Best Food to fatten up a SKINNY Stray?

verynycegirl

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Hi,

We have a new friend in our home! We plan to keep our new friend if nobody answer's our ad or poster's we've put up! He is a really skinny guy though. He looks like a full grown cat....just very thin! Could anyone suggest a type of food that would help him put on some weight? Also for a thin cat is wet food or dry food best? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Tracy
 

jen

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Well dry food is more fattening, but you don't want to just feed him junk food to fatten him up. Too much weight gain too fast is not good. You need to just get him on a high quality wet and dry food and let him gradually get to a normal weight over time.
 
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verynycegirl

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Hi Jen,

Do you know if one brand is best for a cat who has been lacking nutrition?
Also how much would be a healthy amount to feed him and help him bulk up?
Thanks,
Tracy
 

mnjulz

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Ask the vet about Select Care Development. Its for kittens and nursing moms. Over the counter I use wellness (hard)and Innova can
 

jen

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Wellness
Innova
Evo
Premium Edge
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul
Nutro

Just feed the recomended amount for an adult cat.
 

tru

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Hi Tracy!

Innova makes a HealthWise that would be good and not terribly expensive.
Wellness has a Nurture Formula for kittens and lactating moms that would also be good.

I would feed both wet and dry. Probably free feeding the dry and meal feeding the wet. One other ingredient for the cat reaching a stable body weight is patience. As he starts eating healthy and regularly he will most likely hit his optimum weight and adjust accordingly.
If he should start gaining too much weight then it will be up to you to switch him to a less calorie intense food and maybe start meal feeding him all the time. (Just something to keep in mind).

He will need to be vet checked and probably dewormed, (that should help).

Good luck with your new friend!
 

booktigger

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I tend to feed them normal cat food, but add things like cat milk and Hills a/d to help fatten them up, and I do normally give them extra rations of food. I find dry food more fattening than wet though.
 

nekochan

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My sister got a new kitten who was VERY VERY skinny recently (she was a stray.) She was feeding Innova EVO canned and dry. The kitten was just horribly skinny when she first took her home, and now she is a lot better. She is still on the thin side but she gained a lot of weight. She was only 2 1/2 pounds when she was found and she gained about a pound in just a few weeks. I am sure she's gained more since then. Plus since EVO is a high-quality food, it improved her coat a lot and now she is shiny and soft. She may always be small though, one vet estimated her age at 6 months old and if they're correct she is way small for her age...
 

sharky

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I wont suggest anything as you dont know if this is a kitten or adult...

Jen suggested what I would if an adult or a kitten
 
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