A very thin cat

Hi, I brought a new cat. he has a gray furr, and his paws are also gray. And when I brought him home, I noticed that his mouth is even gray? Is it normal for a cat to have a gray mouth or a bit dark? He's also very thin, how could I get him to the healthy weight? And should I get him cat food? Or home cooked food? And should I let him consume lots of diary products to strengthen his bones?

Pigmentation inside the mouth and on the lips are common for some colors of cats, like orange cats and black cats. I wouldn't worry about your cat's spots but you can ask the vet to be sure

Cats are lactose intolerant so don't give any dairy products. Feed your cat a good quality commercial cat food. That will have enough nutrients in it for healthy bones and growth. You could supplement with something like NutriCal for the extra nutrients and calories but check with the vet first. Ask the vet, too, about your cat's weight. Some cats are naturally thin while others may be thin because of medical issues. The vet can suggest ways on how to get the cat to gain weight, if that is needed.

If you are interested in a home cooked diet please read these articles:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263955/helpful-resources-raw-home-cooked-cat-food-forum

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264153/home-cooked-cat-food-resources

A home cooked diet has to be nutritionally balanced. You can't just cook a bunch of stuff and feed it to the cat.

Don't worry about the gray pigment around the lips / mouth - it is normal for blue/gray cats.   I would only worry if there were some dark spots like freckles, or different texture areas that maybe a vet might want to check were normal pigmented skin.   The gums inside the mouth should be a normal pink colour though.  Here's a picture showing Mouse's lips, gums and tongue when he was 9 months old and another chewing a booklet a few months ago which shows the area of gum around his canines.  Tongue and gums mostly pink but with some dark purplish blue areas esp around his canines, and lips a dark purplish blue colour.  

I took in a very underweight cat a few months ago. Kitten food really helped her put weight on, but be aware that some adult cats find it too rich and get upset tummies from it. The key really is feed little and often...and I mean little. Asha was ravenous and would eat as much as I put out, but she ended up with a badly upset stomach from over feeding at a single sitting.

My start point was to ask the vet what Asha should weigh, and fed the amount of food the pack recommended for her goal weight. It took a few months, but she's happy and healthy now

I have a blue (dark grey) cat too, and his lips and paws are dark purplish grey -just like Mouse does.

Have you taken him to the vet? I would make sure there are no parasites that are causing weight problems.

Raintyger said:

Have you taken him to the vet? I would make sure there are no parasites that are causing weight problems.

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Very good point. Worming is a must if he came off the streets. If you adopted him from a shelter, check when he was last wormed before going ahead - unnecessary worming isn't a great idea.

In either situation, a vet check is important - you need to know if there are any underlying reasons for his low weight.

Raintyger said:

Have you taken him to the vet? I would make sure there are no parasites that are causing weight problems.

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Yes I took him to the vet , and he gave me cat food to help him gain some weight