Weight gain

[Bri1976]

My 2 1/2yr old cat is suddenly putting on a good amount of weight...she’s been on the same foods since she was able to eat hard food. She was spayed back in April/March so I’m not sure what I would be. Our vets run about $80 just to check them out without any meds or anything or I would take her.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Assuming she's ok healthwise although weight gain like this should be checked out by a vet, can you get her to be more active?
Is she getting canned food?

 

[Bri1976]

She and her brother both are very active all the time, they seldom slow down lol! And no, they have been on dry food since they could chew it. I don’t like the smell of wet food.

 

[Furballsmom]

Try some different brands (I agree, some don't smell good) and find some that don't smell. There is Merrick Backcountry, Natural Balance, Red Barn, Tiki Cat (if you like this one find an additional canned brand that's not fish. Tiki does have a new one with chicken liver in it but I don't know if it has an odor). Petco and petsmart are handy in that you can buy just a can or two to try out.

The dry food is only going to continue to pack the pounds onto your cat, it's just so much more carb loaded than canned food.
This might help too;

CatFoodDB's Best Wet Cat Foods

 

[Bri1976]

I’ll try that, last time I changed her food I believe she had an allergy to it, because she started losing TONS of hair in patches and the vet said it could be from her food. I switched her back to her normal meow mix and 2-3 months later her hair is finally growing back. So I’m just worried to try another food

 

[optimispar]

I believe weight changes may be a symptom of thyroid issues but I'm not sure if they're very common in younger kitties. Maybe keep an eye on her for other potential symptoms like changes in thirst, frequency of urination, etc. if you can't afford to take her to the vet for a checkup! My vet charges around that much for a simple physical exam too so the costs can really pile up

I also agree with the poster above in that wet food is not only going to help her lose weight, but is also better for her health in general. I noticed certain brands have more pungent scents (Nutrience, in my experience) but others have milder smells so you might want to try a couple different brands!

I have to admit I've taste-tested some of my cat's food and chicken pates smell quite similar to Spam and even taste similar albeit less salty.

 

[Furballsmom]

So I’m just worried to try another food

Chicken can be a trigger--you might check the problem food (check the ingredient list either online or when you're in the store) that caused issues to see if it has chicken, or maybe beef...
This database might help to find varieties that have less to none of the protein that caused issues, and Merrick's novel proteins such as rabbit and duck could work;
Check This Out.... Chart For Cat Food Ingredients