Sorry not horsey - fattening cat food?

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now_loves_mares

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Sorry don't know where else to post this, thought the Dogs section would be inappropriate
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One of my cats is a tiny bit thin. Nothing bad at all, and in all probability is within normal range. However I just get a bit concerned as she's a wee bit anorexic and never seems to eat much. This is no helped by my other cat who is fat and eats lots!

We feed IAMS dry food, both cats are full of energy, shiny coats, lots of fun to have around. I'd just like to get a wee bit more weight on the girl. She is 5 and as far as I know in perfect health. However she has long hair so is sometimes sick because of furballs, and will be sick if you give her wet food (she gobbles it down too fast, then throws it back up again almost immediately). She's not sick on her dry food. We try to intersperse the normal IAMS with furball IAMS but she doesn't always eat this. She does seem to love tuna, as well as Whiskas Temptations - so much so that she'll break in to them if you leave them out, and scoff the lot
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What is the best food for beefing her up a bit?
 
Get some meat in to her and she will put weight on. But I have to say a slimmer cat is a healthier cat, and age can also have a lot to do with it.

I have three cats, two of whom are brothers. One is a big lump of a thing, the other is far finer - skinnier really. This year I've noticed that he is getting heavier, and I think it must be to do with his maturing years. He'd be about 5 now.

I feed Whiskers - meat and biscuits.
 
Unfortunately for you, most supermarket cat meats are 70% water so they dont have a very high fat content. I have one chubby moggy and one rake siamese. They are both on Royal Canin Fit 32 but the Siam gets an extra portion of the Hills Natures Best which is quite high in fat! Failing that Techni-Cal is great stuff but quite pricey
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IAMS is a dry food so not full of water. The vet said that it was the best of the supermarket ranges, she didn't like Hills very much (fussy beggar). We don't feed tinned/pouch food apart from once in a blue moon, TBH if we were going to give her meat she'd get actual meat, not catfood meat
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Unfortunately for you, most supermarket cat meats are 70% water

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Don't think so.........
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Worming is probably the most important. We have a skinny cat, always has been but now he's 9 and getting on i was getting a bit worried. Vet said don't feed them rubbish to get them fat, causes more harm than a skinny healthy cat. Like feeding a skinny child tonnes of chocolate to feed up. Ours doesn't eat his food if it's been out for a bit, so we just put a bit down a few times a day.

How old is she?

Also it might be worth taking her for a vet check, as she may only need half the worming dose depending how much she weighs and the vet can also make sure there is no underlying problem such as thyroid. Our skinny cat only needs half a wormer, but our fatty needs a full one. I would also only use a wormer from the vet, we tried several from supermarkets etc which either didnt work or made them sick. Keeping worming up to date is really important, same as it is for a horse.
 
Hi thanks, you are probably right that she needs wormed, and the more I think about it the more I decide I'm being paranoid. She doesn't seem to eat that often but then of course we're not with her all the time
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We do only get the wormer from the vet though, and yes last time she got a half while her "kitten", the big one, got a full dose.

They do hunt quite a lot, albeit she doesn't eat her prey very often
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but can't believe I forgot to worm her!

Mind you - I don't worm my horses often either, use worm counts instead. I wonder if a similar thing exists for cats
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(The cat is 5 by the way, still a young thing!)
 
If you think she is within a normal weight range I wouldnt be trying to feed her up, its much healthier to be a wee bit thin than too fat! Worming is important (every 3 months), and have you tried ad lib food? I have a little cat and she gets ad lib food so even though she doesnt eat much at one time, she picks at it through the day and she seems to prefer that. But obviously this wont work with meat, just dry food. I personally dont feeding my cat meat as I dont think its very good for them (they get plenty of fresh meat from their hunting trips!) but I would recommend Royal Canin...expensive but I get a discount from work
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If you think she is within a normal weight range I wouldnt be trying to feed her up, its much healthier to be a wee bit thin than too fat! Worming is important (every 3 months), and have you tried ad lib food? I have a little cat and she gets ad lib food so even though she doesnt eat much at one time, she picks at it through the day and she seems to prefer that. But obviously this wont work with meat, just dry food. I personally dont feeding my cat meat as I dont think its very good for them (they get plenty of fresh meat from their hunting trips!) but I would recommend Royal Canin...expensive but I get a discount from work
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I would reccommend Royal canin too, Hair and skin is very good if you need the cat to gain a little weight, but TBH I have found cats tend to be healthier if kept on the slim side, and as other posters have said make sure worming is up to date - preferably with Drontal every 3 months minimum, and please, please make sure you can give the cat a tablet - I have had some very difficult cats yet have always managed to be able to give a tablet, I get really peeved by the constant excuses cat owners give for not being able to medicate their pet.
 
good luck with fattening her up, if you are not succesful after a few months maybe consider getting her blood tested for hyperthyroidism, this usually effects older cats but it is certainly possibly it effecting younger cats, symptoms are weight loss, despite eating lots (wish i had this!!) vomitting, bring grumpy or lethargic or she may have furballs causing her to be sick?

good luck :-) x
 
Thanks everyone. General replies as I can't remember who said what
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Yes they already get adlib food, as I feed dry food. She just seems to be a bit of a picky eater, but probably does eat more than I realise. I don't think I need to change her diet for "health's" sake, as she already has a beautiful shiny coat.

Also have no problems giving them tablets, I've had lots of practice! Just need to remember, I'm sure that will be the little boost she needs.

Furballs - yes think I said in my original reply that she does sick these up sometimes, but as she has long hair there isn't too much we can do (she does get lots of grooming and we do try to get the furball food down her, but she'll pick at it even more than the normal stuff, sigh..)

Looking at her curled up in front of me (and the fire!) she looks perfectly happy! I'm sure it's more psychological on my part as we don't see her scoff the way the other one does. But then he is ahem rather Garfield proportioned (and just to be clear, that is not the aim with my smaller cat
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good luck with fattening her up, if you are not succesful after a few months maybe consider getting her blood tested for hyperthyroidism, this usually effects older cats but it is certainly possibly it effecting younger cats, symptoms are weight loss, despite eating lots (wish i had this!!) vomitting, bring grumpy or lethargic or she may have furballs causing her to be sick?

good luck :-) x

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Oh I don't think it can be this, by your description of symptoms! She doesn't eat loads, is never grumpy and is an energetic lunatic
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Well not all the time, when she is lying on the pillow we lay down for her on the floor beside our bed, where she happily snores her way through the night
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. Spoiled, noooo!
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