# Advice please on food to fatten up my cat



## lucylocket35 (Feb 5, 2011)

Hi
We adopted a 5 yr old male, last Sunday from a foster home. He was found a couple of months ago, very skinny and struck by a car. He had to have his top pallet stitched, which has now healed. They think he used to be owned, cos he is nuetered, but may have been straying for a while, hence his skinniness. He is eating ok but is still quite thin. The foster carer said you shouldn't be able to feel the bumps of his spine when you stroke him, which you can. She had been feeding him Whiska's supermeat because she said it was small chunks, and easier for him and his pallet, but she said it would be ok to change to what i wanted to feed him, by gradually introducing the new stuff. I was given a few tins to tide me over, but my usual supermarket don't do the supermeat variety, so i got whiska's pouches. Artie was eating the supermeat ok, but when i gave him a pouch, OMG, he was mad for it! He was round my feet, meowing, and gobbled it up straight away. I was kind of thinking that if i just supply him with lots of food he would fatten up, but my other half said to be careful he would get used to all that food, and get too fat.

I have this morning been reading on money saving expert about what best to feed cats and lots of people are saying that whiska's is about 4% meat and a load of rubbish, and that certain food bought online is much better, and cheaper if bought in bulk. If I am to change his food I'd like to buy a small quantity and try it on him,as I am told cats can be fussy eaters!

Can anyone advise please, in Artie's situation? :confused1:

Thank you


----------



## Guest (Feb 5, 2011)

Hobbs is the person you need and I'm sure she'll be along in a minute :thumbup:


----------



## moandben (Jan 27, 2010)

until Hobbs pops in can I sugest you read the A -Z wet food sticky at the top of this forum. Very good guide.

Jen


----------



## Lulu's owner (May 1, 2009)

There are some tins you can buy from the vet's (and maybe other places) that are very palatable and high calorie called Hills Prescription Diet A/D. Sometimes pets are put on them after surgery or when they're ill and struggling to eat. It's a mousse sort of consistency and so easy to eat. Only problem is it's very dear (think I paid over £1.50 per small, 156 gram can) but you wouldn't be feeding it forever, so it might be worth looking into as a short-term measure. Worth ringing the vet to check, I would think.


----------



## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

I found that my girl put on lots of weight after putting her on the raw food from Natural Instinct. She had really lost a lot after rearing her kittens and was very skinny even for a Siamese. She was back to her pre-pregnancy weight within a week :thumbup:
Only problem is the Natural Instinct isn't available yet  (we took part in a trial for them) It might be worth looking at raw for you cat though Lucylocket. There are a couple of other suppliers or you could make up your own 
http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-health-nutrition/111455-thinking-about-raw-feeding-basic-guide.html


----------



## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

First of all....Whiskas _isn't_ just 4 % meat....it has a minimum of 4% of the _named flavour_. So it is not as bad as some people think. In fact it is cheap, easily available, offers balanced nutrition and most importantly of all....your cat loves it!
There are better foods for your money.....and Hobbs A-Z will give you all that information ( I think the discussion on MSE is based on her petforum posts ) However many of these foods do need to be ordered on the internet....Zooplus does a great range and while you need to spend £19 for free delivery, it is perfectly possible to order 6 cans of Bozita or Animonda Carny and pay £3 for delivery...so not the end of the world.
These foods may be a little more expensive to buy...but in general the cat will eat less so the overall price is not much higher. Most cats produce less litter waste when fed a better diet....and if your cat uses a tray then that aspect will also save you money.
For now, I would feed your boy generously and let him fatten back up now he has found loving home.
One more thing....we need pictures!!


----------



## lucylocket35 (Feb 5, 2011)

Thanks for your advice, maybe i got the wrong end of the stick about whiska's! i guess if he is eating that ok i'll stick with it for now and maybe look at changing it when he is more settled.


----------



## buffie (May 31, 2010)

If you do want to try just a few different types of food once you have had a look at the a-z list try contacting these people Mutley & Mog pet products for Dogs, Cats, Small Animals & Birds - Online Pet Shop UK I think they will supply individual packs of a variety of different on line only cat foods.

http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-health-nutrition/112132-z-wet-food-cats.html


----------

