fattening up our kitty

[westtexas]

Get thee to a veterinarian Diabetes, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, lymphoma, liver disease... these are things she should be checked for and ruled out before just increasing calories is the answer. While you are at your vet, ask for some a/d (or whatever brand they have's "recovery diet") once you know your diagnosis. a/d is a high calorie food fed to hospitalized patients that can help your kitty regain weight. And I will say for all of those diseases there are very classic symptoms, but I have diagnosed plenty of lethargic hyperthyroid kitties and diabetics who were drinking/urinating normally and eating very little.

[indysteel]

To follow up on what Westtexas said, I'd suggest talking to your vet about routine blood work for your geriatric cat(s). We get something our vet calls the "Senior 7" as part of our older cat's semi-annual exam. It won't catch everything that can befall an aging cat, but it keeps track of some major things (like thyroid and kidney function). Obviously, it's an additional expense, and your vet may only suggest having it done once a year. I sure wish I'd used it when my now-deceased cat was getting up in years. We would have caught some issues earlier and provided her with a better quality of life as she aged. Like your cat, she lost weight that I didn't detect at first because she was a very furry medium haired cat. And once I did, I just chalked it up to old age. She was hyperthyroid as it turns out.

[Brandi]

Thank you everyone I will let you know what happens.

[sookiesue]

If your kitty does end up hyperthyroid, my experience was that they offered either liquid or pill form of the medication. My kitty did not take pills well so I tried the liquid. The stuff must have tasted awful because she would fling her head around, spraying the medicine all over, and sometimes even froth at the mouth to get rid of it. Not only was this a total mess, but then I never knew if she was getting enough medicine.

Finally a vet tech suggested giving her the pills and she gave me a little sample of these "pill pockets" made by the company that makes Greenies. The pill pocket is this malleable substance that you can tuck a pill into - you can even break it apart and wrap it around smaller pills. My cat LOVED them. I could get her to gulp down her pills, no problem.

So, short story long , if you end up having to medicate your animal and they don't like pills, try these pill pockets! My vet carried them (my cat liked the salmon flavor) but I also saw them at PetSmart...or PetCo...I always mix those up. I think you can even get them on Amazon.

They aren't cheap, but if the pills are small you can break apart one pocket and use it for two doses.

Good luck with kitty!

[sookiesue]

Whoops! I just re-read the thread and noticed that Zoom-Zoom already endorsed Pill Pockets. Sorry for the repeat of info!

[Brandi]

Repeat is not a bad thing. Thank you for sharing your experience with them as well.

[Savra]

I was having this issue with my older kitty. She's 15 and I figured it was just age. I got her a specific calorie inducing gel from PetsMart that I put on her paw to lick off. It helped really - she would eat well when I gave her that. HOWEVER - I also took her to the vet and they gave her an antibiotic shot and she's a brand new kitty. Come to find out - she's had a cold for the past few months and now feels MUCH better.
So - try the Calorie inducing gel stuff at PetsMart but also talk to your vet about the possibility that your cat may just not be feeling well.