[Blissful Dog Groomer]

Last thursday i took a stray cat in it had been starved for a months by the look of it the owners who had it have moved away from the area and i saw it last week looking so bony and anorexic and thought if i dont rescue and feed it when it looks so bad who will :/ it has a really good appetite and i have bathed and groomed it twice as its coat was matted near the skin and just from this it looks much better, i took it to the vets today for a check up as i thought it had an ear infection so we have some drops for that the vet thinks its over 10 and hes a boy which i named lucky she said to go back in 4 weeks to see if it has put weight on i hope it will and that it wont be anything serious i was just wondering if there is anything i can do to help fatten him up until i get some better hills recovery cat food

also the cat isnt chipped so im going to look after it as my own, has anyone else done this and did it turn out good or bad thanks Suzanne

it weighs 2.20kg its very skinny and no meat on it at all just bones does anyone have an idea how much a 10 ish yr old cat should weigh?

 

[Guest]

You'll get advised against the Hills food but I say if thats what you want to feed then do so, I found Whiskas cat milk is good for adding on the weight so much so that I water it down for mine now.

As for weight it's difficult because cats differ so greatly in size but I think an average weight for an average cat is around 4kg.

Congratulations on your new boy and would love to see some pictures

 

[The Twins]

Being a stray, it wont be used to commercial food, let alone dry hills stuff. Hills is pushed by vets who know very little of nutrition in cats and what they do know is learnt at sponsored or paid for, by hills. Personally i'd feed a raw diet, it'll be really really good for him. If not, try a high meat content wet food, purely is good or bozita. I'm assuming your vet has given you some worming treatment to use on your new kitty?

 

[Blissful Dog Groomer]

I flead and wormed him myself the day i brought him into my house and have been keeping him away from my pets at the min to make sure there was nothing that could pass on to my dogs and cat, ive just realised the food is royal canin rs recovery from nutrecare i keep getting mixed up as i recently bought some hills for my dogs and they dont really like it also seen lots of bad comments about it. I have just bought some cat milk today to try so glad to know someone has done the same although i have only put a tiny bit in his water so far for him to try im really hoping he will do well and be as healthy as he can be for his age thanks for the messages and i will post some pics although he looks really boney and scruffy :/
thanks for the replies :thumbup:

 

[Guest]

My were bags of bones when I got them as they came from a fairly dubious rescue but it's nice to have a reference as to how they were and to see how far they have come.

I don't have a problem with Hills or Royal Canin food, I'm of the opinion if the cat will eat it then it's a bonus and mine don't do well with a very high protien food as it upsets them, and I personally won't feed raw, but cat food is a minefield and and someone will always disagree with your choice.

I also used to give mine scrambled egg to bulk them up and they loved it and get it as a special treat once a month now.

 

[IndysMamma]

basically feed as high a quality as you can afford... a fairly good high energy dry food is Oscars salmon found here I feed it so my semi stray girl and her coat has gone from brittle and nasty to glossy and gorgeous and her weight from 2.5 to 3.4kg (she's a small cat so that is a good weight)

She also gets Perfect Fit, Tesco, Classic, Bozita, Tesco Luxury wet foods (whatever Indy has decided he doesn't like anymore... she'll eat anything)

Indy has those wet foods and a mix of Oscar Chicken and Royal Canin Maine Coon dry as he needs big kibbles.

There is no 'one true answer' to pet foods but I don't think you necessarily need a vet only brand. Just feed a good quality food and as much as he likes unless he starts to get *over*weight...

Oh and a wet/dry mix is often better than just dry as cats don't always drink enough.

As has already been said, cat milk is a good weight builder as it is a high calorie treat.

Raw is the most natural and I would feed it if a) I had the time and b) Indy would eat thawed meat... it's just not practical for me so don't stress too much if it's not something for you either gratz on your old boy

 

[hobbs2004]

Hello, I am not normally a fan of Royal Canin cat food but the recovery food is one of the better ones to put meat on famished bones. I would stick with it, and some cat milk, until your cat has reached a more healthy weight.

Only then would I personally think about changing the food to some other wet or even raw food.

Hope all goes well for your cat! He is a stunner and very very lucky to have found you!

 

[billyboysmammy]

i'm not a fan of hills or RC however agree with hobbs here it does help pile on the weight. There are other foods i would prefer but if he is happy and is eating this then this is the main thing. With not having eaten in such a long time its essential he eats something rather than nothing.

If your tempted to try some raw food i would get some breast of lamb, its excellent for putting weight on.

alternatively there are some wet foods which have a slightly higher fat content.

Regardless though be prepared to ensure they gain the weight steadily. They need to be able to build up their muscle tone not just fat, and so need to start slowly with increasing excercise as they gain.

Hope that helps x