Question for those who own, or have owned cats:

[SamKnause]

What can I feed my cat to increase weight gain ???

My cat licks everything, but does not eat it. She will drink all the liquid, but leave the food.

Examples:

Tuna
Salmon
Chicken
Pork
Canned cat food

She barely eats dry food. (Soft or hard).

I have bought her every treat on the market, (soft and hard) and she is not interested.

She has always been thin, but she is getting thinner.

Is there some weird food that all cats love that I am not aware of ???



She has no health issues.

She is 19 and has never eaten tuna, salmon, chicken or pork.

[ret5hd]

1. Have a vet check her teeth.She my be in pain.

[SamKnause]

2. She has no health issues.

She has never been a big eater.

She has never eaten tuna, salmon, chicken etc.

[hlthe2b]

3. I wonder about her teeth. Cats can have a reabsorptive condition that at quick glance is not

obvious as many of their teeth look fine even to an examining veterinarian on an "awake" cat.

Regardless, maybe try making a well-blended gruel using a blender and mixture of her most favorite fish, cat foods, dry foods, whatever and the favored liquid she tends to go for.

[SamKnause]

5. Thank you.

Her teeth are fine.

She has never eaten many of the foods I have listed.

This is not a new thing.

She doesn't like anything.

She is 19.

If she gets any more finicky she will run out of things to lick.

I have never seen such a strange cat.

[Jamastiene]

4. How old is she?

Fancy Feast Tuna Feast Flaked is like crack to most cats, even those that don't normally like fish flavored food. It might get her eating.

It sounds like she didn't learn how to eat solid food or something. That is why I asked how old she is.

I once raised a kitten from 2 days old and ended up having to go back once I started trying to ween her off the bottle. She would stick her face in the food and lick it and suck the juice. The vet said to keep her on the bottle longer and that did the trick. I was working in the next town over at the time and we went to Hardee's over there and I got a chicken sandwich, which was not what I normally got. She chewed her first bit of food when I dropped a bit of chicken by accident and she spotted it. It just took her longer to ween off the bottle, because of being human raised instead of raised by her cat mother, who had abandoned her.

Can you look in her mouth to see if her teeth need to be cleaned? That might be another issue that isn't easy to spot. Sore teeth can cause that too.

Is there any certain type of food she seems more interested in than the others? Like does she like chicken better than beef or something like that?

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. Also, bad fish breath is a telltale sign of rotten teeth you can't see.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Are you sure on the health issues? Mine lost weight after getting rotten teeth and

hyperthyroidism. Mine also lick plastic, especially when they are super hungry and I haven’t fed them yet. Keep her drinking and call her vet for advice. You will get the best answer from the person who knows her best.

Dairy is not great for cats, but will she lick butter?

[SamKnause]

8. I am sure about the health issues.

She drinks plenty of fresh water everyday.

She is 19.

She has never eaten tuna, salmon, chicken or pork.

She doesn't lick anything but food.

I haven't tried butter, but she doesn't care for milk.

She doesn't like anything and never has.

I was hoping there was some food that I never thought of that she would like.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. At 19, I would chalk it up to age. All my aged family

members, four-legged and otherwise, ate less as they got older.

You might try the butter to see what happens. Fats have the highest calories and are the easiest to get down.

[janterry]

9. how much does she weigh?

n/t

[procon]

10. Unfortunately, the problems you describe are

associated with her old age and common end of life issues for our dear cats. Even if you think she is in relatively good health for her age, your vet might want to check for diabetes and other metabolic diseases associated with older kitties. The vet can also recommend a safe diet plan that won't put a strain on her kidneys and other weakening organ systems. You'll also want to discuss and plan for the inevitable day when you'll need to help her cross the rainbow bridge.

I have had some success in cooking (braised or poached) various cuts of poultry and fish for my old cats with poor appetites. Try turkey and chicken thighs, frozen whitefish like pollock. I would avoid beef and pork. The texture of the meat is also important so experiment with a puree meat thinned with broth, or finely chopped or shredded meat. You can also add a teeny bit of cottage cheese, butter or veg oil, and chopped egg. The rich broth from the cooked meat might be tempting to her taste.

Sometimes hand feeding will encourage these older cats to eat a little more than when left alone. Just experiment, try small meals served every few hours might work too.

Good luck to you and your precious kitty.

[Donkees]

11. Have you tried feeding ''green tripe'' or giving vitamin B12 to stimulate appetite?

B12 Shots to Stimulate Appetite in Cats

Appetite Stimulant

According to Texas A&M University's Department of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences, cobalamin might have a "pharmacologic effect as an appetite stimulant." It notes that feline patients who don't eat and have a vitamin B12 deficiency often start eating again after receiving injectable cobalamin supplements. Once the injections stop, the cats also stop eating. That's true even if the cat has a a normal serum cobalamin level when tested. If that's the case, vitamin B12 shots should be given every week or two.

Administration
In addition to the injectable form of vitamin B-12, an oral paste and transdermal version are also available.

https://pets.thenest.com/b12-shots-stimulate-appetite-cats-10100.html

Green tripe is an important part of cats’ and dogs’ ancestral wild prey diet. It comes from the stomach of grazing animals, such as deer, sheep and cattle. Green tripe is extremely palatable, easily digested and gentle on the digestive tract, it is great for picky eaters and may be useful for pets with sensitive stomachs, IBD and IBS.

[Phoenix61]

13. My 20 year old kitty likes vanilla ice-cream

He was 16 pounds in his prime but has steadily lost weight the last year or so. I’ve got him on CBD oil and that has really helped with his arthritis. Cats are really sneaky about showing pain. I can tell he’s definitely more comfortable.

[happybird]

14. There is a brand of canned food called Fussie Cat

Their premium line is tuna, tuna and seafood or chicken liver in aspic. We never tried the super premium varieties. When one of my guys got old and stopped eating his regular food, it’s the the only thing he’d eat. Some days he’d just lick all the aspic, other days he’d eat the meat, too.

http://fussiecat.com/our-menu/

[SamKnause]

15. Thank you to all who gave your input !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!