Underweight kitty.

Hey everyone! I haven't been on TCS for a long time, I've been pretty busy!

On Christmas Eve I brought home two foster cats from the rescue I volunteer for. They are a pair and can't be seperated. Gaza was really sick, and I thought he was going to die, so I brought him and Neil home so at least he would have known what a home was like.

For the first week he was getting 300ccs of fluids subcutaneously, twice a day. He's not dehydrated anymore so he's not getting the fluids right now, but now he's on 100mgs of amoxicillin twice daily, for 10 days.. hopefully that'll clear up his URI.

The thing is, he's very thin. I want him at a healthy weight before I take him back to the rescue, but he isn't gaining anything, and if he is it's going very slowly. You can feel his pelvis bones and his back bones a little bit.

I am feeding him what he was eating at the rescue. Science Diet Adult, and for now I am feeding him the Hills a/d and some eukanuba kitten canned food. Should I put him on a straight kitten food? Try him with a raw diet?

Gaza and Neil are my two most favorite cats in the whole rescue.. they have been there for 5 years and not even seen a home until now. Neil who was terrified at the rescue is so loving now, and Gaza was completely feral, but now I can pick him up and he lets me pat him and do whatever I want with him. It's really going to break my heart to have to take them back, but I can't see us having 7 cats right now.

Neil is the one sitting up, Gaza is curled up.

There's a Science Diet food that is packed with nutrients and good stuff my vet gave me when I first got my rescue kitty. I think it's a/d, but I'm not sure about that. I don't know if straight kitten food would have all the nutritious benefits in it, but it would fatten him up!

Stephanie

a/d can be a mircle in a can ... Kitten food is likely not ideal for an older cat.. Nutri cal would be something to ask the vet about

Do they have any idea of his age? Is he gaining any weight?

He hasn't been to the vets in just over a week.. I don't really want to take him abck and forth to weigh him because it stresses him so much, and then he gets even more sick.
He's about 5 years old.

And yeah, a/d is a miracle in a can. It's saved countless kitties over at the rescue.. we buy it by the case. It's expensive, but definately worth it.

I need to go get a Drontal tablet for Neil later, so I can talk to him then.

You may want to buy or borrow a baby scale--that way you can track his weight at home. If the a/d is working, I'd stick with that. You don't want him to gain weight too rapidly. It's better for him to regain muscle, and that builds more slowly.