How Do I Fatten a Cat Up?

PLEASE take her to the vet! She may have a thyroid problem that can be treated with meds. Only a vet can advise you properly.

This is absolutely no way, no how close to being just a little problem. Five year old cats do not weigh ounces! Nobody with any vet experience will tell you to feed her milk and cheese. Five year old cats are not the size of newborns

Get your cat to the vet today, I would have hoped that a responsible pet owner had an ongoing relationship with their veterinarian with such severe issues.

Take her to the vet.

A vet, and only a vet. If it says 'everywhere you look' to give her human food, then you are looking in the wrong places. Longtime cat owner: human food is BAD for cats. Milk and cheese? No. Canned tuna? No.

Go see an expert, or you likely could be making your cat more sickly.

What did your vet recommend? Digestive issues can mean anything from vomiting up anything she eats to having a blockage so food isn't going through her system.

My dog has digestive issues because he was a puppy mill guy who wasn't fed as often or as much as he needed. The vet was very helpful at guiding me along to figure out what he could tolorate.

Have you talked to your vet? I know there are "diet" food for heavy cats. There must be "weight gain" food for the opposite issue. Ask them.

I would take her to the vet and ask them for ideas.

It's hard to respond without knowing what sort of digestive issue she has. I know that kitten food has a lot more calories than regular, adult cat food. Also, canned cat food has more calories than dry but that may upset her stomach. I would start with a visit to the vet - she probably needs a specific food but if all else fails, kitten food and you could also try the simulated kitten milk they sell at pet stores which is very high in calories.

Also, I have a dog with a very sensitive stomach. We put him on dog probiotics and they helped a lot. I just looked it up and there are probiotics specifically designed for cats as well and they don't look like they are terribly expensive.

start with the vets office. they will have a few catfood suggestions to help you find one that kitty can eat without making her sick. ( i have a dog that can't have anything beef. and it took us a good 3 years of vomit cleaning before we figured out what her problem was)

Kitten milk, we buy ours at Walmart but the vet has something better. It's higher in calories and good for the cat stuff. But at least twice as expensive.

I suggest though that your cat has something else going on. What does your vet say? Does your cat have Down's Syndrome? Is it a dwarf? It could be it's full size.

Sorry for the older terms but they have a meaning that is hard to convey over the internet when writing.

It does sound like you're trying to fatten it up instead of making it grow bigger so I wonder what the issue is. It could have a growth or something on it's glands that effect size or digestion.

I would love to have more information.

Kitten food is a great start. When our cat was pregnant, that is what we gave her. One of her daughter's happens to be thin. We have found that we need to feed her slowly--so just a bit at a time-or she vomits. Since she has slightly longer hair, she also gets hairballs. We have taken her to the vet and were told to just make sure she does not get table food, and give small amounts at a time.

Human food can give a cat worms and most cats cannot handle milk. My daughter wanted to give the cat milk but I told her she would have to clean up the mess.

If you have taken her to the vet, I would give a call and see if there are recommendations for foods to feed. If you have not, take the cat in and get a true diagnosis. The cat may actually have allergies. Also consider that some cats are just thinner than others.

I suggest you ask a vet. Her digestive issue will determine what she needs to fatten up. She is too old to grow in size. All the growth plates have hardened.

Why do you want to fatten her up? I suggest that unless she presents as skin and bones, has little energy, and exhibits other health issues, she may be the size she needs to be. If she vomits after eating she might benefit with a change in diet.

I have never seen the recommendation to feed cats human food. Cats are often lactose intolerant. However, cat foods often contain turkey. Cats, in nature, are carnivores, which means they are meat eaters. If you're feeding her grains, I suggest trying meat based food.

What does she eat now?
My mom use to mix in a raw egg with the cats food.
The cats fur would be all shiny and glossy - really healthy looking.
Now people are concerned with feeding raw anything to pets but if a cat can eat a raw mouse I'm not sure how bad a raw egg could be for them.
If you don't want to do it raw I guess you could scramble it or crumble it after you boiled it into her food.