High calorie foods for sensitive stomach

[Freddieandchip]

My moms senior cat (almost 17) has been slowly losing weight over the last few years. He’s also become much more picky. He is also always hungry no matter how much he eats. He’s been to the vet, all of his labs come back completely normal. The vet was almost positive that he had hyperthyroidism but his thyroid levels were all normal. Lately he has been eating Sheba because it’s one of the only things my mom can get him to eat but it makes him throw up. I’m willing to try anything. At this point I’m not as worried about whether or not the food is healthy, I just want something that he will eat that will fill him up and hopefully help him gain some weight. I’d love suggestions if you have any

 

[lisahe]

Which Sheba foods has your mom been feeding him?

If the cat has been vomiting Sheba, I'd be careful in choosing other foods since there may be something in the Sheba that's bothering him. Perhaps the fish? Or the tapioca starch? We think one (or both of those ingredients) may bother one of our cats.

Has the cat eaten Fancy Feast pate in the past? The turkey and giblets pate is a very decent caloric food. It's one of the only ones without fish. Chewy makes a Tiny Tiger turkey and giblets pate that's very similar. Our cats love both.

I hope she can find something he'll eat!

 

[daftcat75]

My last cat, Krista, the one in the avatar, she loved Rawz pates--first the turkey, and then when she couldn't have turkey anymore, she loved the rabbit pate. You can even get the rabbit pate with pumpkin to help with digestion. My current cat, Betty, is not convinced by Rawz. She liked rabbit. But she liked the cans I had leftover from Krista that were from a batch she'll never see again. She liked turkey for a meal or two. Rawz pates can be in the 1.3 to 1.5 calories per gram. That's quite high! Hills A/D is a high calorie prescription food that many cats enjoy. My recommendation, if he likes A/D, is to mix it with something less rich. Reserve pure A/D for when he doesn't want to eat anything. What I have found with Betty is that she will eat a greater total number of calories and volume of food if A/D is mixed with something else. If it's given by itself, she will only eat so much of it before it's too rich for her. Currently, she eats a mix of Hills I/D pate, Hills A/D pate, and a small number of Hills I/D kibble with each meal. The other thing that I've found that has helped Betty is warming her food before serving it. Five minutes in a trickling hot water bath is good. If I'm in a rush and don't want to wait for the hot water bath, a few seconds in the microwave, stir, a few more seconds, stir again, and that's usually warm enough. Not looking for a hot meal. Just not something fridge cold.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Some cats will test within the normal range for hyperthyroidism (T4), and still have the condition. There are some additional tests that can be done just to ensure a cat does not have hyperthyroidism. Here is an article you can read about them and then discuss them with your vet to see if they think it might be worth pursuing.
Thyroid Hormone Testing in Cats | VCA Animal Hospitals (vcahospitals.com)