Free-Feeding cat, not gaining weight?

Question

Hi I free feed both my cats (they always have food) but they don't eat very much. Does anyone know if they might have a better chance at gaining weight if I fed them on a regular schedule. They need to gain more weight to be at a healthy size. what should I do?

Answer 1

I'm not sure how old your cats are, but the first thing I'd do is make sure there's not a medical reason your cats are too thin. Any number of things can contribute to low body weight that have little to do with the amount of food consumed - anything from intestinal parasites that rob our cats of precious calories to an overactive thyroid gland that drives our cats' bodies to metabolize too quickly. If you can, it's a good start to run them into the vet for a physical exam - if there is an underlying medical condition, you'll waste time and money trying for force food into them without treating the actual problem.

If it turns out they're just too picky to eat as much as they ought to, you can try to trick them into consuming more calories throughout the day. While cat treats aren't a nutritionally balanced diet alone, they tend to be high in calories and may supplement your cats' diet enough. You can try adding canned food to their dry food to make it more appealing, or add things like tuna or chicken (or just the juices from the can). The post above about kitten food is also good - not only is kitten chow higher in calories and nutrients, it's also usually more tasty that adult cat food (to encourage kittens to eat as much as their growing bodies need). Meal feeding them twice or once daily probably won't get their weight up - it can be tough to transition cats who are used to 'grazing' over to planned meal times. Also, if they're overall light eaters, it could be they'll nibble and walk away just like their used to when you set the measured food down. Meal feedings are a more effective method of weight control when trying to decrease overall weight, versus increase.

Ideally, your cats should still have a visible taper from front to back, and the abdomen should tuck up behind the rib cage when they are the ideal weight. The ribs should be easily felt with minimum pressure. Ribs, pelvis and spine should never be visible.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

The reason it's not a good idea to give a dog cat food is because dogs and cats need completely different things in their food to keep them healthy. It's just like it if you fed dog food to a human... Cats diets and dogs diets need different amounts of vitamins and nutrients. My suggestion would be to feed your dog her regular dog food but mix in some cheese and full fat plain greek yogurt. Not only will this be very tasty to your dog, but it will hopefully cause them to eat more food AND the cheese and yogurt will add some fat to their diet. Any dog I have ever had has LOVED cheese and yogurt. Also, does she have a kong? If not, a long is basically a piece of rubber with a hollow centre that you can fill with peanut butter. Also, you can mix yogurt and her kibble and then fill the long with that and freeze it. She might like too and it will help add more calories and fat to her diet. Also, would it be possible to always keep food in her bowl rather than offering it to her twice a day? The reason most people don't keep food in the bowl at all times is because most dogs will overeat but it might help your dog. Have you talked to her vet about this? It sounds serious if she is missing days at a time from eating... Good luck!

Answer 4

Why do they need to gain weight? If you are concerned about your cats weight you might want to take a trip to see your vet. Especially if the cat was once a healthy weight & is dropping weight. A blood test maybe in order to check for a thyriod problem. Anyway if you are ever in doubt about you pet he/she should be seen by the doc.

Answer 5

If they are very young, it is natural for them to be slightly "stream-lined." Young cats under 2 years of age often prefer to play than eat. That is, they will nibble at their food and then want to go play again. Try feeding them n a schedule rather than free-feed. Offer their food when you know they MUST BE hungry.

Answer 6

to add mass to your cat (works for doggs too) replace about half of ther regular adult formula with kitten food(puppy food for dogs). It has alot more protien in it. Are you sure they actually need to gain more weight? has a vet told you this? Most cats are just fur. If that is just your assumption about their weight, go to a professional and get their opinion.

Answer 7

They will eat what they want. Thin is generally healthy for a cat. Unless your vet thinks there is another medical condition at work here, you should let them be what they are.