How do I fatten up my cat?

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I have a 7 year old long hair Norwegian Wood who has been dropping weight for the past two years. He is not hyperthyroid, does not have diabetes, and does not have parasites. I feed him kitten chow, canned tuna in water, and various other leftovers. The vet gave him a supplement just to see if that would help. He could eat the whole tube in one sitting if I let him. I was thinking of cooking barley in tuna juice because barley is what the gladiators used to eat to put on a very dense type of fat. Anyone have any suggestions?

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Type: Question • Score: 7 • Views: 2,016 • Replies: 11

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@Palestrya1,

why is an adult cat eating kitten chow?

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@Palestrya1,

Find something he really likes to eat.

The most basic rule of child nutrition is that if the kid won't or can't eat it, the sum total of nutritional value is ZERO, and I'd assume cats are similar.

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@gungasnake,

One possibility would be yogurt or ice cream...

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@gungasnake,

Generally speaking, many/most adult cats are pretty much lactose-intolerant. Despite the old-school-saucer-of-milk stories. Your suggestion, if followed, could cause this cat to have the runs.
http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/cats-and-dairy-get-the-facts

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@Palestrya1,

So sorry to see read about your cat's losing weight. How is the cat's energy and activity level?

As they aged, my cats lost some weight, too. They were fine until they reached age 17 and 19 yr, respectively. In other words, when they went, they went from old age.

Quote:

because barley is what the gladiators used to eat to put on a very dense type of fat.

Sorry for bluntness but what possible relevance does a story about a human diet have for a cat? Their metabolism and digestion is not that of a human.

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@Palestrya1,

Furthermore, from the previous link to expert veterinary care article:

"Remember that treats of all sorts -- such as tuna, meat, cheese, or other “people foods” -- should make up no more than 5% to 10% of your cat’s diet. The rest of your cat's calories should come from a high-quality, nutritionally complete cat food.

If you’re not sure what that means for your cat, talk to your veterinarian. Also, remember that offering table food to a cat often teaches a cat to be finicky."

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Maybe he's just a skinny cat.

Kitten chow? He's not a kitten.

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@margo,

Maybe the thought is that kitten chow has more calories (maybe it does) and would help fatten him up.

I do know that cats with sever kidney failure will finally refuse the most dainty morsel. Still, this something the average vet will recognize five minutes into an exam. The lab work only serves to confirm what they already know.

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@margo,

kitten chow has more protein.

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Have these cats been checked for parasites?

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when i looked up this type of cat on wikipedia it seems they do suffer some serious health issues

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How do I fatten up my cat?

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