Cat doesn’t eat much

[Fizzle52]

Are two 3oz cans of wet food enough for my 9lbs cat to eat? He used to eat half a can in the morning, half a can at night with some dry food to graze on throughout the day, but he has recently developed cystitis and urethral spasms so we’ve switched him over to wet exclusively. Through the ordeal over the last two months he dropped from 11lbs to 8lbs, so we really want him to eat more.

I’m giving him two cans a day now, 12 hours apart, and sometimes he still struggles to finish his food. I also want to make sure he’s hungry enough so that he eats his entire portion including all the medications mixed in, but I’m worried that he’s going to keep losing weight. What should I do?

 

[StanAndAlf]

It depends a lot on what is in the food. If fat and protein levels are good (in the food), then I would say 2-3 is acceptable, as long as he doesn't continue to drop weight. Keep in mind, the weight gain will be steady and won't happen overnight. Luckily it's not too big of a drop, so I wouldn't be overly stressed (unless he continued to lose), though it would be nice to get him back to his normal weight.

A lot of cats are grazers and like to eat small amounts several times a day. This makes feeding wet hard for a lot of people. Are you able to break his meals up into 3 or 4 a day, rather than two? He might find this easier to finish.

I am not an expert in this area, and what I have said is purely my opinion. Others on here are much more knowledgeable and will have great advice for you I am sure. Best of luck!

 

[bear]

Are you mixing extra water in with his meals? Example 3 oz food and 2 oz water? Possibly that 5 oz is making him full. You might ask his Vet if going with just the food with 1 oz for 2 meals and a third meal of a gravy higher in calories might help him get his fluids while also helping get his weight back up.

 

[Fizzle52]

It depends a lot on what is in the food. If fat and protein levels are good (in the food), then I would say 2-3 is acceptable, as long as he doesn't continue to drop weight. Keep in mind, the weight gain will be steady and won't happen overnight. Luckily it's not too big of a drop, so I wouldn't be overly stressed (unless he continued to lose), though it would be nice to get him back to his normal weight.

A lot of cats are grazers and like to eat small amounts several times a day. This makes feeding wet hard for a lot of people. Are you able to break his meals up into 3 or 4 a day, rather than two? He might find this easier to finish.

I am not an expert in this area, and what I have said is purely my opinion. Others on here are much more knowledgeable and will have great advice for you I am sure. Best of luck!

I rotate between Fussie Cat chicken and Feline Natural, which are both decently high quality. I think he’s gotten used to two meals a day, because the one day I tried to split it up into smaller meals, it threw him off, and he wouldn’t finish his food and ended up eating way less than now. So far we’ve been quite successful in getting him to eat his food with lots of meds in it, and I think it’s because he’s hungry enough to just take what he can get… so I’m worried that if we split it up he might become picky and not eat the meds he needs to get through this bout of cystitis!

 

[Fizzle52]

Are you mixing extra water in with his meals? Example 3 oz food and 2 oz water? Possibly that 5 oz is making him full. You might ask his Vet if going with just the food with 1 oz for 2 meals and a third meal of a gravy higher in calories might help him get his fluids while also helping get his weight back up.

Oh good point! Yes I always mix extra water in his food, about that amount as well. He’s actually naturally quite a drinker, so maybe I don’t have to go too hardcore on adding so much water to his food?

 

[bear]

With his urinary tract involvement, we still want him to have plenty of fluids to keep him flushed out and dissolve any cristals.
If gravy at a different time can get the fluids into him, then it might work.
I know with equal parts water and wet food, my smaller 9 pounder drinks up the fluid and is full enough that she needs to come back in 30 minutes to eat.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. A general rule of thumb is that most cats use up between 20 - 25 calories per pound of body weight. So, on that theory, a 9 pound can should probably eat between 180 to 225 calories per day. Use that as a basic guide for what the calorie content is of the food you are currently feeding him. It wouldn't hurt to weigh him weekly just to keep an eye on how he is doing.

Another way to get a cat to take meds is with baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut), so if it turns out that you think he might be better off with 3 meals a day instead of two, you can always try the baby food as a back up for the meds. A jar of Gerber baby food meat is around 80-90 calories, so while not a complete meal for a cat, it is a great way to add calories to their daily intake. With Feeby's meds she gets nearly a jar every day!