How should I feed a cat who is not gaining weight?

by **Mel** on Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:17 pm

My neighbor dumped a cat and a kitten in his yard about a year ago. Gave them no shelter, not food, no water and no medical care. Now there are two kittens. They were malnourished and they had no love what so ever. I have brought in the mom and two kittens. The kittens have gained weight but the mama cat is eating but her weight is not coming up as fast as it should be. I am wondering if she may be pregnant and the nutrition maybe going to the kittens. But I can not tell if she is pregnant or not yet. Is there something special I should be feeding her?

by **Chris871305** on Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:23 pm

Begin by feeding her a high calorie kitten food and see if that helps. She needs to be dewormed as well (and it would be a good idea to have her tested for FeLV/FIV).

by **Laura202** on Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:26 pm

I would just take her to a vet or low-cost clinic and ask for an exam. They could tell you right away if she is pregnant, in which case they would probably be able to suggest the most suitable diet.

by **Unicornrider561** on Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:37 pm

Begin by getting a high qualty kitten food for mom, and get her some chicken (boiled) as well. Trick is lots of little meals, as much as she will eat. Please keep her away from other cats, and whe the kittens are weaned, have her sterilised.

by **Melissa937** on Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:42 pm

just keep on feeding her like normal, and maybe take her into the vets for a check up, just to be sure. the vets will be able to tell you if she is pregnant or not, and give you any tips on a diet to help her, if need be. you may find she is just settling in, and will start gaining more weight over time...

by **catlover312** on Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:43 pm

More likely than not, she has worms. They will compete for the food. The best food for her would be kitten chow, for the extra calories. Weight gain will not be quick. Once the kittens are weaned, she can go into heat. In fact, she can go into heat while nursing the kittens.

by **kennys_babygrl** on Fri Oct 23, 2009 6:14 pm

when we found or cat she was pergo the vet told me that i could feed her with a bottle if she would eat like that becouse we could not get her to eat anything unless it was in a bottle she also told use that the had a a thing called kittin milk that would be good for her kittens so maybe u could try that my cats still love it

by **bridey042** on Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:26 pm

If she has/had fleas she probably has tapeworm

How should I feed a cat who is not gaining weight?