Not sure I am feeding my IBS cat enough. Please help.

mysterylover

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Hi all,

Everyone here is so great to share their experiences.  On top of me being only 5 years or so into owning and caring for cats (3 siblings rescued from my yard when their mom dropped them off after weaning), we now have the new addition of my mom's 8-year-old male.

I am concerned about the weight of one of the siblings, Tigger.  He has always been more energetic, affectionate, curious, and into stuff (closets, bathtub, cabinets, etc.)  In addition to this, I think he has anxiety issues, which cause him issues with soft stools (currently staying under control with Fortiflora and pumpkin added to his wet food).  My other cats are at good weight or maybe even a tad over, but  I can feel Tigger's ribs when I pick him up, which I think is too thin.  Am I right? 

Honestly, if he were free fed dry, he would likely be so fat he could not walk.  He has always been a kibble junkie, and I have managed to compromise on this with his diarrhea issues by giving him mostly wet food with "dessert" of a handful of limited ingredient dry kibbles.  I have read on here and other places that a 9-pound cat needs anywhere from 200-235 calories per day.  Because of who he is, he is prone to scarf and barf, especially if given too much canned food in one meal. 

Right now, I am feeding two meals of wet food a day with a canned "snack," where I usually split a 6 0z can four ways between all four cats (usually the snack is Weruva, since the cat that was mom's is picky and does not eat other things the siblings like). 

The meals for the 3 siblings usually consist of 1/2 Nature's Variety 5.5 oz pate can, one Nutro 3 oz can plus 1/4 of another 3 oz can split 3 ways twice a day.  If I feed Tigger any more at one sitting, he will nearly always throw up right after, so I am taking that as his way of saying he is full.  After this, they do get maybe a dozen kibbles of limited ingredient dry food.  About 5 hours after the first meal, they usually get the snack of 1/4 of a 6 oz can each.

When I started calculating the calories, I am getting that the meals usually add up to about 150-160 calories a day per cat (except when part of the meal is made up of the Weruva, which of course is lower in calories, so I might need to make that only for their snack portion).  I figure the kibble adds up to another 50 calories, and the snack adds in another 20 or so calories.  So, 150+50+20=220.

Does anyone else have an IBS, high-strung, anxious kitty who needs to eat more than other cats not as anxious as he is to maintain healthy weight?  He has recently added randomly marking by the front door (like once a week) as a response to his stress (still trying to tell if that is due to feeling threatened by the outdoor cats being more present due to spring or if it took him 4 months to feel threatened in territory by the addition of my mom's cat since last October).  If he is not getting enough to eat, would that not also stress him?  if he feels threatened by the new cat, the first place I would guess he would feel threatened would be worry about not getting his share, since eating is very high on his list of pleasant experiences.  Since he was a rescue, food has always been the highlight of his day (and yes, he will steal at times, which certainly does not help his bowel issues--the theft of one fried chicken strip off my son's plate that was eaten in a minute caused him terrible diarrhea that fortunately was helped with Fortiflora).  I am now experimenting with him being on Fortiflora in small amounts daily.  My thinking is that, if I can keep the diarrhea under control, he might also gain weight consistently, and I figure the bouts of diarrhea are also very stressful for him. 

Okay, I will stop rambling and wait to get any responses from hopefully those with experience with IBS (thankfully not IBD) kitties and a need for more calories.  His IBS acts up with any big change.  It started when both of my kids started college at the same time a couple of years ago.  With better food and getting him used to the new schedules, he got better.  Then, my dad died so, DH and I have more responsibility taking care of mom. He got soft stools again, but I used the Fortiflora and pumpkin and got him over that episode.  Of course, the new cat added is the most recent stress, and so far, I think the soft stools are being controlled by the Fortiflora and pumpkin, which I am thinking of just continuing long term.

I am sure others will share their insight.

Thanks! 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I guess my  main question here is....is he losing weight?  That's how you tell if you're not feeding enough. 

The calories is just a guideline.  It depends on their weight, age, and activity level, just like with humans.  Some burn calories different than others.  So...if he's maintaining well, then you're feeding him enough.   Have you asked the Vet if he seems underweight? 

I see no reason why you can't continue using the FortiFlora and pumpkin long term if it's working.  You might also add into his wet food a human pro-biotic.  I give my guys 1/2 capsule in the morning and 1/2 capsule in the evening.  I just dissolve it in a little water before I add the food to the bowl. 

I have a scarf and barf cat too, so I feed him smaller meals, more often.  Can you do that?  Are you home all day?   Do you feed him separate from the other cats so he doesn't have to stress out about the others stealing his food?  I feed each of mine in a different room so I can keep an eye on them  (by separate, I mean one is in the kitchen, one on the dining room table, and one in the living room, but I can see them all, but they are far enough away from each other that they aren't busy looking back and forth at each other eyeballing each others' bowls
)
 
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mysterylover

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Thanks for the ideas. No, he is not losing weight. It just seems like he has always been thinner since he stopped growing from being a kitten than his siblings who ate exactly what he ate. He also actually acts hungry sooner than the other cats. He is definitely more active. While the others are napping for the 3rd time each day, he is up looking out the window or vying for my husband's attention, etc.

I had never thought of feeding them that far apart in house. I don't see how you get the bowls down fast enough to make it work. I do not have any help in feeding time. We have had cats for over 5 years, and I don't think my husband has ever opened a can of food. He will give them treats, but that is about it. I have always fed the siblings together in the kitchen. If I put them more than a few of my steps apart, I have a feeling one or two of them would be done before I could put the food down for the third one and would run to where they were. At least with them all getting food at the same minute, they all have their faces down in the bowls. I do referee the boys and make them stay away from their sister, since she is the slow eater. I have seen one of the boys reach in and pull her bowl to him, so I am watching now all the time.

Right now, I will see if giving him a larger snack will help. Just an extra teaspoonful might help.

I still have not figured out the marking. So far, we think we are aware of when he does it. Sometimes he does it while we are in the room. He sometimes goes a week without doing it. I actually almost thought I saw a pattern of him doing it when I was late on feeding.  Like he was having some sort of panic attack about missing a meal. Of course, it could be just about space. Having the 4th cat means there is less square footage per cat. We have been talking about putting shelves on the wall or getting more towers/trees/tall things they can get on and take more advantage of the space up high to alleviate any stress there.

Yes, I do work from home and am here most days. However, because I am at work, I have to take breaks when work allows with deadlines. Sometimes, I sit in the chair and don't get up for 5 hours in a row (maybe stand up and stretch and sit right back down, which I know is not healthy for me, let alone any cat needs). The scarf and barf is helped by me portioning and making them take breaks between the portion--so they get 1/2 can split three ways then a break of a few minutes, then another 1/2 can and a break, then another 1/2 can, etc. Feeding seems to take forever. It is shorter at the snack time, but of course, there are still bowls to wash up afterwards.

I just want to be careful if I increase Tigger's calories a tad not to get heavy handed with the others. I don't want his sister to become overweight and have to try to deal with that.

Thanks for the tip on the human probiotic. i have seen others talking about them on the boards. The Fortiflora and pumpkin seem to almost constipate him if I give too much or even every day, so I am playing with that schedule a bit.

Thank you for your reply. Everyone here is always so helpful!
 
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