Does anyone know of anything I can give her to build her up. She is 13 years old and has always been a thin cat. She has gum problems and is taking medication but has no problems eating. She is suffering from the cold at the moment and I want to give her a boost. Any ideas?
2006-11-15 21:08:23 · 12 answers · asked by moblopo36 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Please buy food for senior cats in the petstore or from your vet. Has she been treated for worms lately? If not, please do so. Try to keep her away from the cold, they like these cat rest, that attach to the radiators (not too hot of course!)
Please talk to your vet anyway.
Sandra
2006-11-15 21:16:07 · answer #1 · answered by sannyspain 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try kitten food. Grown cats love kitten food because it is higher in fat. Most food for old cats is lowfat because they expect the cat to need less calories because it is moving less. Cats also love human baby foods second that are solely meat like chicken. They can lick it so if they have a tooth problem or an abscess they can still eat.Don't give a cat milk. It can cause diarrhea. You can also give her Cat Nutravite from a pet store which is a high calorie supplement with vitamisn for cats that you can put on your finger and let her lick or put it on her paw and let her lick it.
A cat who has teeth problems eats less. A cat who is growing a cancer loses weight for no reason as do some human cases. It makes sense that if a cat has worms the worms will be getting fat while the cat gets thin. Tapeworm segments can be seen on the cat's anus and looks like little grains of rice which move very slowly. You can get a stool sample out of the kitty litter box and put it in a plastic baggie and bring it to the vet and they can look for worm segments and the test is fairly cheap. It would be up to a vet to treat a cat for worms if no one sees the worm segments if the symptoms are there. You should let a vet treat the cat as worm treatments can be toxic and can be hard on an old cat, and the cat may have another problem. Take the cat to a good vet. I had a cat where worms couldn't be seen in several tests. We treated her and the symptoms went away. That was a young cat.
2006-11-17 13:58:34 · answer #2 · answered by Mary 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your cat is eating normally and still losing weight, I would definitely get her checked for diabetes. My cat originally weighed 16 lbs, in the course of 2 months she was down to 9 lbs. Bloodwork confirmed diabetes, she's not on insulin twice a day.
Gum problems, gum disease could lead to other problems such as kidney and heart problems. It sounds like your cat could use a complete blood series.
2006-11-16 01:18:08 · answer #3 · answered by BVC_asst 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure this is only from the gum disease and meds? How long has she been on them and been diagnosed? Is the weight loss something new?
Weight loss in cats is usally a good indicator of a tapeworm - which can be caught several ways, number one way is catching a mouse that had one. The tapeworm will cause the cat to lose weight and eventually make them very, very sick. I assumed my cat was just suffering from a cold or something when she began losing weight and took her in just for her routine check-up only to find she had a tapeworm. It was treated easily with an injection to kill it and allow her to pass it but pretty scary that we about missed it! I'd have her looked at for it.
Otherwise, your vet will carry food specially formulated for aging cats that you should get. They will also carry food that is higher in fat content to help build up your cat.
2006-11-16 01:05:46 · answer #4 · answered by MasLoozinIt76 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Kitten Chow works best for helping gain weight. If she has trouble chewing due to pain in her gums, just mix it with a little water to make it squishy. Milk really isn't good for cats at all, they can't digest it properly and it can lead to other problems. There is also a product called "Vita-cal" here's the product link on my favorite site for my kitties: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3177&N=2002+113617 Its a high calorie dietary supplement, my vet recomended it when my Scully was sick.
2006-11-15 22:10:06 · answer #5 · answered by Jen 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you had her checked for hyperthyroidism or diabetes?Both of these disorders are common in elderly cats,and both cause weight loss.I have had cats with both.Untreated,they are usually fatal.If she checks out OK,ask your vet for some Nutri-Cal Gel.It is high in calories and easy to digest.Baby-food(meat;meat and vegetable dinners)is good,too,especially for cats with stomatitis(gum disease)I have three elderly cats with this problem,too and they are on the thin side.
2006-11-15 22:15:16 · answer #6 · answered by Dances With Woofs! 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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2017-02-09 06:03:05 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would highly suggest giving her different types of wet food. This increases body fat and helps with engery. You can also try mixing a little milk with her dry food if you are already using wet food or it dosent work. Or you can do both together if you want. This should help her put on a little weight. Also getting weight on her will make her body stronger, making it easier for her to fight off her cold.
2006-11-15 21:13:43 · answer #8 · answered by o_state05 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well you can give her fresh intestines of chicken.If she is not eating properly you could give her a homeopathic medicine ARNICA JUST 2 DROPS ONLY.I hope she gets better.The ARNICA part does work.
2006-11-15 22:10:22 · answer #9 · answered by relive 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would go here and ask advice it is free and you will get your question answered
2006-11-15 21:34:44 · answer #10 · answered by karen b 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋