Intro and help! New cat today

[emma_vn]

If she is very underweight but with a voracious appetite I would think about getting some blood work done, just to check that the reason  for her weight is not hyperthyroidism rather than starvation, as she could be older than the rescue thought. I would recommend a biochemistry as well as a T4. If these are normal then you know you can feed her up and she'll be fine.

[Reynard]

Kitty is beautiful! 

Pearl was very underweight when I got her. I had dry food down for her all the time and gave her wet food in small quantities several times a day. The hard part is for a cat like this to learn that there is no need to worry where the next meal is coming from - when they've realised that, they won't scoff everything in sight. In the mean time, you may have to deal with the odd accident (from both ends) if she eats too much too quickly.

BTW, Pearl heartily recommends a dollop of beef mince as a nice restorative. 

It does take time to get condition back onto a cat that's that underweight. It took nearly six months to get Pearl to any sort of condition. So best of luck with Kitty - sounds like she's really landed on her paws. 

[Cheesecat]

Kitty is gorgeous   she has fallen on her paws with you and sounds like she already has made you into the perfect cat owner obeyer and slave.

I would have recommended cat milk too but sadly its not for all cats!

I have two underweight Siamese at the moment who I am feeding with Royal Canin Recovery (another one high in Kcals) its another vet diet and is probably the same price as the Hills but its one to try if Kitty doesn't like the trial tin you buy of the Hills, again for a short time until she gets some weight on  

I think Kitty is probably the same as the Siamese kitties - because they are not used to much food they wolf it down at first because I think they are afraid they might not get that much again - but they do even out once they realise its not going anywhere unless in their tums!  

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Hi and Welcome to Purrs,

Kitty looks adorable and definitely looks settled 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Kitty looks lovely 

Sounds like you are doing exactly the right thing , introducing to your house slowly.

Some cats just dont like that milk and pull a facejust like Kitty 

Dont be tempted to use fresh milk cos many cats cannot cope with it and it affects their tail end 

Just leave nice fresh water for her , especially if she is eating lots of biscuits. 

[tiggerboo]

Thanks all for the advice, think I'll have the hills a go, i'll go and get some tomorrow.

She hasnt been as demanding on the food today, but has eaten a sachet and a bowl of biscuits.

I have put fresh cat milk down 3 times today, which she turns her nose up at and just looks at me as if to say "what am I s'posed to do with this?"

She is still a little nervous, but thats to be expected as im slowly introducing her to the house, room by room.... so far she has settled in the dining room and the living room, so far so good. Ive tried to introduce her to the kitchen but she keeps going behind the washing machine, which I cant block off from her as she is so thin she can squeeze through something this big -->   |  |     

This is her.... but she is very fluffy, and all this weight she appears to have here is just fur!

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Quality is better than quantity !

Rather than a supermarket brand feed her a good quality food - A/D would be great to start with and then move onto an Non perscription diet of good quality xx

[Liz]

We tend to have food down all the time for our mob rather than set meal times as generally speaking hey like to feed little and often so perhaps some dried food left down and then topped up with wet food.

Ad is good for building them up as is kitten food but the kitten food can cause issues at the other end for older cats - our oldies love kitten food but its not so good for them!

I'm sure Kitty will be a wonderful addition to your life and it sounds like she has a devoted slave already

Welcome to the world of being owned by a cat in our case its currently 35 little furballs and the moggies 2 doggies!!!

[Desley (booktigger)]

WElcome to Purrs, you have had some good advice - I would second Lottie's comment about a/d, you dont want to feed it too often, as it can be addictive and not good for a long term diet, my vets normally say once or twice a week. I use cat milk to help build cats up as well (I currently have a foster who needs buildig up). And if you can, small, regular meals, it can be normal for them to wolf food when they have been stray, I make them wait at least half an hour between portions to make sure it isn't going to overload their tums too much. Can't wait to see a pic of her, what colour is she?

[blackcat]

and if she is really skinny, then small meals, often, rather than one or two large ones. That way her tummy has a chance to adjust to ready food availability.

[Stuart]

Hi Tiggerboo, we need to see pics of Kitty 
Now I'm No expert and other's would advise better, but I wouldn't worry too much about Her Eating habit's justnow(within reason)
as long as her result's in the litter tray are normal and solid, My Hamish was very thin and unwell, when I took him in and He
was Greedy to start with....well He was alway's greedy but I just Put down Food when there was none left, and
over time (once he knew He was going to be Fed on a Regular basis) he calmed down, and stopped gulping His Food down

It was the same when He went AWOL for 3 and a half week's, He came back all thin and bedraggled and was extremly
Glad to be back home, specially when I was spoiling Him with all His favorite's 

remember this is a New envoiroment for Kitty, and the poor wee soul probably doesn't know what's happening, and is just
making the best of what's on Offer, the Key is to give Her a little time to settle in and Lot's of 

and You have came to the right place with PURR'S as it's full of wonderful folk, who will Help you out with your New Furbabe
and answer any question's you may have 

Look forward to seeing some pics of Kitty

[Team Svartalfheims]

Kitten food will be a good bet for her as it will get some extra calories into her. Hills Kitten is brilliant stuff. A/D is alse good but apparently it can be addictive if they are fed it for too long so maybe two tins a week would be a good idea. It absolutely stinks so the cats love it whilst the smell makes me go 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Hi &  to Purrs

Kitty sounds adorable, what a horrid life she had, so glad she's found a loving home now 

A good food for building up sick or thin cats is Hills A/D.  You can only get it from the vets or online suppliers like www.vetuk.co.uk  It's quite expensive at around a £1 for a fairly small tin but you wouldn't feed it at every meal and she wouldn't be on it forever, just a month or so.

Maybe buy a single tin from your vets and see how she gets on with it and if you do decide to get some from vetuk (which will undoubtedly be cheaper than your vets!) then please ask one of us how to order via a rescue link so a cat rescue gets 5% of your order value.

Another thing to try would be cat milk (not normal cows milk as many cats are lactose intolerant), that way she can have her normal meals plus extra cat milk too.  If she's anything like my boys she'll be in heaven too, they LOVE their kitty milk

[tiggerboo]

Hi :D

Her name is Kitty ( original!), but thats the name she knows, so Kitty it is.

She was given a full health check by a vet on Friday, and all was fine, apart from her weight.

The rescue was feeding her as and when she wanted food, 3-4 times a day.

I have stocked up on the 3 foods the rescue have been feeding her, which she seems to like.

I dont think there is ANY chance of her wanting any more grub tonight.... she is snoring.... upside down at the moment hanging off the sofa! 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

  to Purrs 

Whats your new cats name?

I am sorry I cant advise you on this but you are wise to ask this question and I am sure there are many that can advise you on hear but probably in the morning as its a bit late for most now.

I wouldnt feed her any more tonight I think cos you may overload her tummy.

I suspect some will advise for you to see a vet but she has had jabs and stuff so it may not be needed...........thinking aloud here..........did you ask the rescue what and how much they had been feeding her?

The next thing is insurance, you need to arrange this quick cos they have a 14 day running in period in which you cannot claim and its best to start that asap just incase she was to get sick.

Good luck and look for advise from others tomorrow 

[tiggerboo]

Hi everyone, first of all I am new here so hi and hello

Today I adopted a rescue cat, a female tabby aged 7.

She is such a friendly little thing, already settled and snoozing on my sofa as we speak, although she is still a little nervous she is settling perfectly, using her litter tray with no probs at all.

She was abandoned by her owners who were moving away, and was taken in by a rescue centre who found she was pregnant, although very thin and underwieght.

She had kittens in foster care which sadly didnt survive 

She is VERY underweight, but is eating. She is probably the weight of a kitten, and you can see every bone in her body.

The rescue centre has been trying to build her up, which I need to continue to do.

She is a fussy eater, but since I picked her up at 1pm today, I have no owned her for 10 hours, she has eaten 3 sachets of food and a bowl of biscuits.

I dont want to go OTT but she was going to her bowl and crying at me for food, so obviously her being underweight I gave it to her.

She has been spayed, vaccinated, and had her teeth cleaned whilst being in foster, which I have the certificates for, and is in great health apart from her weight.

Can anyone tell me, what is the best way to build her up without upsetting her tummy or going over board? I have found 2 different foods she likes, but I dont want to OVER feed and give her a bad tummy.

Any help would be appreciated

She is so thin