How to fatten a cat: effective ways to gain weight in a pet

Some cats, despite comfortable living conditions and round-the-clock access to food bowls, face the problem of being underweight. Thinness can occur suddenly or be an innate property of the animal. One way or another, when you look at such an individual, you want to immediately provide it with food in order to bring it to a “normal” state. But how to feed a cat so that increasing portions does not affect the health of the pet?

How to fatten a cat

This question is not as simple as it seems, since more food does not always solve the problem. In addition, several more equally important dilemmas are added to the question of fattening. How to determine where healthy weight ends and painful underweight begins? How to determine the condition of a cat? All breeds have different norms and pathologies, which is why the owner can easily become confused. We will talk further about the causes of thinness and methods of combating it.

Causes of exhaustion

There are many causes of exhaustion that cannot be covered in this article. The simplest and most concise classification of causes is presented below.

Physiological

Physiological reasons include weight loss due to circumstances in which the cat could not fully satisfy its nutritional needs. This applies to stray cats, cats in heat, and cats experiencing prolonged stress. Physiological exhaustion is also typical for cats that have fattened a large litter and given all their energy and nutritional resources to their offspring.

Both cats and female cats change their behavior during the period of sexual heat, sometimes forgetting about food

As you can see, the causes of physiological exhaustion are exogenous; they are tied to the specific environment with which the cat interacts.

Thus, a stray cat can be brought into order with the right diet, a cat experiencing stress can be calmed down. The mother, who fed the family, is fed back to a healthy state. Among other things, some breeds have a predisposition to thinness - Sphynxes, Ukrainian Levkoys are difficult to fatten, which is also due to their peculiar bodily constitution.

Some breeds do not need fattening, being thin by their constitution

Pathological

Pathological causes include malfunctions in the pet’s body itself. No matter what comfortable and stabilizing conditions a cat with pathological thinness finds himself in, his condition will not change. The causes of such exhaustion can be both acquired and congenital diseases.

Refusal to eat caused by internal pathologies requires a diagnosis and selection of a treatment regimen.

To feed such a fragile pet, you must first undergo an examination with him at the veterinary clinic. The test results will show the cause of problems with weight gain and the veterinarian will develop a diet that is suitable for your pet. It is not recommended to act as a nutritionist on your own for cats with pathological thinness, since the likelihood of complications is high.

What to feed?

To ensure that your pet’s body weight corresponds to the norm, it is recommended to feed it with special food or include protein foods in its diet.
Proper weight gain occurs through the animal's consumption of protein, not fat, so that the cat does not gain weight due to fat. The owner of the mustachioed dog needs to focus on protein products. They should make up at least 85% of the diet. It is also necessary to feed the cat carbohydrates - they will give the animal energy. Useful macroelements and vitamins for cats can be obtained from regular food, or through specialized food designed for weight gain. The main thing is that the cat’s diet contains substances such as:

• meat;
• minerals;
• cereals;
• carbohydrates;
• vegetable proteins;
• yeast;
• eggs;
• oils and fats.

Natural food

Animals must be accustomed to eating regular foods. It is best to do this when the whiskered kitten is still a kitten. But if for some reason this was impossible, the cat can be accustomed to food gradually. If the owner wants to fatten the cat using natural products, then it is necessary to include in the diet such food as:

• lean chicken or turkey meat;
• porridge;
• yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream.
• vegetables in their natural form.

Vitamins that are recommended to be given to pets contribute to good absorption of food.
In order for all food to be well absorbed, it is necessary to give the cat vitamins and adhere to the following rules:

• Do not mix homemade and store-bought products.
• Do not add fat, sugar, salt or other seasonings to your cat's food that increase taste or thirst.
• There must be enough water in the drinking bowl.
• Monitor the animal's reaction to food. If it is negative, don’t give it anymore.
• Avoid dishes containing rice, barley, milk.

Dry and wet food

Dry food will help cats get rid of exhaustion. Its composition is similar to natural food, only in compressed and dried form, which makes it easier for animals to consume. With their help, the mustachioed person quickly gains weight, but does not gain weight, as with overeating. High-calorie premium food contains dairy products, proteins, grains and carbohydrates in the required quantities, exactly as much as is necessary to fatten and overfeed the pet.

Wet supplements should be used after surgical interventions or when the cat has given birth - they are absorbed faster and the animal recovers faster. Canned food can be used when feeding a kitten, since kittens have difficulty eating solid food. If your cat becomes very fat while eating food, you must stop eating it and show the animal to a veterinarian.

Manufacturers

Purina food is premium and contains natural ingredients.
To gain weight, cats need to be given food where meat comes first as an ingredient. These products are specifically designed to make your cat fat. A good, expensive product made from natural ingredients will not leave your cat indifferent and she will happily consume it. Premium ready-made food is produced by such companies as:

• Royal Canin;
• "Purina."

How to understand how much weight a cat has?

Despite the fact that it is difficult to mistake an emaciated cat for a well-fed one, as well as vice versa, there are nuances and transition states that it is advisable to pay attention to. Thus, gradual weight loss may be an indicator of a developing disease. Weight gain may indicate an incorrect diet and disproportionately large portions.

Table 1. Weight categories for cats

Cat weight on a scale of ten

The vast majority of cats grow and gain weight before they reach one year of age. They develop especially quickly during the first six months, gaining on average 150-200 grams daily. Over the next six months, the kittens develop their body structure and develop sexual differences, ending by the age of one year. Of course, each breed has its own optimal weight. Maine Coons will likely be heavier than Miniature Munchkins and Sphynxes.

Different breeds have their own weight standards

The average mongrel cat weighs from three to six kilograms. The cat is inferior to him in weight by 1-3 kilograms. However, even outbred cats have different skeletons. The expression “broad bone”, in addition to an ironic connotation, also has a completely serious meaning. Different cats with different bone structure and thickness have different weight standards. With the same 5 kilograms of weight, we can observe both a plump and a fit individual.

Weight categories of cats depending on breed

Therefore, one of the main signs of thinness-fullness is the ability to palpate or visually identify the ribs and chest. The more difficult it is to do this, the greater the deviation of the animal’s weight towards fullness.

Recommendations from experts

When fattening an animal, it is especially important not to harm it. Therefore, you should listen to the recommendations of experts:

• Do not mix different brands of food. This leads to an imbalance of elements, which will have a negative impact on the pet’s health.
• It is better to avoid food that can be easily purchased in any supermarket (for example, Whiskas, Kitiket). Such economy-class feeds lead to diseases of the genitourinary system, the formation of kidney stones, pancreatitis and other pathologies.
• Cats are clean and groom themselves constantly. Accordingly, wool enters the digestive system. This can cause problems in weakened animals. To help pets, they need to be given Maltpaste. It helps naturally remove hairballs from the digestive tract.
  Read also:  4 methods on how to switch a cat from dry food to homemade food

  Maltpaste is designed to remove hairballs from the digestive tract of cats.

The main mistakes when planning your diet

I would also like to touch upon the topic of mistakes in feeding pets, made by owners with the best intentions. Despite the fact that each owner chooses his own intuitive diet plan for his pets, one can notice repeated and very sad “rake”, which people regularly continue advance.

Some cat owners believe that the doses of dry food indicated on the packaging are too small for their cats; some overfeed their pets with all types of meat, being confident in its clear benefits.

Sometimes an abundance of healthy food can cause various ailments

Complications with digestion or hair that arise later in an animal sometimes cause genuine surprise among the owners and a lack of understanding of their role in the resulting illness. We’ll talk about how to recognize your mistakes in planning your cat’s nutrition and stop them in time.

Common mistakes in feeding cats

Table: Comparison of cat foods that promote weight gain

Photo gallery: foods that promote weight gain

Applaws Chicken & Duck promotes weight gain

Hill's a/d improves the recovery of an exhausted cat

Royal Canin Recovery helps you maintain your desired weight

Symptoms of the disease, as a result of which cats lose weight

1. Previously, we considered that a chick can lose weight due to physiological characteristics. Nevertheless, animals often encounter pathologies that cause emaciation. In this case, simple diet and care are no strangers.
2. If you notice that your animal is not feeling well and is refusing food and water, contact your veterinarian immediately. Otherwise, the end could end in tears. The most common problem is damage. Ant. The gain in body weight in cats is dysbacteriosis. It can be eliminated with a special diet and a course of probiotics.
3. You can support an animal with the best products according to a certain schedule, but this will not help if he is sick. There is little positive result: it can only be achieved if the pet has a helminthic infestation. Parasites begin to attack the cat and interfere with the normal absorption of food.
4. Worms, as well as all living beings, when they feed, begin to indicate their decay products. Accordingly, such compounds have a toxic stimulation on the animal's body. Therefore, the more parasites, the worse it becomes for your four-legged friend. Be sure to carry out systematic deworming.
5. The procedure has to be done regardless of whether the cat is walking on the street or not. Try to give the pet more water. If the level of moisture in the tissues is not restored, the food will not be absorbed normally. If the cat is deserted (= sparsely populated) it is able to drink on its own , without IVs you can’t (jump up.
6. Measure your cat's body temperature. If the indicator is elevated, it can be said that the animal has become infected with a virus or infection. If your pet has a fever, the food simply isn't processed properly and goes to waste. The presence of a low body temperature will cause the cat's blood flow to slow down. As a result, textiles will suffer from starvation.
7. Even animals can suffer from anemia. Against this background, the cat experiences hemoglobin depression. As a result, cells throughout the body begin to question the lack of oxygen. Even if the cat eats well, the cat will continue to lose weight due to anemia. Cells are unpretentiously unable to absorb nutritional compounds.

First stage

To get rid of excess weight, you need to reduce your calorie intake and increase your calorie expenditure. In theory everything is simple, in reality it is more complicated. The owner can choose the right diet for the pet, but making it move more is problematic. In general, you should not put your cat on a strict diet. Physiologically, an animal’s body is structured differently from that of a human or a dog. A fast for 2 days leads to the development of a fatal disease - liver lipidosis or fatty hepatosis.

It is very important to choose the right diet with the right amount of calories. The presence of serious diseases should also be excluded. If obesity is caused by diabetes mellitus or hormonal imbalance, a regular diet will not help, additional special medications are needed. The best option is to take your pet to a specialist and get advice.

Additional measures

Unfortunately, mustachioed striped animals often find themselves in dangerous situations and their emaciation leads to pathological changes in eating behavior. It is often necessary to awaken a cat's interest in food before feeding it. There are several means for this:

1. Vitamins . You should choose a suitable vitamin complex for your pet, which will help restore the animal’s body and provide it with useful substances. Cats are not always happy to take vitamin supplements. But even if the pet resists, the owner should be persistent. Tablets or dragees can be crushed to a powder state, diluted with water and poured into the cat’s mouth using a syringe without a needle. Also, drugs in solid forms can be crushed and mixed with food.
2. Beneficial bacteria . It is recommended to give your pet probiotic products consisting of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli 30 minutes before meals. They normalize the intestinal flora, suppressing the activity of microbes that cause dysbiosis. In addition, lactobacilli are involved in strengthening the immune system, which is important for both sick and healthy pets. The most useful probiotics that have a positive effect on the animal’s intestinal microflora: Bifitrilak, Zoonom, Subtilis, Enterol, Lactobifadol, Olin, etc. It is allowed to use drugs from a regular pharmacy, for example, Lactobacterin, Bifidumbacterin.

Tricks and life hacks

During the process of losing weight, it is difficult not only for a well-fed friend, but also for the owner himself and his family members. The animal's mood changes, it often gets irritated, behaves aggressively, and persistently asks for food. Advice from experienced owners will help you get through this difficult period.

Healthy treats

Feeding a friend prone to obesity from the host's table is strictly contraindicated. As healthy treats, you can offer sticks specially made for this purpose; they are made from low-fat meat products - such straws are sold in any pet store.

Pieces of chicken or fish are also suitable for encouragement. But you shouldn’t pamper your fluffy often – this can ruin his appetite and lead to gluttony.

Weaning off begging

Begging for food, the cat looks pitifully at the person. But the owner and family members should not succumb to provocations. Feeding will not be a manifestation of care and love for your mustachioed friend.

The animal should be weaned from begging. The best way to do this is to distract his attention. You can talk to your pet, pet him or offer him a toy. If he doesn't calm down, you should pour him fresh water.

What to do if there are several animals

If there are several pets in the house, and only one needs to lose weight, then difficulties arise. The main way to provide a fat baby with dietary nutrition and prevent him from eating from other bowls is separate feeding. Food should be placed in different rooms or a bowl of thin pets should be placed on the upper steps, where it is more difficult for a well-fed companion to reach. The main thing is not to leave plates of food unattended.