How do you make your cat fatter?

THis is kind of strange, because mostly people always look for ways to help their cats loose weight. Well, my kitten Aerowyn is roughly ten months old. I put her on the scale yesterday to see how much she weighs, and she only weighs five lbs! eee!
Here are some things that I can tell you about her
1. She does not have worms at all! (definitely know)
2. She was the runt of the litter (a litter of 4)
3. When I pet her I cant feel her backbone because of her hair, but If I press gently you can feel her backbone easily
4. I can feel the part on her lower back where the tail is, taht big hip bone, really easily.
5. You cant feel her ribs just by touchign the top of her coat, and not really that much when you feel under ( her rib covering is perfect)
6. I leave the food out all day, so she eats whenever she wants.
7. Shes not malnurished, and im not starving her, she just has a high level of activity combined with a high metabolism.

So actually waht i was wondering, is what kinds of food I could give her to help her gain a pound or two? My mom buys all the food and stuff and she is grumpy about what food they get (I give them friskies Chef's blend, because we dont have a fancy pet store around, and my mom doesnt want to drive an hour to and back to get something from petsmart) WOuld something like chicken and rice work? COuld you put in other meats, because aerowyn doesnt like chicken! Please, some suggestions to help my cat gain a pound or two would be very helpful!

(also, she is not fixed,(which would probably make her a bit fatter) and I do not plan on getting her fixed until she has one litter of kittens (about age 3 or 4 somewhere because she has realy odd eyes and a very very soft coat that I have never seen in a cat before) she is strictly an inside cat, my male is neutered, and she only goes outsid eon a leash under supervision)

I would give it time, some cats are just small. She is in the gangly teenager stage right now so trying to put weight on would be harder right now. My cat Sturgis was less than 1 pound at 5 weeks old, now at 2 years old he is barely 8 pounds.

I hope you realize that by not having her spayed you are putting her risk for mammary cancer, or an infection in the uterus (which is life threatening). Also since she was the runt and is having trouble putting on some weight chances are she is more at risk to have problems during a pregnancy. Would you be able to pay for a c-section if it came to that?

She will not be having any kittens until she is much older (Larger, and weighs much more, like I said above, 3 or four years, maybe even five or six) and until I have established myself enough so that I can get her the medical care she needs in case of something like a c-section. I know all about the risks of infection and things like that.

I have just never had a cat before that was the runt of the litter (She had no health problems, and in fact she has a brother who was just a tiny bit bigger then she was, but grew to be the biggest of them all) My elliot was twice her size when he was 10 months old, but he is also an Orange cat, which I believe do get bigger then most She has tiny paws to where he had very large ones.

another reason I dont really want to get her fixed is she is ... well I cant really describe it, because she would have to be your cat in order for you to know what I am talking about, but I think she is one of those cats who would probably be traumatized by a fixing, and I really just dont want her personality to change. Is that true that yoru cats personality might change after a fixing? Elliot didnt change much, but he got alot lazier.

We had a cat a long time ago that was nice as pie to us , but after we got her fixed she went crazy and was very mean. O_O It wasnt a health problem because we took her to a vet and they said nothing was wrong. She ended up running away and we never saw her again O_O ( She got out somehow * I was like 8 or 9)

CJ, who just had a litter of kittens, is the same way! For the longest time I was so worried because she is so skinny! She gets a whole can of food every day, and won't eat more than that, and she gets all the dry food she wants, but she just won't get fat like her littermate, Billy, does. No worms, nothing. She isn't fixed, either, because she can't be because of reactions... just too dangerous, and I'm too scared to do it.... and she's the same. I've come to accept that she just has a good metabolism. I feed her like I always have, and spoil her all the same, and she maintains a slender body, and I know with her coat being so soft, and her being so full of energy, she's fine. She just turned 1 year old on May 1st.

It is a myth that their personality will change once they are fixed, and are actually healthier for it, and better pets. Have ever been around an unspayed female cat? They yowl constantly, and try to get outside (not to mention all the cats you will have trying to get in) the male that smell her will be hanging around outside your house (spraying everywhere and everything). Cats are polyestrus which means that they are in almost constant heat from February to about October, which is also very hard on their systems.

Originally Posted by BigOrangeMenace

She will not be having any kittens until she is much older (Larger, and weighs much more, like I said above, 3 or four years, maybe even five or six) and until I have established myself enough so that I can get her the medical care she needs in case of something like a c-section. I know all about the risks of infection and things like that.

Click to expand...

Evidently you do NOT know all about the risks of pyometra if you plan on allowing her to reach 3, 4, 5 or 6 years old before allowing her to be bred. Establishing yourself is all well and good, and I do applaud the thought that went into that aspect of your choice, but frankly, she should be spayed now. Unless she is a pedigreed cat, registered with a mainstream registry organization and participating in a responsible, ethical breeding program with a breeder who has the time and knowledge (not to mention financial resources) to properly care for her needs, then she has absolutely no business being allowed to have kittens for ANY reason.

Originally Posted by BigOrangeMenace

I have just never had a cat before that was the runt of the litter (She had no health problems, and in fact she has a brother who was just a tiny bit bigger then she was, but grew to be the biggest of them all) My elliot was twice her size when he was 10 months old, but he is also an Orange cat, which I believe do get bigger then most She has tiny paws to where he had very large ones.

Click to expand...

If she is small, then this is yet another good reason NOT to allow her to become pregnant. And I just have to add that a cat's adult size is based on many factors; genetics, nutrition and health are but a few, but color is not a deciding factor for size.

Originally Posted by BigOrangeMenace

another reason I dont really want to get her fixed is she is ... well I cant really describe it, because she would have to be your cat in order for you to know what I am talking about, but I think she is one of those cats who would probably be traumatized by a fixing, and I really just dont want her personality to change. Is that true that yoru cats personality might change after a fixing? Elliot didnt change much, but he got alot lazier.

Click to expand...

No, it is absolutely NOT true. What CAN change after she is spayed is that she will be healthier, happier and live longer. And those are all GOOD things.

Originally Posted by BigOrangeMenace

We had a cat a long time ago that was nice as pie to us , but after we got her fixed she went crazy and was very mean. O_O It wasnt a health problem because we took her to a vet and they said nothing was wrong. She ended up running away and we never saw her again O_O ( She got out somehow * I was like 8 or 9)

Click to expand...

Just because you had one cat that didn't respond well to surgery doesn't mean that ALL cats will respond that way. The vast majority of cats are just fine after being altered and this should in NO way influence your decision to have this girl altered.

I sincerely hope you will reconsider.

~gf~

I agree totally with the above post. I have seen what mammary cancer is like in the one girl I didn't spay until she was 7 (she had been part of a breeding program, but I lingered too long in thinking I might want to breed her again someday), and I've seen pyometra (the uterine infection PetNurse referenced)....but most of all...your girl will be howlingly in heat, marking and peeing, and yes, thinner due to her heat cycles, and yes, I would bet she'll find a way out of the house.

It would help re her current condition if you could get your mom to let you purchase better quality food for her. The dry food you are feeding does not, imo, have the same nutritional value (even if it meets AAFCO standards, the ingredients are just not that good) as better foods. If there is no option to change, then add into her diet the best quality canned food you can afford, as an additional food that you give once or twice a day (twice if you can).

I wish you all the best with this little girl, and want you to have her for many years to come, spaying her is one way to help ensure her long life.

My kitten is also too skinny I think. She just wants to eat the diet food that I have out for the other cat. I try to feed her as many Natural Choice pouches as she'll eat, but she still loves the diet food and it's something I really have to watch.

Originally Posted by BigOrangeMenace

I do not plan on getting her fixed until she has one litter of kittens (about age 3 or 4 somewhere because she has realy odd eyes and a very very soft coat that I have never seen in a cat before) she is strictly an inside cat, my male is neutered, and she only goes outsid eon a leash under supervision)

Click to expand...

You do realize that your cat would only contribute 1/2 of the genes regarding a litter of kittens..they may not look a thing like her. Considering she was the runt and how skinny she is..I would absolutely advise against breeding her..even once. Have your cat spayed...it's healthier for her.

Katie

P.S. I would challenge you to check out the euthanization rates in your state....I suspect there are literally thousands of beautiful cats and kittens that are euthanized every year.

What does she look like on this chart?

http://www.placervillevet.com/feline...0condition.htm

If your cat is underweight, I would keep feeding her kitten food longer. A ten month old cat is still growing. I am not sure what Friskies does, but the normal breakdown is something like:

<1 year old = Kitten blend
1-7 years old = Adult blend
>7 years old = Senior blend

But there is no law where you have to stop feeding kitten blend at 12 months -- you can go 15 months or longer until she reaches full size.


I know this wasn't part of the original topic, but the question of whether you should get your cat spayed came up...

Genetically? The vast majority of cats are strictly Heinz 57. Yes, they are precious to us as owners/caretakers, but genetically all of the non-pedigree cats around here are strictly a dime a dozen and common as they come. If you gave me a picture of your cat, I'd have a better chance driving around to the four local adoption fairs schedules for today and finding a look-a-like than you would be able to produce from breeding. That's just how it is with Heinz 57 cats. There is a 10 month old doppelganger for Nano at the local Petsmart right now -- I was shocked. But it really showed me how common cats are.

Health issues? Stop and ask yourself if this cat would even be a good candidate to go through the rigors of birthing and raising a litter of kittens. The runt of the litter will always be weaker than the average cat -- weaker immune system, easier to get hurt, struggling to keep up, etc. This doesn't mean your cat won't have a happy life indoors, but she is not an example of "survival of the fittest" so why put her in further jeopardy?

I just want you to realize that cats are still treated like throw away pets, so even if you think you find good homes for the kittens you can be sure a couple of years down the road. We have clients that make sure their dogs are up to date on shots, heartworms, dentistry's or any other little thing they need, but when we ask about the kitten they brought in 2 years ago they just tell us the cat is healthy and it's too much work to bring it in. The cat I grew up with had one litter of kittens (we found her as a stray pregnant) she developed mammary cancer, we had the tumors removed, they were back in 9 months. In a recent issue of National Geographic they were talking about plant and animal species that have pests because the are taking over local flora and fauna around the world. Well cats were listed at like number 3 of the mammals because there are so many of them that the are destroying local habitat. Dogs are overpopulated too, but no where near the number that cats are. Volunteer at some local shelters or humane society's before you decide to breed you cat, it is rewarding work and it might give you perspective. Also if you are desperate to raise a litter of kittens many rescue groups are always looking for foster homes for pregnant or nursing mothers, you could help that way.

Some cats will always be small. My boyfriend's family has five cats. Four are overweight, and one is five pounds or less. She chooses to eat only as much as she wants (she's the boss of the household so she's not being chased away from the food dish). She still looks like the size of a young adult kitten. I would talk to your vet to see if she is actually underweight or just genetically small.

If you want to get her a better quality food, you might talk to your mom about ordering one online. Both Petco and PetSmart have online stores, and that would probably be cheaper than the gas for the hour-long drive.