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Is your cat skinny and need to gain weight? Your cat or kitten may be underweight and malnourished for quite a number of reasons. Nutritious, high calorie cat food can help your cat gain some weight and stay as healthy as possible.
Photo by Manja Vitolic on Unsplash
When to feed your cat high calorie cat food?
Here are some circumstances in which you might want to consider packing more calories in your cat’s meal.
High calorie cat food for sick cat
Cats who are sick may not have their usual appetites. If you are trying to nurture your cat back to health, high calorie cat foods can help tremendously. Wet foods will probably work better as well as it tends to smell and taste better to your cat.
Diseases such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease and inflammatory bowel disease can cause your cat to lose weight. Worms or intestinal parasites can also be the reason your cat is losing weight. If your cat is underweight because of an underlying medical issue, high calorie cat food can help give it some energy as you try to manage the illness.
High calorie cat food for weight gain
Cats can also be healthy, but underweight. If your cat needs to gain weight, the first thing that you need to do is to make sure that it is consuming enough calories each day.
You may need to increase the amount of food that you give your cat. You may also want to feed it more frequently.
High calorie cat food is a good option if you need your cat to gain weight. However, if your cat is picky, or just doesn’t seem to eat much, you may need to spend some time adjusting its diet to find something that suits its palate.
High calorie cat food for senior cats
Cats start to slow down around the age of 7. They may be less active and their metabolism rate decreases. It is recommended that you switch your cat to a senior cat diet. Senior cat food is usually high in protein and other nutrients but lower in calories in accordance to their slower metabolism.
However, an older cat’s sense of smell and taste may also start to deteriorate. This can have a negative effect on its appetite and cause it to eat less, resulting in a deficient calorie intake.
As your cat ages, it is also common for age-related health issues to crop up. Disease and illnesses can cause your cat to have difficulty eating. Your cat’s body may also be less efficient at absorbing nutrients from the food it is eating.
Senior cat owners need to ensure that their pet is getting the sufficient amount of calories. Delicious, appetizing high calorie cat food that is easy to digest can help your senior cat who has issues with fading senses or age related medical issues.
High calorie cat food for pregnant cats
Cats who are pregnant or nursing generally require more calories than usual. It won’t take long for your pregnant cat to look significantly malnourished if you feed it the same amount before it was pregnant.
If your cat is pregnant or nursing, you will need to feed it regularly and give it more calories to help ensure that it stays strong and healthy.
High calorie cat food for cats with mouth and teeth problems
Cats that are suffering from mouth injuries, toothaches or dental issues may find it very hard to eat. One of the ways to make sure that your cat does not lose too much weight is to feed it soft food that is higher in calories.
What to look out for in a high calorie diet
Here are some things to look out for if you need to feed your cat a high calorie diet.
You will probably not be able to find cat food labeled ‘high calorie’. Most cat food will also avoid claiming to be fattening as it just doesn’t sound nice for marketing purposes. As such, it may be quite hard to find food that is formulated to encourage weight gain.
Instead, try looking for high protein cat foods. While your cat may not need high protein cat food, these foods are usually higher in fat and thus, higher in calories. Look for food with a protein percentage that you are okay with. However, do speak to your vet before giving your cat high protein cat food especially if your cat has any medical issues.
Cat food that is high in fat may also cause health issues. Ensure that meals that you feed your cat are nutritionally balanced and adequate for your cat’s age. Identify foods that are meant for short term, supplemental feeding and add them to your cat’s regular diet rather than giving them solely to your cat in hopes for weight gain.
Finally, avoid making the mistake of hoping that your cat will gain weight from calories. While you might gain weight from pasta, your cat will not. This is because carbohydrates are not processed well by cats. Your cat is not able to use carbohydrates efficiently and thus, will not really gain weight even if the food has high carbohydrate content. As such, it is best to stick to stick to calories from proteins and fats.
Conclusion
As there are numerous reasons as to why your cat is underweight, the best course of action is to have it assessed by your vet to rule out any underlying health problems before making adjustments to its diet. Once you know the underlying reason your cat is losing weight, you will be able to tailor its diet accordingly. Cats can be picky eaters so try to give it something that it likes to ensure that it gets all the calories it needs. You can try Petcube’s raw cat food that is specially designed for your cat to tear and chew on just as it would do in the wild.
