Cat Information

Nursing very skinny cat back to health?

A cat that looks to be in its late kittenhood wandered into my garage last night. It is very very skinny. It ate a bit of my cats hard food I gave it and offered it some water but it did not want any. It has been about 12 hours and it has not eaten any more. I am not sure if it is just not hungry or if there is problems with how skinney it is.It is a super friendly cat so I do not think that it is feral. I am about to make a trip to the pet store and need suggestions for the best kind of food to get it.

Public Comments

1. If you're going to take care of this cat, it's important to get her to a vet to get checked out. She might have diseases that she could transfer to the cat you have now. You need to know... and hopefully your cat is up on its vaccinations so if s/he's already been exposed, s/he will be all right. As to cat food... For a skinny cat I'd pick up food designed for kittens. It'll be higher in fat and nutrients than adult cat food. Also, pick up a quality brand. If you're going for grocery store food, get Purina. If you are getting something from a petstore, some good brands are Wellness, Blue Buffalo and others with high quality meat ingredients (not by products).
2. maybe try giving the cat some wet food, or mix hard cat food with a little water or milk since its still a kitten! also to make the cat feel better try giving the cat chicken broth to make it feel better! also the reason it might not be eating is because the cat is probably still a little scared because of new surroundings and new environment so try and make it feel very comfortable! if this doesnt work in a few days then take the cat to the vet just incase! hope this works and helps
3. maybe leave some milk out and put it in a room with a bowl of milk on the floor..and maybe eventually it will drink it!
4. Ideally, you should feed the cat a high protein wet food, preferably one that's grain free. Wellness and Innova EVO are great brands. You can get Wellness at Petco, but EVO may be a little trickier to find. If you're going to Petsmart, you should pick up Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness or Avoderm Select Cuts. Those are the only two worth buying at Petsmart. All of these foods are designed to be appropriate for cats at all life stages. The whole idea of kitten food being necessary or better is little more than a marketing gimmick. The kitten will need lots of protein (as all cats do) and the wet food will have a little higher fat content to help with weight gain. The added moisture will also help to keep the kitten hydrated. You should make an appointment with the vet to have the kitten tested/treated for worms, as I'm sure they're present. This will also help the kitten to gain weight. If you have other cats in your home, please don't introduce the new kitten until s/he has been vet checked and tested for potentially lethal diseases. It's best not to chance spreading any illnesses that may be present. The vet will also be able to tell you what the kitten's ideal weight is. Once you know the ideal weight, you should feed the kitten the recommended daily serving amount for the desired weight and no more. While it's tempting to over-feed an emaciated cat, it's not healthy for them to gain weight too rapidly. If s/he is eating the right amount for the desired weight, s/he will steadily gain weight.
5. Look for a high-calorie food. Most reputable brands will list this on the packaging... or you can view their product information online. Kitten and grain-free foods tend to have a higher caloric content. Also if the kitten still won't eat you should take it to a vet to get it checked out, just to be on the safe side. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on a vet I'm sure you could look up some kind of low cost clinic in your area.
6. If you are going to take responsibility for this cat then taking it to the vet would be a good idea. If he has been living out doors then he may have worms or other parasite which will impede his recovery. Since he is not drinking water, you'll want to go with a canned food to make sure he's getting lots of moisture - dry food will further dehydrate him. I don't know what kind of foods are available in your area, but look for a high quality, grain free food where meat is the top ingredient (it might be the second one, after broth or water sufficient for processing, but you want to avoid foods that are primarily made from meals, digests or by-products.) Innova Evo and Orijen both make grain-free cat foods. Kitten foods tend to be higher in fat and protein than adult cat foods so you might want to choose a kitten food to help with the weight gain. Anlina http://abnormalloveofcats.com
7. I would get it kitten food and feed it small amounts at a time. I would get the canned kitten food so the cat is more interested in eating it. Starving cats gorge on food and water usually, if this cat isn't eating, there may be something wrong with it and you may need to bring it to the vet or find a shelter that is willing to nurse it back to health. If you have any other questions, please call your vet, they will know more and the phone call is free. Good luck
8. Try wet food.. that is usally the best and kittens love it and its easy for them to eat... You may also want to take it to the vet and get an appetite enhancer or check the pet store and see if they carry one. They also sell this stuff called "Cat Sip" that is a form of milk that is easy for cats to digest and they love it.. you can find it where the treats are and Whiskas makes a form of it, though I have never tried that brand. The Cat Sip could help with the dihydration! Good Luck and feel free to email me with any questions!
9. If you think that the cat is still fairly young, I would get the canned food. We hand fed 3 boys from about 4 weeks old and had to buy the Milk Replacer and we fed that to them up until around 3-4 months old I beleive. If you think the cat is still fairly young I would recommend that to start with. It is a little pricey, you could always get some that comes in a small little juicebox and start with that. Then try the canned food. I would also get a kitten chow, but wait to feed it that.
10. It is really important to get her to a vet to be dewormed! worms, especially in outside cats live in the intestine and heart, they feed off of your kittens food right from the intestine so no matter how much they eat they won't seem to gain weight. They sell kitten formula at pet stores... get one with the highest protein and fat content. If she is eating dry or even wet cat food that is great but she will still need the milk for a period of time.