Advice needed- Maine coon feeling skinny

[lardass88]

Hi. I have a gorgeous 4 year old Maine coon male. He's flead and wormed regularly and I feed him a variation ( he gets bored easy) of iams, and Royal Canin Maine coon food. As well as wet food. He can take or leave the dry but wolfs down the wet and will cry for more all day. There's always food available in his bowl ( it's one where the food drops down when it's empty) but he's feeling a bit bony along his spine...I'm just wondering do I ditch the dry food completely and feed him the wet? Or introduce a raw food diet for him? Or is there anything I can give him to fatten him up?

Watching with interest, I also just adopted a skinny Maine Coon. Been giving 2 sachets of wet food in the morning and 1-2 in the evening plus dry. She doesn’t always finish it. The breeder gave me some protein stuff to add to the food which I will start when she’s more settled.

Has your boy been neutered?

I don't have any experience with Maine Coon cats, but I'd say the fact that he's skinny and always hungry, makes me wonder if he's ill. I had a cat who developed hyperthyroidism at quite a young age, who constantly ate, was skinny, very active, until his condition was controlled with medication. It might be worth asking the vet for their opinion.

A cat should feel fairly bony along the spine and at a healthy weight you should be able to feel their ribs. Is he definitely underweight? My Maine Coon feels very bony to me but the vet says she’s a perfect weight. She looks like a big cat but when you pick her up she’s less bulky than you’d expect from looking at her. It’s all fluff. Her shoulder blades (if that’s what they are called on a cat) are pretty prominent and she feels quite bony along her back. If I scratch her sides I can feel her ribs.

Thanks for the replies. Yeah he's been neutered, perhaps a visit to the vet may be best? Just to get him checked over.

I'd take him to the vet for a once over.

Does he have access to a separate water source away from his food bowls?

Cats are actually supposed to feel thin ish. People always over feed them for some reason

I feed one pouch a day and a small bowl or two of Lily's Kitchen dried food. Cat is about 3.7kG which is about right