Obesity problems are seen in about 25 percent of all pet cats. There are many more that are considered significantly underweight and don't get the attention that is needed to help save them and live happier, healthier lives. There is an abundance of information on how to get your overweight cat to lose weight but the information available on how to help your skinny feline friend gain weight is far more scarce. Keeping your skinny cat's food dish will not make them fat.
One way to determine whether your cat is too thin is being able to see their ribs or easily feeling their ribs when you are petting them. You may not see or feel any fat in their abdominal area. If you suspect your he is too skinny it is imperative to take them to the vet to get a proper diagnosis. It may be that you have too many cats in your home and this one isn't getting enough to eat or there may be underlying medical reasons for this condition. Some of the most common reasons a cat may be underweight is parasites, cancer, or hypothyroidism.
When changing your feline companion's diet it is imperative that the change is gradual and not sudden. Any sudden change in diet can irritate your cat's digestive system causing other possible health related issues. He can't put on weight if they have chronic diarrhea or are vomiting after every feeding. To reduce vomiting when changing your cat's diet, brush them regularly to remove all dead fur that they would otherwise ingest while grooming. Hairballs could build up causing constipation and could make them vomit more often.
When changing over your cat's food, start by changing about one-fourth or less of their regular food to a higher calorie food for a few days in a row. Gradually increase this amount over the course of 7 to 10 days until your cat is eating the higher calorie food solely. Talk to your cat's vet about the best cat foods that will help your cat gain weight with little to no major interruptions in your cat's health.
If your cat is a picky eater, see if some of their favorite flavors or types of cat food come in kitten form. Kitten food typically has more calories than adult cat food as does canned cat food. Canned cat food has more calories because the fat content is higher. This may be another way to help fatten your skinny cat up. The only problem with canned cat food is that it can spoil very quickly. If you choose to go this route to fatten your cat, use smaller cans or half of a regular size can to feed your cat and refrigerate whatever is not given to your cat at feeding time. Throw out any leftover canned cat food after 12 hours as it will begin to spoil. Other alternatives are feeding your cat jarred baby meat food or some type of canned fish such as tuna.
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