High Calorie Wet Food?

sivyaleah

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Does anyone have suggestions for high calorie canned food?
Grain free, pea free, potato free, cranberry free etc.
Just found out our Maine Coon Luna is rather underweight, had no idea with all that fur on her, she's lost a pound in the past couple of months instead should be gaining being she's just under a year.
She was pretty sick this morning which is what led us to the vet and discovered this. Until I know what's up (could just be viral) looking for some new food options for her to put back on the pounds. She really should be at around 11 lbs minimum by now.
She prefers pate style but also eats the Merrick pouches which are kind of chunky so maybe texture isn't part of the equation for us.
Thanks!
 

lisahe

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maggie101 maggie101 's suggestion of Wellness Core is a good one: some of those are very caloric, though check the ingredients because some of them have (or used to have?) potato in them. Our cats particularly liked the kitten food, which should be pretty caloric. Kitten foods are generally more caloric since kittens are growing and needs lots of calories.

Fancy Feast Classics are pretty caloric and most cats love them, which can be a big plus if you need to get a cat to eat and put on weight. They may not be the best food (I'm more against the vitamin k than the byproducts, which don't bother me a bit) but they're great for young cats who need a lot to eat. Our cats also loved their kitten food; I wish I could still feed them but fish has been taken off the menu!

Chewy's Tiny Tiger foods are likely also pretty caloric; they're very similar to Fancy Feast. Rawz makes more expensive but very high-quality food; the pates are fairly caloric. (Of course our cats don't especially like them!) Nutro Natural Choice used to make high-calorie pates -- the chunky chicken loaf was a big favorite here! -- but I can't find it anymore. I'm not sure if it's been discontinued or if there's a supply problem. (There have been supply problems and talk of discontinuation for years but now, with Covid-19, I'm finding even less than before. Meaning nothing!)

My favorite place for calorie information is the food chart on catinfo.org, here.

I used that chart when we had a very senior cat and I needed to feed her high calories but low phosphorous.

Good luck! Some cats -- like our Ireland -- are just naturally sleek and trim. I feed Ireland more than her (chunkier!) sister but she never seems to gain. Ireland's not exactly underweight so the vet's not concerned. So neither are we!
 
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sivyaleah

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lisahe lisahe thanks
She's already eating FF Classics as a main part of her diet.
I also had a senior with kidney disease so kind of remember some of the brands, but she's a lot pickier than my old boy was. She ate fantastic until she got spayed, her appetite leveled off quite a bit after that. Some I would buy then have been unavailable at Chewy since the pandemic hit. And yes, trying to avoid any fillers - that's just going to lower the overall nutrition.
I was thinking of going to kitten food, I actually never have used it because her breeder said it wasn't necessary. She's been eating adult food for months.
I know some cats are trimmer than others, but you can feel her hip and back bone at this point - that, is way way too thin for a purebred Maine Coon.
Obviously I have concerns about this I'm not voicing. I'm hoping the blood tests come back negative and normal and that perhaps, she just had some kind of viral infection we weren't aware of the past couple of weeks and it took until this mornings bout of loose poops and lethargy to make it noticeable to us.
 

lisahe

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lisahe lisahe thanks
She's already eating FF Classics as a main part of her diet.
I also had a senior with kidney disease so kind of remember some of the brands, but she's a lot pickier than my old boy was. She ate fantastic until she got spayed, her appetite leveled off quite a bit after that. Some I would buy then have been unavailable at Chewy since the pandemic hit. And yes, trying to avoid any fillers - that's just going to lower the overall nutrition.
I was thinking of going to kitten food, I actually never have used it because her breeder said it wasn't necessary. She's been eating adult food for months.
I know some cats are trimmer than others, but you can feel her hip and back bone at this point - that, is way way too thin for a purebred Maine Coon.
Obviously I have concerns about this I'm not voicing. I'm hoping the blood tests come back negative and normal and that perhaps, she just had some kind of viral infection we weren't aware of the past couple of weeks and it took until this mornings bout of loose poops and lethargy to make it noticeable to us.
I'm glad she's happily eating the Fancy Feast. And yes, the selections aren't quite what they used to be on Chewy: they're doing really well (knock wood and all that!) with what we feed the most of (freeze-dried raw foods) but some of the canned stuff I've wanted to order has been missing.

I'd wondered if there were other concerns here. What have Luna's symptoms been? It sounds like you're already not feeding fillers so that's probably out as a cause if the symptoms seem to hit the digestive system. Our cats are definitely prone to digestive issues: we've had trouble with one cat barfing from potato and green-lipped mussels; they both barf from agar-agar.

Kitten food definitely isn't necessary but the relatively high calories can be helpful if a cat needs to gain weight.
 
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sivyaleah

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I'm glad she's happily eating the Fancy Feast. And yes, the selections aren't quite what they used to be on Chewy: they're doing really well (knock wood and all that!) with what we feed the most of (freeze-dried raw foods) but some of the canned stuff I've wanted to order has been missing.

I'd wondered if there were other concerns here. What have Luna's symptoms been? It sounds like you're already not feeding fillers so that's probably out as a cause if the symptoms seem to hit the digestive system. Our cats are definitely prone to digestive issues: we've had trouble with one cat barfing from potato and green-lipped mussels; they both barf from agar-agar.

Kitten food definitely isn't necessary but the relatively high calories can be helpful if a cat needs to gain weight.
She actually had no symptoms that we can pinpoint. She was diagnosed with KCS a few months ago (chronic dry eye) but that's under control and doing much better since we saw a specialist and she was on an eye drop for a few weeks. The specialist said that may be all she needed to help correct it. She does tend to be a bit of an over-groomer but as she's gotten older that seems to have calmed down a lot (her coat is beautiful, so it wasn't to the point she was doing herself damage). She scratches at herself at times and we know it's not fleas because her and Bean are on monthly Revolution Plus.

She doesn't go out, ever although I was wondering if even sitting near open (screened) porch doors could potentially allow some kind of parasite into the house. Then again I'm not aware of any that cause fever, which she had.

So the only definitive thing is she had diarrhea, for one time only along with the fever. It was overnight and has already resolved. And the weight loss, obviously and we don't really know how long it took to lose that pound since it had been over 2 months since last at the vet. But, I can say her appetite hasn't been robust since probably that time. But it has been sporadic - some days I'll put down food and she eats normal and finishes the can (3 oz) and other times she eats maybe half of it. And one day she'll like the food and another day, not so much. Very inconsistent. We joke that she's like have a fancy, picky teenager in the house. And really nothing has changed in her diets over the past few months, same foods.

Having said that...she's a huge mooch with people food but only gets it if plain and unseasoned (i.e.; I'll cut off a small piece of the protein to cook separately). There is an occasional bite of deli chicken or ham in there but that's rare as we don't tend to eat much of that ourselves. She also loves dairy but the only thing we allow her is plain Greek yogurt (Fage) and if we have cream cheese, she can have a small piece (about the size of an M&M) to shut her up and get her away from us as we prepare ours. There is no chance she gets into food on her own - at nearly a year she still has never jumped up on the kitchen counters (or learned to open the fridge to our knowledge :lol: - she is a Maine Coon with big paws after all).

I have considered food allergies - again, our older boy had that also as we discovered. Chicken and turkey but was fine with other poultry. We did the whole novel protein thing with him - he used to vomit daily and once we pulled the chicken/turkey it stopped nearly completely (he had other issues to that caused vomiting but, the food seemed to be the main daily cause).

Anyway, this morning she's MUCH improved and acting like her normal self, active and bopping around. She's on metronizadole for a few days and is eating Flortiflora on her food too. I should have labs back later today or by tomorrow latest. I'm hoping that her illness and food intake are not related. If it turns out to be food related, that would be so much easier to manage since we've done it already and know that routine. Just getting weight back on her will be the primary goal then.
 

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Higher calorie means that there is more fat in the food, as fat is higher in calories than protein. So if all you're going for is just high calorie, you should look for meats such as lamb and duck. These tend to be higher in fat. What's probably better is to feed high protein foods that may be lower in calories, but to feed more of them.
 
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sivyaleah

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Higher calorie means that there is more fat in the food, as fat is higher in calories than protein. So if all you're going for is just high calorie, you should look for meats such as lamb and duck. These tend to be higher in fat. What's probably better is to feed high protein foods that may be lower in calories, but to feed more of them.
The problem has been her appetite seems to have decreased and she's not eating enough at any meal. Hence why I'm looking for more nutrient dense foods. She used to chow down on a 3 ounce can easily but now, rarely gets through half of it. So I'm feeding her multiple times a day in order to get enough calories into her. I'd much rather feed her less frequently if possible.

As for other things, she's doing a LOT better. Her stomach issues are resolved completely, no fever and she's acting like her normal energetic self now. All her labs came back pretty normal except for an elevated white cell count which could be due to the illness she had. The vet is concerned about the weight loss, however, as am I - she really does feel too boney so I'm now logging in everything she's eating so get a real sense of her intake for the next few weeks. She seems to be eating a little better too (FYI, I had purchased a Merrick duck pouch, totally forgot I have it because we have it stored, need to pull it out of the basement!).

Anyway, hopefully, the loss was only due to her not feeling well and not something else which will require more testing. There are a few reasons why she may have lost weight that occurred to me in the past few days that have nothing to do with health issues so we're working on changing those things to see if they help (types of food for instance).
 

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Kitten food tends to be more calorie dense. I had the same problem when my cat was very sick and eating less and less by the day; since he would only eat a few tablespoons per day I went in search of the most calorie dense food possible to try to slow down the weight loss.

iirc blue buffalo carnivora kitten food is super high calorie, 130 cal/3 oz can. Natural balance kitten is also but I think that one might have had peas or potatoes or something so double check.
 
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sivyaleah

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Kitten food tends to be more calorie dense. I had the same problem when my cat was very sick and eating less and less by the day; since he would only eat a few tablespoons per day I went in search of the most calorie dense food possible to try to slow down the weight loss.

iirc blue buffalo carnivora kitten food is super high calorie, 130 cal/3 oz can. Natural balance kitten is also but I think that one might have had peas or potatoes or something so double check.
I used to feed NB to one of my other cats, yes it does have peas and/or other stuff in it.
One of the things that could be part of the problem is I realized the kibble she's eating (which is a minimal part of her diet, but calorie-wise a big chunk) wasn't as good as I thought it was. Apparently Orijen has 4 different flavors and I haven't been able to get the one she was eating (Tundra) so I opted for the Regional Red. Come to find that that one is a lot less animal protein in it even though ti's protein content is high overall, thanks to a ton of lentils and such. Interestingly, it was 3 weeks ago I started feeding her this and I just started to notice she felt really think this week. So now I wonder if between not eating enough wet food and not getting the same kibble higher animal protein she was used to, this *MAY* be the reason for her weight loss in past weeks.

I pulled her off that flavor and on to the Cat and Kitten version which I'm hoping isn't quite as bad for her.

I will look into the Blue Buffalo/Carnivora - been difficult getting some things since Covid, let alone quickly. Chewy has been having a terrible time with deliveries. Used to take like 2 days and now it's more like 10.
 

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I used to feed NB to one of my other cats, yes it does have peas and/or other stuff in it.
One of the things that could be part of the problem is I realized the kibble she's eating (which is a minimal part of her diet, but calorie-wise a big chunk) wasn't as good as I thought it was. Apparently Orijen has 4 different flavors and I haven't been able to get the one she was eating (Tundra) so I opted for the Regional Red. Come to find that that one is a lot less animal protein in it even though ti's protein content is high overall, thanks to a ton of lentils and such. Interestingly, it was 3 weeks ago I started feeding her this and I just started to notice she felt really think this week. So now I wonder if between not eating enough wet food and not getting the same kibble higher animal protein she was used to, this *MAY* be the reason for her weight loss in past weeks.

I pulled her off that flavor and on to the Cat and Kitten version which I'm hoping isn't quite as bad for her.

I will look into the Blue Buffalo/Carnivora - been difficult getting some things since Covid, let alone quickly. Chewy has been having a terrible time with deliveries. Used to take like 2 days and now it's more like 10.
Yeah I’ve had the same issues with chewy lately, it makes sense that no one wants to go to the pet store if they can avoid it I guess. My most recent litter shipment did come much more quickly than the one 6 weeks ago though so maybe they’re getting better.

My vet also recommended 1/2 tsp of nutrical gel per day to help with weight gain. He really liked the taste so I’d put it on top of his wet food to trick him into eating more lol
 

lisahe

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Yeah I’ve had the same issues with chewy lately, it makes sense that no one wants to go to the pet store if they can avoid it I guess. My most recent litter shipment did come much more quickly than the one 6 weeks ago though so maybe they’re getting better.
Same here: Chewy's getting quicker again. My last shipment was almost as fast as it used to be.
 
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sivyaleah

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Same here: Chewy's getting quicker again. My last shipment was almost as fast as it used to be.
Oh that's encouraging! My last shipment took forever. Luckily I wasn't in any great need, in fact I placed my standing order in error. I meant to let it wait another 2 weeks but forgot to change the ship date. I have a TON of food here now. But now I need different stuff LOL.
 

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Oh that's encouraging! My last shipment took forever. Luckily I wasn't in any great need, in fact I placed my standing order in error. I meant to let it wait another 2 weeks but forgot to change the ship date. I have a TON of food here now. But now I need different stuff LOL.
I hope your next one arrives promptly! I'm sure a lot of the timing depends on what's ordered and where it's coming from: I had one split order that arrived over a one- or two-week stretch but it did all arrivem from various places! And they actually duplicated a lot of the order without charging me... when I told them, they said to just use or donate it so I kept it but made a nice donation to the shelter. That was just as everything was shutting down, so they must have been absolutely inundated with orders. I know what you mean about having a ton of food but needing other things... nothing ever seems to run out quite as planned! And I usually (meaning pre-Covid-19) buy some of this stuff in more limited quantities so having cases of several kinds of canned foods really fills up the cat food cart. Right now, though, there's almost literally no way to do otherwise and I have to say it's nice to know I have a good supply on hand.
 

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We have 7 kittens in the house of various ages.

We feed them Fancy Feast (classic and kitten), Friskies pate (rice flour), and Tiny Tiger. If I could afford it, I’d in some Dr. Elsey’s, RAWZ, and maybe occasional ZiwiPeak (chickpeas) and Hounds and Gatos too.

They get canned 2x a day, and then we free feed Dr. Elsey’s CleanProtein dry (and occasionally ZiwiPeak and Young Again, the latter of which is very calorie dense).

I’m generally on the “feed them as much as they want up to 1 year old” camp, but, dang, our older ones are really starting to look a little plump!

And I’ll contribute to the reporting here too - Chewy has been much faster! Only about a 3-4 day wait the last couple of orders.
 
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sivyaleah

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moxiewild moxiewild We used to feed the Hounds & Gatos to one of our cats some years back but for a while there, the quality seemed to decline. Has it been consistent now? I remember him liking it quite a bit.

I'm staying away from anything with legumes in it of any kind so Ziwipeak is out for me. I did look into RAWZ recently, it looks interesting.

Yesterday I picked up a load of 3 ounce cans of various things. So far, she does like the Weruva Cats in the Kitchen Lambergini, Merrick Purrfect Bistro Kitten and Whole Earth Farms Kitten. She hated the Tiki Cat Chicken and Quail Egg, spit it out. I think it may be a texture thing for her though, she's not used to eating shreds. I have like 1/2 dozen others to try.

Only problem is our older girl, who is quite pudgy and also picky about what she eats, decided that she likes the Whole Earth Kitten :p But I've been looking for new food for her also, and I don't intend on feeding kitten food daily to Luna so I guess if she nibbles on it not such a terrible thing. Wasn't like she licked the bowl clean - only had a few bites but she was quite enthusiastic about it
 
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