Need advice

pamela

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I went to the vet today to have 3 cats checked cuz my cats ate food from the recall list and have been actin a bit different.

I asked my vet to look closely at Buddy also cuz I have been worried about his weight for the last couple years- he's just too thin. After the vet looked him over, weighted him, he agreed that Buddy's too thin and told me to feed him MORE!

The problem is- HOW?? I leave dry food out ALL DAY (nutro/pro plan-mixed) and at night time, I give them all fancy feast.. How do I get Buddy to eat more?? Is there a good dry food that would make Buddy gain more weight??

The vet said if the tests do not show anything wrong that he'll want to do further tests to see why he's so thin.. When I pet Buddy, I can feel his spine and hipbones. ACK.. He seems okay otherwise-still very playful and affectionate.. I WANT to get Buddy to eat more and gain weight.. HOW??

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!
 

cheylink

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Some cats are just more on the thin side, our Sweety was that way. However, I would try a healthier wet food, Nutro Max or Iams, these have less fillers and more protein, they tend to retain more of the food. How many feedings a day? Another idea would be to feed him an extra wet food meal from the other kitties.
 

shorty14788

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How old is Buddy? There are several things that cause cats to lose weight as they get older.. diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and kidney failure to name the most common. What kind of tests did your vet do today?

AS for the putting weight on him thing.. Kitten food is very high in calories and could help put on some pounds...
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by cheylink

Some cats are just more on the thin side, our Sweety was that way. However, I would try a healthier wet food, Nutro Max or Iams, these have less fillers and more protein, they tend to retain more of the food. How many feedings a day? Another idea would be to feed him an extra wet food meal from the other kitties.
Nutro wet pouches have been recalled- that's one reason why my cats might be affected.

I free feed all day (dry food out all day) and I leave out wet food all night until it's all gone then I'd put down dry food for them to snack on through the night so basically, there's ALWAYS food around.

That's a good idea about giving him extra wet food but the problem is he never seems really interested in eating-he never eats with the "crowd" and he has no set time for eating- he just goes in whenever he's hungry and that does not seem to be very often..

What other wet food would you recommend that'd help fatten him up besides Nutro or Iams? I do not want to go with IAMS because of their history of testing on animals (from what I've heard).
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by Shorty14788

How old is Buddy? There are several things that cause cats to lose weight as they get older.. diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and kidney failure to name the most common. What kind of tests did your vet do today?

AS for the putting weight on him thing.. Kitten food is very high in calories and could help put on some pounds...
Buddy is only 4-6 years old. He has always been a bit thin since he was a kitten but he is EXTREMELY THIN now. If you pet him, you can feel his spine and hipbones.. I do not like that at all.

The vet did BUN & Clemeinte blood tests on Buddy, Tango and Pepper... He'll call me with the results tmr- crossing fingers.

Kitten food- good idea- which kind would you recommend? NOT Nutro or IAMS..
 

fosterkitty

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I would try Merrick's, I have never had a cat turn it down. Chicken Soup makes a wet kitten food, as does Wellness, and Canidae might be good too.
 

sandtigress

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Just to put your mind at ease - the Nutro pouches were recalled as a precaution, not because there has been a problem so far. I was a little worried at first too, because my boys get the Nutro canned, but they recalled the pouches to be cautious, not because they thought it was contaminated. I hope that makes you feel better.
As far as Buddy gaining weight, the kitten food is probably a good idea. I hope everything turns out okay with him, maybe he's just like my Billy, a little on the scrawny side.
 

shorty14788

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Purina hasn't been recalled....(thank god or I'd be taking a LOT of cats to the vets...) They have a kitten formula.

Just so you know, diabetes can affect cats as young as 5 years old. I'm currently fostering a 7 year old cat who has diabetes. Her owner couldn't afford the insulin so she surrendered her. She went from weighing 13 pounds to 6.5 pounds in a year. I dont know if the owner didn't notice but we discovered the problem when she came in for her yearly vaccines. We immediately recommended bloodwork. Signs of diabetes are.... increased thirst, urination, and hunger and weight loss. The test is very simple and only takes one small drop of blood....

But then again, my little Weeble cat weighs in at a whole 6.7 pounds. I keep waiting for her to get bigger... shes 3 years old! Some cats are just made to be lean.

This is my Weeble sitting next to Neville. Its not the best picture but you can see how tiny she is...


An even better example is my cat Spaz... he is a HUGE cat length wise. But the skinniest thing ever!

Spaz is the orange one. You can see how much longer he is then everone else.... he's curled up so its kinda hard to show just how skinny he is...



Neither of them will get any bigger no matter how much I feed them. Some cats are just made to be thinner...
 

littleraven7726

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does he like meow mix pouches? my fussy cat lives for his meow mix pouches. nabu is thin, always has been. at his last vet visit he was 8.9 lbs. he's neither under or over weight. he picks, nibbles on a little kibble during the day, eats wet food, but isn't really food motivated like the other 2 are. i just make sure i always have something that is his favorite on the menu for the day (he's easy to please with MM and FF).
 

strange_wings

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Aww, the cat pile in the chair is cute.


What's Buddy's personality like? Do the other cats push him around at all? Since you mentioned that he doesn't like to eat with the others maybe they're pushing away?

I have this problem with Tomas, he thinks any food I put down is his (or any food I'm trying to eat) and will push Sho aside every single time, even if he's not hungry. Sho will walk away and let the kitten have it. With wet food I have to watch over them and repeatedly move Tomas back to his dish.

Maybe consider more blood work for Buddy, thin is one thing but you shouldn't be able to feel the hip bones that much. Try a kitten dry food, and feed him in a different room by himself where the others won't bother him.
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

What's Buddy's personality like? Do the other cats push him around at all? Since you mentioned that he doesn't like to eat with the others maybe they're pushing away?

I have this problem with Tomas, he thinks any food I put down is his (or any food I'm trying to eat) and will push Sho aside every single time, even if he's not hungry. Sho will walk away and let the kitten have it. With wet food I have to watch over them and repeatedly move Tomas back to his dish.

Maybe consider more blood work for Buddy, thin is one thing but you shouldn't be able to feel the hip bones that much. Try a kitten dry food, and feed him in a different room by himself where the others won't bother him.
Buddy will stand up for himself if needed. Actually, I call him my grumpy boy because if he's cuddling with me and other cats tries to butt in, he'll get mad and bop them until they move away and leave him alone with me again.


When I put down wetfood, he never come and eat with the "crowd". He seems to like eating alone so he'd come later on and eat what's left (plenty left) but he just does not eat a lot...

There are 2 eating zones- one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom so he has 2 choices of where to eat.

I will try a kitten wet and dry food and see if it helps. He seems fine otherwise- very active, affectionate, etc.... THANKS for all the recommendations!!
 

jadedlaw

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Pamela, have you tried feeding Buddy his wet away from the others? Maybe take him into another room and feed him while the others are eating? Like you said, he may not like eating with the crowd, but does not like to eat what is left over either.

Sorry, I cannot give you any recommendation for wet food since I don't feed wet, and I have the opposite problem. I have a little fatty who does not know how to stop eating if food is out.
 

sylorna

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You may not want to feed all of the cats the kitten food though, cuz they'll gain weight too. I'd start feeding him wet kitten alone in a closed room once or twice a day and let the other ones have at the adult stuff, as well as adult dry.
 
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