How to put weight on an older cat

[meandmygirl1]

Hi our 16 year old cat is healthy but has lost some weight. The vet said it might be due to fact I changed her dry food recently to senior food and to change back to Whiskers cheaper brand which is what she's used to. She also gets cooked chicken every day. Any other ideas what I can do to help her put on a wee bit of weight? Vet isn't concerned at the moment and says it may be due to her age as she's still active and goes outside. I also put salmon oil on their dry food. Thanks

I tried my girl on kitten food when she was Ill as it is high calorie.

Has the vet checked her thyroid? Is she eating a lot but still losing weight? Our 15 year old boy was doing this & now sorted by thyroid medication.

Our male cat has always been slender. Vet recently recommended fattening him up. We put him on kitten food but it didn't have much effect. He is now on royal canine mother and kitten food and he's chunking out lovely

Has the vet run blood tests? It could be early kidney disease. I hope it's not, but if it is and you catch it early, it can be managed well with special kidney support food.

Dreamies are 5 calories a piece.

If blood tests don't throw up any issues then treats and a extra food. If you don't want her getting into the habit of asking for more meals then increase what she's being given each meal time.

Thank everyone. We have to go back in 3 months to get her weighed and then take it from there if she has lost any more weight. She's not drinking more water or eating more than usual so hoping no other issues going on.

I’m shocked the vet didn’t tell you that it’s likely the thyroid as it’s more likely to be this than anything else, it’s so so common in older cats

I also think I'd try kitten food.

She hasn't lost a great deal of weight so because I changed her diet I can understand that the vet wants to rule that out first.

Kitten food is high in calories but also high in phosphorus which is a consideration with senior cats ( renal implications )
Probably thyroid. Definitely make an earlier appointment if there's any changes with increased appetite and more weight loss