How do I get my cat to regain weight?

We were giving my cat a hairball remedy food (regular Purina)but then we switched to a better quality (Purina ONE). Then it got pricey all of a sudden so we switched back. My cat started throwing up every day. She would fill up on water and throw up clear water and hair. We switched back after trying another brand and she seems fine now but she lost a lot of weight in those two months before we got her re-adjusted to the Purina ONE. How can I get her to regain some weight so she isn't so bony? I tried giving her soft food but I find that I have to ration it because she just loves it so she sucks it back too fast and then...throws up. Then she won't also eat her dry food because she is waiting for her "fix".

Edithtippett,

Welcome to The Cat Site! I made your post its own thread because I was afraid it would get lost in the other thread. I hope you don't mind!

Renae

You should really consult the vet for this one, but for the sake of information I'll tell you what mine told me (Pooka has rickets (I don't know if thats he right word, my dad told me )). He advised me to give him kitten food, which has more fats and is easier for the stomach. When I can I give him some of Royal Canins. When not, I give him a good supermarket brand, apart from his usual dry food, when he's alone with me (or else they all want, and most of them definitively don't need it )

You didn't mention if you've had your cat to your vet to find out why she's vomitting so much. I think I'd want to do that first. If she's healthy, she should be gaining weight.

Originally Posted by coaster

You didn't mention if you've had your cat to your vet to find out why she's vomitting so much. I think I'd want to do that first. If she's healthy, she should be gaining weight.

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I would say a vet is a great place to start... they have things to help wt gain if needed..

She sounds like she would benefit from a probiotic- take a look at FastTrac for cats, it will help her digestive upset as well as help her gain weight slowly.

The problem is none of the vets around here will see her because she hasn't had her shots since she was neutered several years ago- I cannot afford them. I find it hard enough some weeks to afford the $8 per bag for the food as I declared bankruptcy this year. If it was just the cost of the visit this time, I could manage that somehow, I'd just not pay the power bill and hope for overtime over the holidays but I can't pay also the hundreds of dollars for all the shots. So there is no vet, period. I'm not looking for the sympathy vote, I've never taken any of my cats in for shots beyond neutering before either, but now even if i wanted to, I couldn't. None of them has ever gotten sick before.

First of all then the vet in your area are just out for the money and do not the health of the animals at heart. Second it took your baby 2 months to loose the weight - her systems also needs time to calm down from the iritation and time to readjust to the "good food". Therefore I would take Hissy's advise and try a probiotic such as FastTrac that could help her intestins to adjust and then it would take time for her to re-gain the weight. You would not want rapid weight gain you want it to be gradual for it to be healthy.

All the best...

Did you try mixing the dry food with the moist food??? Or try adding a bit of water to the moist food-my cats don't seem to mind that its more watery and then I know they are getting a bit more liquid.
Is your cat long haired-about this time of yr my cats get their winter coat and one of my longer haired cats tends to vomit a bit more for a couple of weeks. She them settles back down. Try a dab of vaseline on her nose.

the darn thing, she won't eat kitten food either.

Maybe try mixing in chicken (shredded) with her food and some rice. That usually will work for getting them settled. You can't expect the weight to be put on overnite.

I"m sorry about the financial part; perhaps you can work with a vet and make payments every week or so till its paid off. Shots don't cost that much. Maybe check with shelters and see when they have a reduced fee for getting shots - some do that.

I'll vouch that it takes quite a while for cats to regain weight.

Rowan was about two seconds from starving to death when he showed up in the back yard. He was about four weeks old, weighed less than a pound, and downed any food near him for the longest time (the night I brought him in, he finished off a whole can of Fancy Feast in less than half an hour). A couple weeks ago, he finally got to the point where he's not underweight anymore. At about 4 1/2 months. He had everything he wanted to eat, since I free-feed dry, and give wet occasionally.

Feeding kitten food seems to me like a good idea, since it's higher calorie. It might be a texture issue with the food, though, that kitty won't eat it. Can you wet the dry food a bit, and mix in some of the wet food your kitty likes? You can't leave it out as long after you add the water (or chicken broth), but I noticed with Rowan that it dissappears pretty quickly. Also, if you can't go to the vet, look and make sure that your kitty's teeth don't visibly have problems. And shots are ~50 at my vet, including the exam (I'm strapped for cash, too). I'm sure that if you explain your situation, you can work something out.

If your cat has a food intolerance- maybe you should just stick with the food that DOESN'T make her vomit. Feed her lots of just that food and monitor her weight. If the vomiting stops then she should put some weight back on. If the vomiting continues then she needs to see a vet. If she is over 7 years old she may also be hyper thyroid. That will cause a ravenous appetite, weight loss and vomiting. A vet can do a blood test to find out.