How to get cat to eat MORE..

[Ummlee and Vengeance]

SO Venge has always been a picky eater but with dry food no problem he would eat a whole bag if you left it near him lol but can food.. if he eats half a can of FF its a miracle a few times he will eat a whole can(so hes eating 1.5 oz of food with half a can of FF)happened like twice in the past month of swap over..I am now feeding him 4 times a day every 6 hrs being he has been cut off from free range dry kibble for a month since he was diagnosed so thats 2 cans of food a day and I see some people feeding cats 3 and 4 cans a day of friskies 5.5oz?? at times he will eat half of a 5.5 oz can at a meal?? how can I get him to eat more and Does he need to eat more??.. he did loose from 16.8lbs down to 10.2lbs and over the last month he has gained back about a pound or so thankfully( he looked sickly at 10lbs imo) just curious if there are ways to get them to eat more wet.. I do add about 1.5oz of water to his meals so that he is getting plenty of water being since the DX he has been worse about going to the fountains. But he is peeing a normal amount it seems now he is peeing at least 2 times a day and good amounts. he has had issues with blockages and crystals twice this year if you have not read his normal LONGGGG thread lol.. so I worry about liquid intake and output and etc..

Thanks
Lee and Venge

 

[Ann & Scatcats]

All depends of how packed the actual food is with protein and fats. I calculate in International grams. Let's say minimum is 156 gram. Divide that then feed it in 4 equal portion sizes 4 times a day.
It's always Feed To Target that applies. Feed To Target at a certain weight.

 

[phakewishard]

Have you tried putting some of the food he likes (only a couple of pieces) into his wet food? Like, press it into the wet food so he will have to eat the wet food to get the 'prize'. I used that trick with Moo Moo the other day when I needed her to eat before giving her her shot (I used a treat she liked, but same principle).

 

[Ummlee and Vengeance]

Have you tried putting some of the food he likes (only a couple of pieces) into his wet food? Like, press it into the wet food so he will have to eat the wet food to get the 'prize'. I used that trick with Moo Moo the other day when I needed her to eat before giving her her shot (I used a treat she liked, but same principle).

Sadly the Food he goes nuts over is SUPER high Carbs and rather not take a chance with even a few nibbles of it being hes been off it besides a few times in the first week or so of insulin when I had to give him some when he went near hypo..

 

[Katherine&Ruby]

Hi Lee, have you tried varying the flavors of FF for Vengeance? I rotate many different kinds of Weruva foods with Ruby because she gets bored of the same thing all the time--see the FOOD tab in my spreadsheet for Ruby's menu. I had her on DM, then FF pates, and now I've got an arsenal of LC, MC, and HC in various flavors she likes that are always stocked at the pet food store two blocks away from me. Also, she will never walk away from anything containing fish.

 

[Ilse - M - T - P]

Hi!

I crumble freeze dried chicken over their wet food.
Gives them the crunch they are looking for and doesn't have carbs.

 

[JanetNJ]

How much does he weigh? Two of my tiny cats barely eat a half can in a day too.


Some things that get Julie to eat more.... FortiFlora on top, or pure bites chicken on top.

 

[Ummlee and Vengeance]

Hi Lee, have you tried varying the flavors of FF for Vengeance? I rotate many different kinds of Weruva foods with Ruby because she gets bored of the same thing all the time--see the FOOD tab in my spreadsheet for Ruby's menu. I had her on DM, then FF pates, and now I've got an arsenal of LC, MC, and HC in various flavors she likes that are always stocked at the pet food store two blocks away from me. Also, she will never walk away from anything containing fish.

Yeah I have given him pretty much every kind of the FF pate I can find same with friskies.. he is WEIRD about the fish ones one day he will gobble up next walk away and not touch.. same with any of it I wonder if sometmies it wasnt handled correctly in transit and got too hot or too cold and it changes the smell/flavor.. but I though I read that its better to not give as much fish??? .. I have been looking into the werva foods being hes has had issues with crystals and the werva seems to be less phosphorus.. but no where here carries them so I would have to order then if he didnt eat then Nightwing would just get more food lol

 

[Ummlee and Vengeance]

How much does he weigh? Two of my tiny cats barely eat a half can in a day too.


Some things that get Julie to eat more.... FortiFlora on top, or pure bites chicken on top.

Hes a bit over 11lbs now (I weighted him like week half ago) I will have to weigh when I brought him home 27 days ago form hospital he was 10lbs 2oz ( I put him on my mailing scale and thats how much he was in the vets office) so he has gained back some weight being home and on the low carb high protein diet.. he looked like skin and bones at 10 lbs hes always been a stockier cat since he was 2 years old.. I never though of him as FAT thou the vet said he was at 16lbs he was a large Black cat Pic attached was on his 6th birthday last year in June he was about 16lbs then.. hes always stayed around the 15-almost 17lb range in the last 5 years till he started loosing weight after the 2nd steroid injection in Aug and he lost 5lbs between Aug and Nov then lost the other lb in 2 days before he was hospitalized... I figure to keep him around 12 would be good.. hes 13" tall at the shoulders(like measuring a horses in hands lol) when standing on all 4 legs and from nose till base of tail hes 20" tail only adds 4" lol and I will add in he now has CRAZY energy like hes a kitten..for the last almost a year he struggled to get up onto my bed he would mountain climb up the corner of the comforter and barley make it... this morning he lept from about 3ft away from the bed flew thru the air and landed in the middle... something I have not seen in years....

 

[JanetNJ]

Yeah I have given him pretty much every kind of the FF pate I can find same with friskies.. he is WEIRD about the fish ones one day he will gobble up next walk away and not touch.. same with any of it I wonder if sometmies it wasnt handled correctly in transit and got too hot or too cold and it changes the smell/flavor.. but I though I read that its better to not give as much fish??? .. I have been looking into the werva foods being hes has had issues with crystals and the werva seems to be less phosphorus.. but no where here carries them so I would have to order then if he didnt eat then Nightwing would just get more food lol

I feed weruva. I buy it on chewy.com

 

[Katherine&Ruby]

but I though I read that its better to not give as much fish???

I rotate the fish in and out so that it's not all that she eats. There are some chicken and beef items on my list. I figure if I have to choose between no fish or no eating with a cat who had ketoacidosis, I choose fish. My civvie gets no fish at all.