after every meal and Sebastian gets it as well. They also have Purina the 11+ biscuits, either the sensitive stomach or housecat variety. Between the three of them they have 4 sachets a day plus biscuits whenever they want and they no longer hound me to be fed. One other thing I have done for them this winter is put 2ft long hot water bottles around the edge of their baskets so they aren’t using energy up to keep warm.

 

[fetlock]

Till I saw that re the protein, I was going to suggest a runny egg yolk a few times a week.

 

[Umbongo]

If she doesn't easily get an upset tummy then I would suggest kitten food.
Is she drinking/peeing more than usual? Is she ravenous and asking for food all the time?
At her age kidney failure and hyperthyroidism are coming conditions that can cause weight loss, so if she hasn't had a vet check recently I would suggest one.

If a vet trip is difficult, have they ever suggested gabapentin for her to give just before the vet visit? Usually helps chill out most cats enough to do a basic exam!

 

[Boulty]

Given her age hyperthyroidism & / or kidney disease are both possibilities and both could affect her QOL if untreated. If she’s normally difficult to handle at the vets I’d ask if the vet can dispense you something to help her feel less anxious that will also have a slight sedative effect (there’s a few different options available. They don’t work for every cat but when they do they’re great). If you’re not particularly loyal to your current practice & they’re not happy to do this then look for one that is ISFM accredited (ideally gold or silver) as they will have had to prove they are taking steps to reduce cats stress during visits.

You could try increasing the amount you’re feeding (& if you’re feeding a diet for neutered cats would swap to a non neutered as will have more calories per gram) but if she doesn’t start to gain weight within a few weeks I really would strongly recommend a vet appointment as if there IS something going on then knowing what it is & what treatment is needed will help with getting weight back on. Tbf unless she’s a very big cat I’d say if she’s eating the amount you say & is losing weight that is concerning as that’s considerably more than the RDA of those foods for the average sized cat. You could try something with higher levels of / better quality protein but would ideally want to know what her kidneys are doing/ that they’re ok before doing that.

 

[Ratface]

King Kevin Kat (16) has developed Feline Irritable Bowel Syndrome. He has improved to a considerable extent with a diet of red salmon in olive oil and cooked white chicken. He costs more than me to feed, but no longer yowls in pain when producing a poo. If this changes I will take him to see the vet - even though it is £50 just to open the door - as he is my constant companion and hefty fur bed warmer.

 

[pistolpete]

Elderly cats do go skinny. If quality of life is good and they’re not constantly hungry I’d continue with appropriate age food. Changing feeds drastically in elderly animals isn’t always a good idea. There’s a Hills convalescent food called a/d I used to feed when they were off their grub.

 

[SantaVera]

Is her thyroid overactive?

 

[Goldenstar]

I agree with the others above about getting her kidneys and thyroid checked out.

 

[Bluewaves]

My old boy has just gone the same way and has just been diagnosed with diabetes. He started insulin injections a week or so ago and I have my fingers crossed his chunk comes back with this. Up to now he was eating everything that moved and losing weight by the minute. Also drinking loads.

My vet said February is the time of year when the majority of cats will develop diabetes. Something to do with the daylight increasing affecting the way hormones work.

He also has an overactive thyroid and is getting medicine for that too.. The vet said kidney problems, thyroid and diabetes are the big three problems for weight loss in older cats.

 

[Pippity]

I forgot to mention that she's spent the past two months in a cattery, so the stress of that may also have had an effect on her weight.

I've started adding half a chicken breast a day to her food, and she is putting on weight. However, I think I am going to take her to the vet for a check-up. We've had some success with gabapentin in the past (as in, it calmed her down enough that the general anaesthetic worked), so hopefully it will work again.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I would definitely get her checked out, even for an old cat 4 - 6 sachets + dry a day seems like a huge amount of food in my experience.

 

[Pippity]

She's been to the vet (with the aid of gabapentin!) and verdict was that she was just stressed and missing me. She's currently on 3 pouches a day with ad lib Iams biscuits, and is back up to her healthy weight.