Good Calorie Boosters for Wet Food...

aprilprey

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I am currently trying to get one of my cats to put on a little weight; she eats, but not enough.  I am in the process of getting appointments for ultrasounds, etc... to get to the bottom of the issue.  But she will eat.

Does anyone have ideas for boosting the calorie content of wet food?  She was seen by a new vet that pointed out there is some range in calories between the brands/flavors, which I had not thought about, as I had been focused on the ingredients.  And, of course, fish flavors are a favorite - but many of these are on the lower end of the calorie scale - drat.  I did find some fish mixes on the high end (beef + salmon for example) and the "fishiness" can be increased with a dusting of bonito flakes. She's a classic fussbudget eater: picky picky.  "Oh, I MIGHT eat another bite if you stir it up again and make a big fuss..." type of thing.

I had thought about adding some dribbles of warm bacon fat or chicken fat onto her meals, but not sure if higher fat is a good idea.  Especially since we don't know if there is an underlying issue.  She did get an injection of a long-acting, anti-inflammatory for an allergic reaction recently.  I think that's part of the reason for the diminished appetite: it obviously made her drowzy - almost too drowzy to each hence the weight loss. 

Have some Forti-Flora on the way...that's the next thing to try to get her to eat more.
 

pinkman

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Chicken fat, or even fatty chicken stock can be good I think. I take unwanted chicken feet and simmer them for a while. It creates a pretty fatty/high in collagen/gelatin stock. Of course, everything is unseasoned. 

A lot of "premium" canned foods (Wellness, Evo) are pretty high in fat actually. Bacon fat I wouldn't do... Mostly because bacon is already high in sodium (although I am not sure if the drippings would contain sodium.) Maybe full-fat, plain, greek yogurt might work too? I am not a fan of dairy for cats but yogurt, especially full-fat yogurt gets a bit complicated when you try to calculate the amount of lactose. 

But like you said, without knowing the actual underlying reason I wouldn't try anything yet unless you know for sure the reason why she's losing weight. But then again you mentioned that she got a shot for an allergic reaction? How long ago was that? I know Bagel did not eat well at all when he first started up on antibiotics. Are they any changes besides appetite?

I like using freeze-dried bits as a topping. Bonito flakes is another. I too, do not like using fish as a basis of my cats diet, but bonito flakes do work when it comes to trying to get my other cat Lox to eat. She's not too picky, but it's something I use when I try to feed her egg yolks. Another thing I use is Feline Natural's freeze-dried crumbled, it has Green Lipped Mussel oil in it and has a semi-clammy/fishy smell. 
 

peaches08

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Dr. P mentions butter and bacon fat on her site. Something about nitrite-free bacon...?

Overall I'd say oils/fats will give you the most bang for your buck. I hope whatever she has going on isn't serious.
 
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aprilprey

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Thanks for the ideas guys; Peaches, I had forgotten about Dr. P mentioning bacon fat - I will revisit her site and look for that.  I am adding salmon oil to her food, so that should help.

So frustrating - don't you wish these critters could talk?

She got the Depo-Medrol injection on Aug 10 - she weighed 8 lbs (allergic reaction to Revolution).  On Aug 20 - she weighed 7.5 lbs.  Half a pound loss in 10 days.  I am leaning (and hoping) that injection was the thing that reduced her appetite.  She really acted like she was "trippin' balls" - sleeping, staring into space!  I am still going to get her teeth checked out thoroughly (real dental work, not just the vet looking into her mouth).  But just last night, she was chewing on her "Wiggle Worm" toy - a rubbery, plastic worm toy.  Why would she voluntarily chew on something if her teeth hurt?

The drug is supposed to stay in the animal's system for about a month; she's acting more and more peppy with each passing day, playing a little bit - and she's not sleeping in hiding like she would if she really felt sick - she's sleeping very socially - on the couch, in the middle of the floor.  She does her normal patrols around the house. That says to me she's reasonably healthy - I hope - and there's no nasty disease to yet be discovered.

I was also catering to her fish preference out of "oh you poor thing - look at the spots you've rubbed raw due to itching..." just giving her what she wanted.  Unfortunately, I was robbing her of calories too!  When you are trying to get 200 calories a day into your cat, feeding them a 5.5 oz can that is 147 calories vs. one that is 212 calories is a huge difference!  Many of the popular fish brands that she loves (Tiki Cat, Weruva) are VERY low on the calorie scale, unfortunately.
 
 

pinkman

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Perhaps you can mix some of the fish variety with a fattier, meaty variety? That way she gets some of that fish she loves and extra calories. Or, maybe just adding butter like Dr. P says.

Err, wait. You said she's picky... I guess maybe toppers/fat add-ins are a better option...
 
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aprilprey

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Perhaps you can mix some of the fish variety with a fattier, meaty variety? That way she gets some of that fish she loves and extra calories. Or, maybe just adding butter like Dr. P says.

Err, wait. You said she's picky... I guess maybe toppers/fat add-ins are a better option...
I have tried that - and I do look for "Fish + _____" flavors.  And there are a few high calorie fish types out there - Nutro Natural Choice Catfish is 100 cal per 3 oz can...not too bad as many fish flavors in that size are 75 cal or so.  I am trying to get 3 oz cans @ 100 cal or higher; 5.5 oz cans at 200 cal or higher.

But we have plenty of unsalted butter on hand too!  I'll have to try that.
 

smitten4kittens

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Blue Buffalo Wilderness canned food is higher in fat and calories than a lot of others. So is Wellness Core and EVO canned. I think Nature's Variety lamb is a little higher in fat/calories too.
 
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aprilprey

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Blue Buffalo Wilderness canned food is higher in fat and calories than a lot of others. So is Wellness Core and EVO canned. I think Nature's Variety lamb is a little higher in fat/calories too.
Most of EVO and NV are pretty high; you can tell by the fact they seem to be drier - less water = more calories.  Just found a Canadian brand that is pretty high: go! Fit+Free.  She will eat duck - picked up a can of go! that is turkey/chicken/duck.
 

ldg

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If she'll eat the egg yolk, you can mix an egg yolk into a meal every day or two. This is a common method for getting rescue kitties to put on weight. That and fats. :nod:
 
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