18 year old losing weight, advice for high calorie supplement?

theyremine

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My sister's 18 year old SF has lost about a pound over the last year or so.   (from 10 to 9 pounds)    She had a complete physical and all her blood work came back within normal limits.   It seems as if she has lost some of her sense of smell and will only eat the smelliest of food.  Right now she's eating Friskies pate fish varieties as she lost interest in the "meat pates".   She eats one 5.5 oz can a day plus 15 or so treats.  My sister wants to supplement her diet with something  high calorie to keep her weight up.   She's fairly active, climbing the stairs often as she keeps track of the goings on in her three story home.  Anyone have any suggestions?
 

hexiesfriend

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Assuming all tests are normal it could just be older age. I've had many many cats and they all lost weight after 16. Not a lot but enough to be noticeable. They also tend to eat less. The behavior is very much like geriatric humans. What did the vet say?
 

mysticotala

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Tomlyn high calorie gel for cats. I just bought some for my stressed cat who stopped eating. My cat started eating again before the package arrived, so I haven't used it, but I wish I had known about it a few years ago with my elderly cat.
Might try mixing it with the patés he's eating.
 
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theyremine

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The vet said give her anything she'll eat.  She's 18.
 

mysticotala

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I've also heard of something called Fortiflora, also available online, which is supposed to be healthy and make food super tasty. Might be worth a look into making food more enticing for her.
 

DreamerRose

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Fortiflora is a probiotic intended to stop diarrhea in cats. It won't help her gain weight. Friskies is pretty high calorie, but you might supplement with a dry food, which also is high calorie. It can lead to urinary problems if she doesn't drink a lot of water. One pound over a year's time doesn't sound excessive, so maybe she is fine.
 

missmimz

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Be sure they ran a T4 to check her thyroid. You could try giving her some KMR to help boost her calorie into by mixing it into her regular food. 
 
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theyremine

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    Thanks everyone for all your suggestions.   My sister has already tried the Nutrical  and she gobbled it right down.

A T4 was done and results were normal.
 

1CatOverTheLine

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Assuming all tests are normal it could just be older age. I've had many many cats and they all lost weight after 16. Not a lot but enough to be noticeable. They also tend to eat less. The behavior is very much like geriatric humans. What did the vet say?
Yep - I'll second that.  My Dad's Siamese's weight dropped off sharply at age seventeen, and every possible test came back negative, but Dad still worried that she was on her last skinny leg.  She outlived him.

.
 

laura mae

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My 16 year old needs additional calories too.  I look for a lot of different things to boost his interest in eating his food. I actually think he is getting distracted before finishing.   I've found that toppers sometimes helps, like breaking up a chunk of freeze dried chicken on top of his food, heating his food a bit to increase the smell, adding additional tasty bits like feeding a variety of foods at once. I have several cats and so I provide a main dish and some sides on the same plate for everyone. The variety keeps up their interest while they are eating.
 

Brian007

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Good point.  Old cats sometimes need you to sit with them, or even hand feed them, as their minds wander off otherwise and they forget what is was they were supposed to be doing  
 
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