Cat Chat Feline Forum

So we rescued a couple of older cats from a previous owner who neglected and abandoned them for years. The male we think is around 10-12 yrs old and doing fine no issues from the vet. The female however is about the same age we think and only 5 lbs and wont gain weight for anything. So far all of her blood and stool tests have come back negative so it doesnt seem to be a thyroid or intenstinal parasite issue which would be the normal issues. She was 5.5 lbs her first vet apt about a month ago and her second one a couple days ago shed only gained 2 ounces. Weve changed her diet, fed her more often whenever she wanted food. Even added some kitten milk replacer for extra protien amd fat and shes eating and drinking fine but still isnt gaining weight. The vet said if the stool tests came back negative next step would be ultrasounds but ive looked it up and those are anywhere from 150-500 dollars and i dont know if i can afford that.

Does anyone know what else we can try? She doesnt act like shes in pain and shes still very cuddly and vocal.

It may not be anything to worry about at all - my old cat Misty ate most of the cat food (his and as much of Honey's that he could pinch) and never put much weight on.

The vet is worried about it because shes severely underweight. She should weight between 8-10 lbs and she only weighs 5. Plus the vet refuses to give her the vaccines because shes so underweight

You could try a probiotic or even yoghurt they are great for improving gut flora which could help. We have a brand called protexin is Aus, which is for dogs and cats etc.

Hi friend, give less food each time and increase the times you feed, preheat the food before giving which makes them hungry due to the aroma of food, give them food and go back to your job, don't push the pet to take the food.
These are some of the tips I have used and succeeded in.

I find shallow bowls, warm food (even just a splash of hot water), and mouse-sized portions every few hours all seem to help encourage cats to eat, as long as it is presented to them and not just left for them to seek out. A mouse is about 30 kcals - for most foods that would be around a small dessertspoonful - and the average cat needs around 240 kcals a day to maintain weight, and up to 400+ kcals to gain weight. As your other cat is about right, I would add in several small meals of something high calorie and delicious just for the female (mostly protein and fat), plonking it in front of her even if she is not telling you she is hungry.

Fjm thats actually what we do. She eats several times a day so eating isnt the problem shes just not absorbing any of the food and nutrients needed to actually gain weight

If it is an absorption issue then more tests are probably inevitable. Has your vet ruled out exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and diabetes, as well as hyperthyroidism? It sounds as if they are considering IBD or lymphoma as possible causes.

Yes we did a bunch of blood tests at first and its not her tbyroid or anything like that and weve now also ruled out intenstinal parasites as well

testing for EPI is by no means routine - you can buy pancreatic enzymes on line, and it could well be worth giving them a try, as I don't think they can do any harm and could well be the answer

Calories have to go somewhere, does she have diarrhoea?

Yes and no ive seen both from her. Some times its mostly diarrhea and other days her poop is just as solid as the male cats

Perhaps the poop might be a good place to start then because loose stools mean food is passing through the system too fast to be absorbed properly. My boy had this issue and at first it was a simple case of a vitamin B injection every time. After a while that stopped working and he got a steroid shot each time. Potassium is another vital one that gets lost in loose stools, and both that and vitamin B are vicious cycles of not being absorbed causing worse diarrhoea meaning even less is absorbed, hence the injection not a supplement. Probiotics might not work if they get fired straight through, they need to become established to work. Pro-Kolin can help steady things up. I guess I'd be asking the vet about all this.