[grandmadee40]

My cat is 3 years old and has always been lightwieght, but lately my cat has very skinny and will not eat her dry food, she will cry all day and I will have togive her fancy feast can food, she has been eating 2 cans a day and is very skinny. How do I put wieght on my cat.

[tickle]

She could have a parasite. Keep an eye on her a stools and if you notice worms, take her to the vet.

[morgaine300]

She's much better off with the Fancy Feast than the dry anyway. Dry first lacks moisture. Cats get their moisture from their prey, so they do not naturally drink a lot, and they don't make up for the lack of moisture in dry food and usually are dehydrated. Which in the long run can cause urinary problems and even eventually kidney problems. It's also very high carb, which is not the way cats were meant to eat. This also means they're low protein. Cats need meat protein, not cheap plant fillers. There are many people who are starting to believe it is this high carb, dry stuff that is causing so many problems down the line when the cats are older, such as diabetes and kidney problems. And contrary to popular belief, dry food does not clean their teeth. They clean their teeth by ripping apart meat and chewing on bones. Little dry kibbles don't exist in the wild. I've known far too many cats who were on dry most of their lives and still end up losing all their teeth.

While Fancy Feast is not a premium food and has by-products, it is infinitely better than dry. So I'd keep feeding that to her. If she's eating it with no fuss, then I wouldn't worry about the fact that she doesn't want the dry. Maybe it just means she's smart and knows it's not real food. I don't know what she weighs, but a cat of say 10 pounds can get by on 2-2.5 cans of that stuff a day. Adjust a bit up or down for her weight, and add some to get her to gain weight. So may 3 cans would be more appropriate for right now. Each cat is different so this is just a guide.

If she is not very enthusiastic about the Fancy Feast either, you can try other foods. If she was eating fine until now and has suddenly stopped wanting to eat a food she is used to, you might want to get her to the vet. Or is she just finicky? Cats don't like change and if you've made any changes, you have to remember to change very slowly. It not only helps their picky palate get used to a new food, but also their entire system.

[WishinandHopin]

My cat Prince had the same problem about a year ago he is 15yrs old he wouldnt eat his dry food but loved the can so i mixed them together the dry food actually has more fat in it than the can food try mixing it together see if that will help any.

[carolbcac]

Also have the vet check her over. Cats can have an overactive thyroid; one of the signs is inability to gain weight. Also could be parasites, as mentioned above, or she could have some dental problems causing painful chewing.

[morgaine300]

Dry food does not have more fat in it than canned. You cannot compare the percentages given on the package, because that's a percent of weight and you're not comparing apples to apples. If you actually compare as a percent of calories, or a percent of dry matter (i.e. moisture removed), if anything, canned food has more fat than dry.

Dry can be higher calorie per cup, but that's irrelevant. What the cat is actually get out of the food is not related to the volumn of the food. Canned has more "usable" calories. Many cats on premium canned food need less calories per pound than cats on dry food.

[WishinandHopin]

Well when my cat prince had the same problem i went to petco to look for some different food and i spoke with a cat nutrionist and she told me that dry food indeed has more fat because i thought the same thing but you should just check with a vet to be sure what the exact problem with your cat is because all cats have different ways on how the grow i have a 30lb Chartruex and that okay for him to be that big so just check with a vet.

[burcuburcu]

Well, you should feed your cat both with dry and canned food. Its best you give dry food in the morning and canned at night. Because its true that dry food lacks water and will lead to FUS and kidney problems. On the other hand canned food is not so good fort teeth and will lead owerwight. Because cats naturally take %70 their water need from the food and when u give dry food they generally do not drink exra water to fullfil the gap. This leads their pee more tense in terms of minerals and urea and this leads FUS-FELİNE URİNERY SYNDROME- and also kidney problems. And cats also like good and fresh water. So,you shold give your cat good, fresh water. It is best to change the water like 2 times in a day or best use a cat foundain if you use dry food. Use good proper premium food for both dry and canned ones. Oraganic and holistic ones are generayl the best such as eagle pack or nura choice.
However I should say that the best is homemade food if you had enouht time.

[grandmadee40]

I have started just to feed her can food, I also put out a plate of dry food and she is eating the can food.. I change her water 3times a day and I find that she like ice cubes in the water to keep it cold, I am trying but is there any suppliement that I could give her to put weight on her...

She's much better off with the Fancy Feast than the dry anyway. Dry first lacks moisture. Cats get their moisture from their prey, so they do not naturally drink a lot, and they don't make up for the lack of moisture in dry food and usually are dehydrated. Which in the long run can cause urinary problems and even eventually kidney problems. It's also very high carb, which is not the way cats were meant to eat. This also means they're low protein. Cats need meat protein, not cheap plant fillers. There are many people who are starting to believe it is this high carb, dry stuff that is causing so many problems down the line when the cats are older, such as diabetes and kidney problems. And contrary to popular belief, dry food does not clean their teeth. They clean their teeth by ripping apart meat and chewing on bones. Little dry kibbles don't exist in the wild. I've known far too many cats who were on dry most of their lives and still end up losing all their teeth.

While Fancy Feast is not a premium food and has by-products, it is infinitely better than dry. So I'd keep feeding that to her. If she's eating it with no fuss, then I wouldn't worry about the fact that she doesn't want the dry. Maybe it just means she's smart and knows it's not real food. I don't know what she weighs, but a cat of say 10 pounds can get by on 2-2.5 cans of that stuff a day. Adjust a bit up or down for her weight, and add some to get her to gain weight. So may 3 cans would be more appropriate for right now. Each cat is different so this is just a guide.

If she is not very enthusiastic about the Fancy Feast either, you can try other foods. If she was eating fine until now and has suddenly stopped wanting to eat a food she is used to, you might want to get her to the vet. Or is she just finicky? Cats don't like change and if you've made any changes, you have to remember to change very slowly. It not only helps their picky palate get used to a new food, but also their entire system.

[pompano]

Has your cat been spayed?All of my females were skinny till they were spayed,and they all cried a lot because they were in heat.If your cat is healthy,and you want to add some weight on her,a good and mild food to feed her is hill's canned A/D.You can feed it as a treat for a week or so to see if she gains a little weight.Cats love it,and you can still feed her the usual diet she is use too.Maybe alternate or feed her a little of each.

[morgaine300]

I have started just to feed her can food, i also put out a plate of dry food and she is eating the can food..I change her water 3times a day and I find that she like ice cubes in the water to keep it cold,, I am trying but is there any suppliement that i could give her to put weight on her....

Some cats like the ice cubes. Some cats can also be fussy about the water being super fresh, but most of them aren't. If she's eating all canned food, she shouldn't really need to drink a lot of water because most of the moisture will be in the food. So don't look at that as a bad thing. It means she's getting her moisture from food like she's supposed to.

I don't think supplements are going to help her put weight on. Vitamins and minerals don't have calories. Calories come mostly from protein, carbs and fat. However, not eating enough also means not having enough nutrients, regardless of calories. So it certainly wouldn't hurt. You need to use something specifically made for a cat. You can use something like Pet-Tinic, or ask your vet what would be appropriate.

As for gaining weight, you can just feed her more food if she'll eat it. There are more calorie dense foods than Fancy Feast, but if that's what she wants, let her have it. Maybe she's just not eating enough. If she'll eat them, you can also try foods that are just more calorie dense. Despite being a "recovery" food, there are foods that are more calorie-dense and better quality than something like A/D. For example, Nature's Variety Instincts and Wellness. I used to add Iams to that list, but they've completely changed their foods -- I don't know what the heck they're up to. And it's also partly about how usable the food is, and not just the calories. Or the fat either.

[morgaine300]

on the other hand canned food is not so good fort teeth and will lead owerwight.

Canned food does not lead to overweight. Dry food does. The vast, vast, vast majority of cats out there are being fed dry food, and have been for quite a few years. And a good many of them are overweight. Even if you ignore the chemistry behind it, since most cats have been on dry food for the last several decades, it's not too difficult to figure out that feeding dry food is certainly not solving any of these problems. Doing nothing but putting a cat on canned food can solve all sorts of problems, like overweight, IBD, urinary tract problems, puking, and even diabetic cats going into remission. I've watched it happen far too often. If canned food is making a cat overweight, it's only because they're being overfed. Cats used to free-feeding dry food are always wanting more food, and it takes a while for them to get used to being meal-fed canned food. And as we know, many owners can't resist the sorry little begging face.

As for teeth, I don't know the truth about whether canned hurts or helps teeth. However, it's irrelevant because dry food most definitely does not help teeth. i.e. even if canned isn't helping, it's not going to make any difference. Again, most cats have been on dry food for years and years, and I see a lot of major dental problems. Obviously the dry food isn't doing anything. The theory behind it is that it cleans when they chew it, but it must make contact with the teeth and cats don't really chew food very well, so it doesn't work in reality. It's also sprayed with starch, which can stick to the cat's teeth and cause problems. The supposed teeth-cleaning properties of dry food is just an old wive's tales.

becuse cats naturally take %70 their water need from the food and when u give dry food they generaly do not drink exra water to fullfil the gap. this leads their pee more tense in terms of minerals and urea and this leads FUS-FELİNE URİNERY SYNDROME- and also kidney problems.

Exactly. So then what's the reasoning that cats also need dry food? It doesn't help teeth, and it certainly doesn't prevent overweight. In fact, it usually is the culprit behind overweight. All those extra carbs dry food has is being stored as fat when the cat can't use it. I've seen a lot of diabetic cats in my time, and nearly all were overweight, and they were all on dry food.

oraganic and holistic ones are generayl the best such as eagle pack or nura choice.
however I should say that the best is homemade food if you had enouht time.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone who recommends homemade diet also recommend dry food. That seems like a conflict.

[morgaine300]

i spoke with a cat nutrionist and she told me that dry food indeed has more fat because i thought the same thing

Sorry, but that simply isn't true. I have to wonder what her credentials were as a feline nutritionist if she doesn't understand the math behind this. I learned this from a statistician who works in a nutrition department. And just cause I don't have DMV after my name doesn't mean I can't do math -- cause I can. And I can back up my statement mathematically.

Since you love Hill's alphabet foods so much, let's just compare those. I threw out the duplicates of the canned where there is more than one flavor of the same food, and there's also 3 different foods that don't exist for both canned and dry. So that left 11 different prescription diets which have both a dry and canned version, so that I'm comparing the same ones. As a percent of calories, the dry averages 38.8% fat and the canned averages 45.8% fat. As a percent of dry matter, the dry averages 19.6% and the canned averages 23.2%. (The great differences between calorie % and dry matter % is cause fat has so many calories per gram compared to protein and carbs. But the point is the canned is higher in both cases.) These are prescription foods which are supposed to be serving the same purpose, so it's interesting that even these have more fat content in the canned ones.

Again, you can't compare the info found on the package and usually on the site, cause it's percent of weight, and guaranteed analysis rather than actual averages. And you can't compare weight between dry and canned because there's a significant difference between moisture content. You can only compare once you get rid of the moisture, which contains no calories or actual food matter.

Yes, I know most people hate all this math. But if you want to make statements that involve math, then you need math to back it up.

Although, fat content isn't everything when it comes to whether a food is "fattening." We tend to look at that from a human point of view. To us, fat means being fattening and we associate it with weight gain. Cats utilize protein, carbs and fat differently than humans do, so we can't think in human terms. We have to think about how the cat utilizes the food. Protein is an extremely important issue here.

[pompano]

Nutra-cal is a good source of vitamins for a cat,and it comes in a tube like toothpaste.You squeeze out a small amount and the cat will lick it up.I suggested Hill's AD because it is mild,and has few additives that may upset her stomach.I personally do not feed my cats anything but purina cat chow indoor formula because it has vitamins that cats do not get if they are inside all the time.We used AD at all the vet clinics I have worked at ,and cats that have been near death from a variety of health issues would suddenly eat when we offered this food. Another thing that will put weight on your kitty is kitten food!It has lots of calories and tastes great to all cats.Let us know how things go!

[morgaine300]

I suggested Hill's AD because it is mild,and has few additives that may upset her stomach.

There are plenty of foods out there with few additives that may upset her stomach, without running to the vet's and getting an expensive "prescription" food. The real reason you're suggesting it is cause you work at a vet's, and the vets learn nutrition from Hills, who tells them to feed their foods, and they just do it without question. There are much, much better foods out there, and I really, really wish vets would start learning that and stop listening to Hills. And yes I'm on a rampage, but after spending a lot of time studying feline nutrition, I'm getting really sick of Hills marketing hype and sick of vets not questioning it -- or putting money into their own pocket by selling the stuff.

I mean really, think about how silly it is to need a PRESCRIPTION to get a food that won't upset the stomach. HUH? How about just looking at the ingredients? You don't need a prescription, or a vet's permission, to look at ingredients! Or how about a PRESCRIPTION for a dental diet! You have to get permission from the vet and buy a food directly from them just to get something that supposedly cleans teeth better? I can barely even stomach the ludicrous marketing hype behind that one!

And Hills foods just aren't that great. In fact, much of it is garbage. They're just very good at marketing.

I personally do not feed my cats anything but purina cat chow indoor formula because it has vitamins that cats do not get if they are inside all the time.

Sorry, marketing hype. Most cats are fed foods that are already too high in grains and carbs, and too low in protein. Indoor formulas are just even more of the garbage and less of the good stuff. The only thing they're getting outside is grass, and you can grow grass without feeding a food with even more grains in it. The only other thing they'd get outside would be their natural diet. And while premium foods aren't "mouse in a can," they do come closer to a natural diet, and indoor formulas absolutely DO NOT -- they just have more carbs. Purina is another master of marketing hype, though not quite as good at is as Hills. ALL Purina dry foods are garbage.

Have you looked at the ingredients on that food recently? Here's the beginning of the list: Corn meal, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, soy flour, animal fat, powered cellulose, salmon meal, animal liver flavor, soybean hulls, malt extract...

This sounds like a good food? The FIRST ingredient is corn for pete's sake. And the third ingredient is corn. Put that together and you have a lot of corn. Which is the same thing that's in most dry foods, only just maybe more of it. A cat that does not go outside does not have a lack of corn! They aren't going outside and eating corn, soy flour and soybean hulls. The food is also about 40% carbs! Maybe she won't get hairballs, but she's got a great chance at becoming diabetic.

Another thing that will put weight on your kitty is kitten food!It has lots of calories

There I will agree with you. It isn't just more calories. It has more protein and less carbs. I didn't suggest it because I realized that few brands make a kitten food. And most of the ones that do are the ones making the crappy food. (Like Purina and Hills.) Most brands which have a kitten food, their regular adult foods are too low protein and too high carb, meaning the kitten version is just a wee bit closer to the way the cat should eat anyway. But most of them, especially if dry, are still too high carb and too low protein. (Case in point: Iams kitten dry is 23% carbs as a percent of calories. That's lower than most, because it's a kitten food. But it's still way too high and a cat naturally would only eat about 5% or so carbs. So the Iams kitten isn't "good" -- it's just "less bad." So compared to the adult version of Iams, it's better. But compared to a good quality canned food, it's still worse.)