Canned food to put on some weight

Hi guys
I have a 11 year old that has had some issues with uri. He has been to the vet twice this week so we are working on getting that under control. He is a rescue and his weight has always fluctuated especially when uri symptoms come up. When I got him he was around 9 lbs and skinny he was up to 13 lbs last year and looked great. Yesterday he was down to 10.10 lbs. the vet isn't overly concerned as this isn't something that just happened overnight. He is eating around three times a day. I have six cats on a all canned rotation diet. I have Lotus pork stew,Canadae all life stages, Evangers chicken lickin and 4 health chicken and rice. He eats all of these. I am going to be going to chow hound after work and am wondering if anyone knows of a high calorie canned food that might help get some more weight on him?

Losing 3 pounds in one year IS a huge amount of weight for a cat to lose.   Has he been tested for other medical issues, such as diabetes?  I know my vet would be extremely concerned over this. You're talking a 30% weight loss for no apparent reason.  10 pounds isn't the problem - many cats are a good weight at that amount. It's how much he lost over the year which is alarming to me.  It was one of the prime symptoms our senior cat had that prompted our vet to test for diabetes and sure enough, he was diabetic. We had no idea!

Aside from that, I'd cut out any of the foods which use fillers, such as the one with rice.  It's the carbs filling him up, not enough available protein. 

Also, exactly how much are you feeding him a day?  How many ounces total/calories total?  It's possible he isn't getting as much as you think which is leading to him losing weight.

He was a rescue, he had a uri outbreak when I got him. And he was around 9 lbs then. Got that under control. Started eating like crazy and put on the pounds. Since then he has had issues with this uri cropping up back and forth( had really bad episode last week was at the vets twice this week) my guess is that when these issues crop up he tends to eat less when he is not feeling well. I just thought of this too, when we first got him he was on a dry left out all day and canned three times a day diet. He had been on a all canned food diet I think for around the last 5-6 monthes. I wonder if that might be part of it. As far as how much I am going to say around three table spoons three to four times a day. Sometimes more or less depending on how hungry he is. If he is hungry or wants more I give it to him. I will be asking the vet about his thought about being diabetic. Being that I have had him a year and a half and there isn't much of a background on him from what we and the vet can tell when he isn't feeling well he doesn't eat as much.

I don't know much about uri's and cat diabetes, but here are some healthy high calorie wet food brands that I know of- Nature's variety, Merrick Puurfect bistro trays, Hound & gatos (usually only found online), Evo 95% protein (not widely available anymore, but some pet food sites do still sell it), and you could always go to kitten formulas which generally have a higher calorie/fat/protein content than adult food

You can try adding an egg yolk to his food.  Raw or cooked, doesn't matter.  They are full of great protein and  nice amount of calories. 

mrsgreenjeens said:

You can try adding an egg yolk to his food.  Raw or cooked, doesn't matter.  They are full of great protein and  nice amount of calories. 

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good idea he is not a picky eater I will try that tonight

Nutro Natural Choice foods are also calorie-rich, around 100 calories per small can for the chicken and turkey foods. Most cats love them -- the chunky chicken loaf is especially popular, even with many picky cats -- and they don't have any fillers. They're very decent foods.

Wield as this sounds my Kabby had lost too much weight on canned food aloneA (was on tissue for problems with stones in his bladder). A combination of canned and dry helped him put it back on. But really your vet probably is the best one to ask always take advice online with a grain of salt

IndyJones said:

Wield as this sounds my Kabby had lost too much weight on canned food aloneA (was on tissue for problems with stones in his bladder). A combination of canned and dry helped him put it back on. But really your vet probably is the best one to ask always take advice online with a grain of salt

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Yes I will be talking with the vet on Monday. As of last night I think the meds have kicked in and he is acting like his old self so that's a relief.

Cat dad72 said:

Yes I will be talking with the vet on Monday. As of last night I think the meds have kicked in and he is acting like his old self so that's a relief.

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That's good to hear. I looked back over your posts and was reminded that your cat has had serious URI problems since you adopted him. If he's losing his appetite when he gets the recurrences of the URI, you might want to try feeding him especially smelly foods then: sometimes a stuffed nose decreases a cat's interest in foods. Friskies pates (which are pretty stinky) were great for our cats when we first adopted them and they got URIs. One cat had holed up inside the duvet cover and feeding her in there--where the smell was inescapable--was surprisingly successful!

Good luck!

LisaHE said:

That's good to hear. I looked back over your posts and was reminded that your cat has had serious URI problems since you adopted him. If he's losing his appetite when he gets the recurrences of the URI, you might want to try feeding him especially smelly foods then: sometimes a stuffed nose decreases a cat's interest in foods. Friskies pates (which are pretty stinky) were great for our cats when we first adopted them and they got URIs. One cat had holed up inside the duvet cover and feeding her in there--where the smell was inescapable--was surprisingly successful!

Good luck!

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Another thing I use that works wonders when sick kitties won't eat is fortiflora. It comes in packs and you sprinkle it on whatever canned food your cat likes. Also try putting the food on a plate and microwave no more than 10 to 15 seconds or until Lukewarm if all else fails try tuna or salmon juice and make a sandwich for your lunch with the fish so it doesn't spoil

IndyJones said:

Another thing I use that works wonders when sick kitties won't eat is fortiflora. It comes in packs and you sprinkle it on whatever canned food your cat likes. Also try putting the food on a plate and microwave no more than 10 to 15 seconds or until Lukewarm if all else fails try tuna or salmon juice and make a sandwich for your lunch with the fish so it doesn't spoil

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My cats can't stand cheap food like friskies can't say I blame them. They give me the eye if I gave them that.