How to Help a Feline Gain Weight

By Bethney Foster

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Chicken baby food (without onions)
Chicken broth
Canned cat food
Canned fish

Step 1:
Take your cat to the veterinarian to ensure there are no medical reasons for it being underweight.
Step 2:
Have the veterinarian perform a fecal test to ensure there are no intestinal parasites that are robbing the cat of calories. If the cat does test positive for parasites, use the appropriate de-worming medication recommended by the veterinarian.
Step 3:
Have the cat spayed/neutered. Constant fluctuations in hormones in animals that aren't altered burn calories.
Step 4:
Discuss with your veterinarian adding supplements and vitamins to your cat's diet.
Step 5:
Increase the caloric intake for your cat. If your cat is a finicky eater, try different types of foods. You can mix chicken baby food in with the cat's regular meals, pour chicken broth over its kibble, or mix some canned fish in with its dinner. Offer the cat canned foods instead of dry food.
Step 6:
Ensure you're feeding your cat a high-quality cat food or discuss a homemade diet with your veterinarian. You may also want to discuss a prescription diet that is higher in calories with your veterinarian.
Step 7:
Feed the cat often. Rather than one large meal a day, try offering your cat three or four meals throughout the day. Or, try free feeding, which simply means leaving food out at all times.
Step 8:
Keep your cat indoors. Many cats that go outdoors eat bugs and reptiles that can cause weight loss.

Tips & Warnings

Being slender is not a bad thing for a cat. Slender cats tend to have fewer health issues related to their joints, heart, lungs and pancreas. Of course, being slender and underweight are different. Just ensure your cat truly needs to gain weight before you starting increasing its calories.
Your cat is underweight if you easily see the pet's ribs.

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