High calorie food supplementation

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ja9390

ja9390

Member Since 2016
My non-diabetic Maestro is 14.5lbs last time I weighed him several weeks ago. He flips out when he's picked up, so I don't weigh him often. Or pick him up in general. Ever since I switched them both over to wet food, it seems like he's not eating enough. They both used to be on dry food so I didn't monitor his food intake as strictly as I do now with them on wet--he could have always just been a light eater. He'll graze throughout the day and take a couple of bites each time. Given his weight and the low carb content of the wet food, I don't want him to lose too much weight too fast. Is there a high calorie canned food I can feed him to make sure he's getting enough food in him? It's not that he doesn't like the food and turns his nose up at it, he just isn't a cat who eats very much.
 
Low carb doesn't mean low calorie...matter of fact due to the fact that protein is more expensive than fat, most cheaper cat foods are low carb but high calorie

Check the food chart from Dr. Lisa's for the type of food you're feeding....if he's not losing weight, he's probably getting enough calories to maintain (or even gain) weight
 
Hi JC,

Here's a body condition chart for you. It will help you some way to assess whether Maestro is at ideal weight. Even though you can't weigh him a lot of the time presumably you can feel his sides without difficulty. A rough guide to whether or not a cat is at ideal weight is to feel the rib cage. If a cat is at ideal weight you should just be able to feel the ribs under the skin. If you can't easily feel the ribs then the kitty may need to lose weight; if the ribs feel a bit bony then the cat may need to gain weight. Also, keep a visual check on Maestro's hindquarters and the area around his backbone (particularly towards the tail end). It can be easier to spot loss of muscle mass in these areas.

Are you using a human scales to help you monitor Maestro's weight? If yes, then going forward it might be worth getting hold of a reasonably-priced digital baby scales. They're more accurate than the 'human plus cat minus human weight' method of monitoring. With a bit of patience and judicious use of treats you should (in theory) be able to place it on the floor and gradually train Maestro to come and sit on it to have his weight checked. I got a digital scales for Saoirse and she really didn't like it much initially. It was a real challenge to get her to first stay on the scales and then to get her to sit still long enough to get a steady reading. But we persisted and now Saoirse is brilliant at 'doing scales'. :)


Mogs
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I'll try to get him on a scale soon. I used to not be able to feel his ribs at all but now I can feel a little, albeit through a lot of fat. I was concerned that he may be at risk of losing too much weight too fast. Yes I know all about low carb. I low carb personally and I did keto for a while. Instead of high calorie I should have asked are there any foods that would help to prevent too much weight loss. With his finicky attitude and the fact that he seems to be losing weight to a point that I can outwardly see it, I started thinking about him recently.
 
Wellness grainfree pates are relatively high calorie, especially the turkey and salmon I think (but of course it has fish).
 
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