Underweight Stray

[PipersMom]

We recently adopted a cat who we named Piper. She is beautiful and sweet, but extremely underweight. I am currently feeding her what she was being fed by the lady who took her after I found her in my garage (after several unsuccessful attempts to find her family - she was obviously someone's baby at some point. She came back to me because she was so unhappy there). She is eating Cat Chow Complete with Friskies wet food. Now, as a former dog owner, I am assuming that much like that world, the cat world has strong opinions on cat nutrition. I am new to cat ownership, so I am learning. I am sure Cat Chow and Friskies are not high quality foods though. I didn't want to upset her GI system while I am trying to help her gain weight and get healthy again, so I kept her on the same food. I would like to change it at some point though.

I am totally new to cats, so what are some opinions on feeding? Cat foods, types of cat foods, when to feed, etc. Thanks!

 

[KarenKat]

Hi and welcome! There are definitely very strong opinions on cat food, so welcome to the rabbit hole lol. And welcome to Piper! So glad she found a loving home.

While many people have different opinions on what is a bad vs good brand, and what ingredients to avoid there are some undisputed facts. Unlike dogs, who are omnivores, cats are “obligate carnivores” - this means they eat and thrive on meat specifically.

They also evolved from desert animals and have a low thirst drive, getting their water from the prey they eat. so wet is generally considered better than dry food. You’re already doing great by feeding both!

When I look at cat foods, I want to see meat in the first couple of ingredients. I avoid fillers like potatoes, peas, corn, wheat and soy when possible, and if I can’t I prefer them to not be in the first five ingredients. This is easier don’t for wet food than dry food.

Also, ideally you want high protein, medium fat and low carbs. Catfooddb.com, catinfo.org, and contacting the manufacturer are good ways of comparing this information.

I highly recommend also searching this site for “best cat food” or something similar, there are many threads that go down the rabbit hole of what each person thinks is the best.

I think it’s awesome that you are doing research. Piper is one lucky kitty!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. If your avatar pic is Piper - she is gorgeous! I know other members, just like KarenKat , will come along and give you lots of advice about the best foods/feeding routines. My cat is on urinary health care food, and that is all I have known for most of her 12 years with me, so I can't help much with specifics.

However, in the meantime, I would suggest keeping her on the foods you know she likes, and when you try a few new foods, give her just a little at a time, along side the existing ones. You can increase the amount of the 'newer' foods that you find she likes as you slowly decrease the original ones.

 

[Kieka]

Welcome to TCS! And thank you for taking in Piper.

You are right that the cat world is very opinionated on cat food. I would say it is good you haven't done a sudden switch, a slow switch helps reduce chances of tummy upset and rejection. You've already gotten great advice on what to look for.

The one thing I will add is that the best food for your cat is the one she will eat and you can afford. If someone tells you this one is the best but she turns her nose up at it, it isn't the best to her. Keep in mind that cats going more than 24hours are at risk for health problems that can easily lead to death. So don't try to starve her out when trying different options.

And, of course as an obligatory remark, if you haven't already please get her spayed.

 

[di and bob]

For right now I would feed her what she likes. Friskies wet is not a bad food, it is what I have fed cats for over 50 years. I do buy Purina One for my dry. For now, feed her as much as she wants several times a day. when I have a starving cat show up I usually give them kitten chow because it is higher in calories and nutrition. Cats have to have Taurine, which is what is found in meat and cat food. So stick with that and she will be fine. Bless you for helping her!

 

[PipersMom]

Thanks everyone! I did not realize that cats get most of their water from food, that is good to know! She always has fresh water out too, obviously.

FeebysOwner That is Piper! She is a really pretty kitty and super tolerant of and patient with my very excited 4 year old daughter. Lol.

 

[FeebysOwner]

BTW - As she does begin to gain weight, and reaches what the vet thinks is appropriate for her, slowly begin to pare down the quantity to an amount that is conducive to maintaining that weight. And, if you feed any human food to her, place it in her food dishes, rather than out of your hand or near areas where you are eating your meals. That will help to avoid my mistakes.

Feeby was a stray around 2 years old and very underweight when I got her. I let her eat to her heart's delight, and made the mistake of supplementing it with human food. Now Miss Chubby, at 14+ yo, is almost 18 pounds (has been at that weight now for a number of years). I am sure it is because until the last few years I never pared down the amount of cat food properly. She is used to begging human food from me all the time - and, I cave in to her still.

 

[lisahe]

Also, ideally you want high protein, medium fat and low carbs.

This is my main criterion for cat food, too! We feed our cats only high-protein, low-carb wet food: that's what cats are built to eat and our cats have some food sensitivities that make it necessary!

Our cats also came to us underfed -- they were 10 months old -- so they ate tons in the first months with us. We took them off dry food within the first couple months and started figuring out what foods worked well for them. (And what didn't: potato turned out to cause one to vomit.) And of course, as other have mentioned, there were foods the cats didn't really like too much.

One really important thing that may also be part of FeebysOwner 's experience: underfed rescue cats sometimes have food insecurity for years after they're adopted into a permanent home. Nearly five years later, one of our cats would still eat and eat and eat if she had constant access to food, and she tends to gain weight easily. This is one of the reasons we feed only wet food (less dense, calorie-wise) and only in meals (small amounts means Edwina doesn't eat too fast and vomit). We also don't feed any human food to the cats, partly because we limit the cats' diet so much (meat, meat, and meat) but also to avoid the sort of complications that FeebysOwner mentions. We don't feed regular treats for that reason, too.

In terms of brands, supermarket foods like Friskies and Fancy Feast and Sheba -- the pates for all since they tend to be lowest in carbs -- are an easy and decent place to start. If Piper's already an adult cat, you'll definitely need to keep an eye on her weight and calories and maybe look for some foods that are a little less dense in calories. That's one of the great benefits of wet food: there are lots of very decent foods that are fairly low-calorie.

 

[KarenKat]

underfed rescue cats sometimes have food insecurity for years after they're adopted into a permanent home. Nearly five years later, one of our cats would still eat and eat and eat if she had constant access to food, and she tends to gain weight easily. This is one of the reasons we feed only wet food (less dense, calorie-wise) and only in meals (small amounts means Edwina doesn't eat too fast and vomit)

Pass the kudos back over, Olive was outdoors for a few years and to avoid her being the shape of a barrel we also only do wet food. She is the most food motivated cat I’ve ever met!

 

[ArchyCat]

Just a suggestion. As long as Piper is under weight, you might want tosupliment her food by putting out a saucer of Kitten Milk Replacement ( KMR), once or twice a day. It is available at many pet stores. Buy the dry powder form, not the liquid. Just add water. It is a balanced mix of protein, fat, and supplements. It is used to feed orphaned kittens, weaning ng kittens, and pregnant adults. Piper could have it as a supplement until she reaches her goal weight and one year of age.

Do you have any idea of Piper's age? If she is one year or less, she should probably be fed kitten canned and kibble. They would be good food for her until she reaches her goal weight, even if she is more than one year old.

 

[PipersMom]

Just a suggestion. As long as Piper is under weight, you might want tosupliment her food by putting out a saucer of Kitten Milk Replacement ( KMR), once or twice a day. It is available at many pet stores. Buy the dry powder form, not the liquid. Just add water. It is a balanced mix of protein, fat, and supplements. It is used to feed orphaned kittens, weaning ng kittens, and pregnant adults. Piper could have it as a supplement until she reaches her goal weight and one year of age.

Do you have any idea of Piper's age? If she is one year or less, she should probably be fed kitten canned and kibble. They would be good food for her until she reaches her goal weight, even if she is more than one year old.

Thanks for the suggestion! I don't know her age. I'm not a good judge of cat age, but she appears young (though not a kitten). If I had to guess, I would say she's older than 1, but I could be wrong. She heads to the vet on Tuesday to check if she's spayed and do a wellness check/shots, so hopefully they have a better idea. She seems to have a swayback when she walks though, and I'm not sure if that's a sign of age or if it's something else. Again, not being very familiar with cats, I don't know how normal that is.

 

[duckpond]

She is a beautiful girl! Good luck with the vet visit, hopefully she gets only good remarks, no problems. Let us know what the vet says. Everyone else has given great advice on foods, so i just wanted to say, what a pretty girl, and im glad she has you to take care of her!

 

[PipersMom]

She is a beautiful girl! Good luck with the vet visit, hopefully she gets only good remarks, no problems. Let us know what the vet says. Everyone else has given great advice on foods, so i just wanted to say, what a pretty girl, and im glad she has you to take care of her!

She went to the vet today and aside from her still very loose stool, she is healthy. We will see what they say after they test the stool sample, but we may be looking at some kind of food intolerance. Her bloodwork was negative and the vet said her teeth are pristine. She guessed her age at 1-2 years, but probably closer to 1. She weighs 8.2 lbs, which I was honestly surprised by because she is still so skinny (you can feel all her bones). She also believes she is already spayed, which is great! She said the incision is super small (even for a keyhole spay), but it could have been done as a little kitten. We are going to be watching to see if she goes into heat or not over the next few months.