Everyone loves the idea of a grumpy, chunky kitty to accompany us throughout our day, but how can we tell when it is necessary to fatten up a cat and how to do so in a healthy manner? And how can cat owners pick the best food to help their cats gain weight?
If you want to know how to help cat gain weight, and some of the reasons why a cat might need to gain weight, then you have come to the right place. We put this helpful guide together to help pet parents find and achieve their cat's ideal weight! Read further to find out how to fatten up a cat quickly and even how some CBD products from HolistaPet might help!
How To Fatten Up a Kitten or Cat
Fattening up a cat takes some planning. It can also require an understanding of the potential issues your cat might be facing causing them to remain lightweight. There are a handful of simple ways you can help your cat gain weight.
One way to encourage weight gain in an underweight cat is to increase the size of your cat's diet. You can achieve this by adding extra food to their regular meals or feeding them a high-protein cat kibble. You should also make sure they have plenty of opportunities to exercise to balance out this new diet. Cats who don't get enough exercise are more likely to be overweight.
You can also fatten up a cat by putting wet food or canned cat food in their food bowl. The extra fat, moisture, and lower carbs make wet food a healthy method to encourage weight gain in your cat. Most cats prefer wet food over dry food, so wet food can be a good option if your cat has a diminished appetite.
Is Your Cat Underweight?
Before making any changes to your cat's diet, checking if your cat is at a healthy weight is an important step. If your cat is already a healthy weight, there is no need to make any changes to its diet. But if your pet's weight is low or you have a skinny cat with troubles gaining weight, you might want to take some steps to determine whether or not your cat is underweight. To do this, you will likely need to inspect your cat.
Visually Inspecting
You can visually inspect your cat to determine whether it needs to gain weight. If their ribs and spine are visible, your cat is likely too thin. If your cat's spine is showing through their fur, this is another sign that they may be too thin. Generally, if your cat's bones easily show through their fur, you can take that as a sign they may be lighter than they should be.
Physically Inspecting
If you can't tell by looking, you can use additional methods to determine if your cat could use some extra pounds. Feel around your cat's spinal area to see if their bones are poking out. If you feel bones protruding, this is a sign that your cat might be too light.
You can also try rubbing your hands along your cat's sides to feel for their rib bones. While it is normal to feel some of their ribs, if most of them are protruding, this might be because your cat is losing weight or has low body fat. These at-home methods are a good way to determine what to look for.
Still, after performing these tests, we recommend you follow up with your veterinarian to run tests and perform any necessary exams. This is the best and only way to truly determine whether your cat is a healthy weight.
Is Your Cat Showing Signs of Depression or Stress?
Cats tend to eat small meals when they feel stressed out or are experiencing depression. Stress can make your cat's nerves too jittery for them to feel hungry, lowering their appetite and making weight gain food for cats. Cats experiencing depression may also have a lowered appetite, making eating food even more difficult. Some of the signs that your cat may be experiencing depression could be:
- Appetite loss
- Not interested in physical touch
- Sleeping more
- Changes in bathroom habits
- Excessive meowing
- Hiding away
- Lack of energy
- Not interested in playing
Showing attention and spending time with your cat can help them feel more relaxed. This can make your cat more responsive to mealtimes as well! You can also try introducing CBD products to your cat.
CBD can help promote calm, making your cat more comfortable. If your cat is more relaxed and happy around mealtime, it can be easier for them to gain weight as they may be able to eat more.
What can cause rapid weight loss in senior felines?
Several serious degenerative diseases come with age. As your cat grows old, their bodily functions start slowing down. The following conditions cause sudden weight loss in senior felines:
- Dental issues
- Dysfunctional digestive system
- Frequent hairballs
- Urinary tract infections
- Joints and muscles problems
- Parasites
How To Put Weight on a Cat
How to get a cat to gain weight? that's the real deal, it's important to create a plan without leading them to obesity. This may include switching to a higher-calorie, higher-fat food and increasing the frequency of meals. Feeding small amounts throughout the day instead of just once or twice can also help keep your cat's metabolism active, promoting healthy weight gain.
Some cats may need a little extra help getting their appetite going! Keeping your cat active and eating on a tight schedule are both good ways that a cat can remain healthy while putting on weight. You can also use CBD to help promote natural eating schedules that may benefit your cat's appetite. Just remember — every cat is different, so what works for one may not work for another. Be patient and keep trying new things until you find what works best for your feline friend.
Ingredients To Look For
Cat owners looking to help their kitty gain a few extra pounds may be wondering what the best foods are to fatten them up. When looking for ingredients, try to prioritize natural, whole foods. While it's important to consult with a veterinarian before making any sudden changes to your cat's diet, you can add certain ingredients to your cat's food that may help promote weight gain. These include:
- Canned tuna
- Chicken breast
- Egg yolks
- Whole milk
- Cooked chicken liver
- Greek yogurt
- Cottage cheese
When you introduce any ingredient to your pet food bowl, limit the amount you are giving them. This is especially important to remember if you want to avoid causing your cat a potential belly ache. Any time you give your cat a new product, limit the amount to lower the chance of a negative reaction.
Also, keep in mind that some felines are lactose intolerant. While dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese may benefit some, these may not be the best fattening choices for intolerant cats.
Ingredients To Avoid
There are a few ingredients commonly used in cat foods that you should avoid if you're trying to help your cat gain weight. Some ingredients in low-quality cat food can even potentially be harmful to your cat. Generally, it is best to avoid products that contain processed ingredients or any synthetic additives. Some of the ingredients that you should avoid giving your cat include:
- Corn
- Soy
- Wheat
- Fillers
- By-products
- Artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
Spending Time With Your Cat
Spending time with your cat is important for their overall health and well-being, but it can also be a great way to help them gain weight. Playing with them using a string or toy, brushing them, or grooming them while giving them small treats are great ways to engage with your cat that can help them gain an appetite. Our CBD treats and oil can also help calm down your cat and help with their nerves. This potentially helps to support a more balanced appetite in your cat.
Where Can You Get CBD Products?
In recent years CBD has seen such a great rise in popularity that it isn't rare to find it commonly displayed in smoke shops, health food stores, and even gas stations. Still, if you want wider accessibility to the best CBD brands like us at HolistaPet, then ordering online may be the best option for you!
Ordering from us online means you can get products for your pet without needing to leave the comfort of your home! It also allows you to easily look up information on all the products that interest you, read user reviews, and compare and contrast popular products. Ordering online from us at HolistaPet is easy, so order from us today and enjoy free shipping on orders of all sizes!
Why Choose HolistaPet?
There are many places where you can get CBD products for your cat. However, when it comes to finding the right product for your pet, it's best to trust a specialist like HolistaPet. As industry specialists, we create our products because we want to create things that we would readily give our own furry family members!
This has caused us to include only the best, natural, whole-food ingredients that cats love, like salmon. Our treats are also grain-free and contain no artificial ingredients or additives, so you can rest assured your cat is only getting the best treats. When you order from us at HolistaPet, you will have the support of our experienced customer service team, available Monday through Friday during our business hours.
And if you run into any issues with your products, we offer a money-back guarantee on our products! This way, you can find the best product for you. Shop with us at HolistaPet — we are sure you'll find something your pet will thank you for!
Final Thoughts
If you've noticed your cat needs to gain weight, hopefully now you have the tools needed to help them along the way. Feeding fatty nutritious foods can help your cat gain weight naturally and stay healthy while they do so. You can also relax your cat into wanting to eat by giving them our tasty and natural CBD treats!
If you need to help your cat's weight improve, you now have a handy guide to give you the right information! Anytime you need a little extra help, visit us here at HolistaPet to find even more information on our blogs and access to our fantastic products.
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.