ideas for getting a cat to gain weight?

I posted in a previous thread about my Maine Coon, Sherman's illness. The good news is that he seems to be recovering, but it's VERY slow. He still has lowered energy levels and some congestion. However, they eye problems are nearly completely gone and he's starting to eat more on his own. But it's not enough. He's a big boy, large-framed and tall, and at his healthiest he was about 15 - 16 pounds. He's only 19 months old, so we'd expected that his full adult weight would be even more. I'll be taking him to the vet for a re-check later this week (I've tried to give him a break from all the doctor's visits and stress, since he's slowly improving).

But he's down to 10 pounds and a couple ounces and has absolutely no margins or reserves. The good news is that his appetite is increasing - slowly - and he's stabilized and is no longer losing weight (which would be very dangerous). I'm feeding him canned a/d (which the vet prescribed, and he likes). I'm also giving him anything else he wants whenever he seems interested - treats, chicken, tuna, other kinds of canned kitten/cat foods. Plus I'm still giving him his "Sherman shakes" - plain yogurt fortified with powdered KMR formula and l-lysine. He doesn't mind this, but I have to give it to him by syringe. I give him between 50 - 60 ml (10 - 12 tablespoons) a day, which I estimate to be about 100 - 120 calories or roughly half of what he needs for maintenance.

So any other ideas for increasing his caloric intake? I've tried the NutriCal gel and he doesn't like it. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Please review this chart with your vet
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html

I have cut and pasted some for easy quick checking

Nutri cal has its place but due to it having sugar and mineral oil it is not a fave of me either



\tMaximum Calorie \t29 \t66 \t5 \t0.3 \t164 \t340 for 6 oz\t4/06 this is Eukanubas rx formula

Hills Prescription: \t
\t
\t
\t
\t
\t
\t

\tA/D \t33 \t54 \t13 \t0.1 \t199 \t180 \t3/06 Hills A/D

as you can see the two formulas VARIE by nearly double in the calories _

Wow! Thanks for that, the table is very helpful. I will definitely ask my vet about the Eukanuba maximum calorie food, and I'll stop at the pet store on the way home to pick up some of the other higher-calorie foods to see if he likes any of them.

And another update - after looking on the website, I made a quick spreadsheet of some of the higher-calorie foods and then calculated the calories per ounce of food (did I mention I'm a dorky scientist in addition to a crazy-cat-mom?). To my HUGE surprise, the Friskies Kitten Turkey dinner is even higher in calories than the Eukanuba max calorie Rx (57 cal/oz).

So. I called my vet and booked Sherman in for Wednesday afternoon for a re-check, and asked if I could get the Eukanuba ordered in.

I also stopped at the pet store on my way home from work today and bought a few of the higher-cal foods from the list. Including the Friskies Kitten. I normally do not feed Friskies or similar, but at this point ANYTHING he'd like (Cheetoes, junk food, whatever), I'll give him. He ate almost half a can (75 cal) at a single sitting, AFTER he'd already eaten some a/d! So. Assuming that he doesn't have problems with it, we'll be feeding high-cal junk food for a while until he puts on some weight.

Thanks again for that link! I've bookmarked it.

It's been a week since you've been here, how is Sherman getting on? Did he have his vet visit last Wednesday?

Originally Posted by Kalikat

It's been a week since you've been here, how is Sherman getting on? Did he have his vet visit last Wednesday?

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Sorry. It's been a busy week. Thanks for asking.

Yes, Sherman had his vet visit last Wednesday. This doctor noticed that the two medications to which he responded at all were both steroidal-based (the prednisolone eye drops and the nose drops with Dex). So we decided to try him on oral prednisolone for two weeks. I noticed a subtle improvement in his energy level and appetite within two days.

However, he still hasn't gained weight. OTOH, he hasn't lost any more. However, he is still frighteningly, dangerously skinny, and pretty weak. I'm continuing the "shakes" but have upped the caloric content with organic full-fat yogurt and have slowly also been increasing the amount I'm giving him. So far, he's still excellent about taking it, and there have been no negative effects with his GI tract - I've gone slowly with the changes. He keeps everything down and he isn't getting the squirts. In fact, his litter box habits are more normal now with the increase in calories.

Yesterday wasn't such a good morning, he didn't eat much on his own. But in the afternoon/evening, he wanted to eat treats. So I'll give him whatever he wants at this point! Today, he ate nearly a whole serving of wet food at breakfast and we'll see what he wants this afternoon when I get home from work. I remain very worried, but I also don't expect miracles and it hasn't even been a week.

Oh, this vet also suggested adding fish oil to his wet food, since the omega-3 is good for him and it adds a few extra calories (only about 10, but it's something). I can't tell if it's making any difference but again, it's not hurting.

What about Royal Canin Recovery??? I only bring it up b/c a friend was using that on a few kitties that were sick, got thin and needed calories.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

What about Royal Canin Recovery??? I only bring it up b/c a friend was using that on a few kitties that were sick, got thin and needed calories.

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It actually has fewer calories per ounce than either the Eukanuba max cal (which I'm hoping will be in on special order to my vet tomorrow) or the Friskies kitten food. But I think it's more than the a/d and I'll try about anything Sherman will eat, so I'll ask the vet if they can get that in as well.

He likes the a/d. He likes tuna, and he loves Temptations treats. Pretty much anything he wants, I'll give him at this point. Tonight, he ate some treats and then about a teaspoon of tuna on his own. I gave him 80 ml of full-fat, higher calorie "shake", which he ate all of (delivered by oral syringe) and seems to feel better with a full tummy. My rough calculations put that at 180 - 200 cal. I'll offer him anything else he might want to eat on his own again tonight when I get read for bed. SO I think he's now getting enough for maintenance, maybe even enough to put on a little bit. I keep hoping, anyway.

Has your vet considered giving your kitty an appetite stimulant? I'm going through the same thing with my Princess. She lost over 2lbs in less than a month and her vet started her on the cyproheptadine (I know I didn't spell that right) and it did help. Between the meds and all the other little tricks I used to get her to eat I got her weight up 6 oz in 10 days. Considering Princess is extremely picky about her food on a good day her vet and I were happy.

Originally Posted by crazy4cats28

Has your vet considered giving your kitty an appetite stimulant? I'm going through the same thing with my Princess. She lost over 2lbs in less than a month and her vet started her on the cyproheptadine (I know I didn't spell that right) and it did help. Between the meds and all the other little tricks I used to get her to eat I got her weight up 6 oz in 10 days. Considering Princess is extremely picky about her food on a good day her vet and I were happy.

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Worth considering. Also Vitamin B12 shots can help with appetite.

I think it's not too difficult,you should give her extra nutrient food and the diet full of protein and fat.If your kitty doesn't like NutriCal gel then there may be another gel or supplement which can be liked by her or you can consult to doctor as well.

Hi all, new to the forums. We have a 14 year old cat Frisko who has always been a healthy boy. For the last few months his appetite has been steadily decreasing. Last month we took him in and did bloodwork, urine, stool tests and he shows no signs of anything wrong. He has lost about 3 lbs. He started out at about 13 lbs. We have since taken him to another Vet, a cat specialist who reviewed the last test results, gave him another physical and checked his teeth and tounge for any problems and found nothing. He is not in any pain but continues to eat less and less. We have tried enticing him with his favorite and new treats and dishes to no avail. He is drinking a lot of water daily, his eyes are clear and he is alert but the lack of eating is taking it's toll. If anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all! Sincerely, AL

I have a skinny at too. She has CRF. My healthy at eats twice as much, and it shows. Since I have 2 cats, I can't get them to eat different foods. Dusty, the skinny one, doesn't even like cat treats. She's pretty picky. How about vegetable oil or butter? Can cats digest that?