size zero cat?

Question

my kitty is 1 years old, and is very slim. she has never been a big eater, but i am worried she is underweight. she is home most of the day, and i know where she is when she is outside, so i know she isnt getting food from anywhere else.

She is a british short hair tortie, and has been neutered. How much should she weigh, and how can i fill her out, without her becoming unhealthy?

Answer 1

Ask your vet if she's the proper weight. Ideally you should be able to feel the ribs under a light layer of fat.
If she's too thin she might have some kind of medical problem, that only your vet can diagnose.

Answer 2

I've seen healthy cats that were only 4 pounds. But most thin cats weight between 6-8 pounds. If you can feel her ribs and back bone but not feel really sharp edges to the bones, she's ok. The shoulder bones should be felt too, with a little bit of padding on them, but if you feel really sharp ridges there like the edge of a soup can, that's too thin and she should be eating more.

Be grateful she's not a porker like some cats get to be, they put the weight on too heavy and then it's hard to get it off them. If you have any worries about her weight you can ask the vet when she gets her checkup. They know what an underweight cat feels like and can tell in seconds if yours is having trouble.

Answer 3

Some female cats are naturally small, and unless she's refusing food and drink there's nothing much you can really do other than talk to your vet and see if there's a food they recommend she eat to gain weight, Penne was the same when she was younger and as now filled out fine, she's not over weight as she burns a lot of energy outside, but she's not longer too slim. So my advice is talk to your vet about increasing her food portions or perhaps her type of food.

Answer 4

You should be able to feel a cats ribs under a thin layer of fat for then to be a healthy weight.
Has she always been this thin, or has she suddenly gotten thinner, or started eating even less?
If thats the case I'd take her to the vet, if not, don't worry about it, most cats have a way of eating what they need.
If you really want to fatten her up I;d try different cat foods, maybe she just isn't that fond of the one you usually give her?
I personally wouldn't give her tinned cat food as it's not good for her teeth and digestive system and can make her litter smell bad. Experiment with various different types of dry cat food. Ask you pet store for samples of different types and see what she likes.

Answer 5

Worm her to start with just to make sure that that's not the problem. Then try feeding her food that is rich in fat etc. My cat stopped eating and lost alot of weight, she went down to 6 pounds, i got her eating again and starting feeding her adult pro plan dry food, and left this down all day, i got her some cheesy cat treats which again has lots of fat in and also gave her gourmet cat food. This helped and she got back to her normal weight. My cat now weighs 9.5 pounds but would still like her to be a bit bigger as she still looks a bit skinny.

Answer 6

She is only a year old, so her length and height have now finished growing. Over the next 6 months she will start filling out to her true size. If you have any concerns, just ask your vet

Answer 7

she might have worms, so get her treated for them also the best food to give would be dry food as the meat is full of water and not much else. chicken and rice helps to build up the body too, good luck

Answer 8

your best option is take her to the vets and get her weighed, that way you know what she weights, and most vets normally have a weight chart in the waiting areas telling you what weight pets should be.
most vets have the scales in the waiting room so you shouldn't even have to pay for a consultation.

Answer 9

I have had the best luck fattening my cats up with soft canned food. They love that stuff and it will surely fatten your little cat up!! Good luck

Answer 10

She might have worms, take her to the vet to make sure she's ok.