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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Help fatten up this old lady

17 replies

2morrowiscancelled · 17/07/2025 17:45

I have the loveliest cat ever. She has always been a small cat even to the point where passers by ask why she's been allowed out of the house as they think she's too young. This has always been fine as her weight was in-line with her size.

She's now 14 and I would say she has lost weight. She is very skinny, you can see her ribs and thigh bones. I have had her at vets three times this year as I am worried about her. The vet just says she is just a small cat and that her weight is in-line with her size.

I got so worried that I insisted on blood tests. All of them were clear. No signs of illness, disease, inflammation etc. They even shaved her neck and scanned her thyroid and said that's fine too, as are her kidneys. The vet went as far as to say her results are not even borderline in anything, they're smack, bang in the middle of normal.

The vet has said as long as she is eating good quality food and appears well then there's nothing they can do. She eats Purena one selective pallete morning and teatime, nibbles on go cat dry food during the day, and she likes Felix soup at lunch time (out of the grey bowl, not her normal bowl). She often finishes her meal then will go finish our younger cats meal too (even if she doesn't let her, bit of a bully).

I want her to increase in weight a little bit just so she looks healthier. I tried her on cat milk As I read on here it's full of calories but she won't touch it. She loves dreamless and lick-e-lix but won't eat them if she doesn't fancy them then the other one just wolfs them down.

Do you have any tips and tricks for fattening up a cat please?

OP posts:
Zov · 17/07/2025 17:51

Just let her eat what she wants when she wants, and stop focussing on trying to fatten her up!

Cats get thinner when they get to 14-15 years old. She'll be fine. Don't try and fatten her up!

proximalhumerous · 17/07/2025 18:07

I'm not sure that Purina and Felix are particularly good quality - they're just your basic supermarket brands with grains and sugar, etc. Food with a much higher meat content (Lily's Kitchen, Applause, Thrive, etc.) might help.

Not getting the significance of the grey bowl. 🤔

BrightLightTonight · 17/07/2025 18:14

Have you wormed her? Also, try good quality foods, less cereal and more meaty bits

Cattery · 17/07/2025 18:24

We need to see the puss-cat please so we can give advice 🐈‍⬛ ❤️

putitovertherefornow · 17/07/2025 18:24

Give her the skin off roast chicken as an occasional treat. High in protein and fat, but 'good' fat, and I have never known a cat turn it down. As far as I know, senior and elderly cats need smaller quantities of food, but good quality and high in protein and fat. There's also sardines in oil, but go easy on that in case it has a laxative effect. A little raw mince will be welcome too if mine are anything to go by.

Most brands of cat food do a 'senior' version for age 7 and up, but there are some that do food from about age 12 + as well.

You will need to do some trial and error testing, as we've tried our oldies on some 'special' and expensive food only for them to chuck it up again or get a stomach upset as it was too rich.

CarrieMoonbeams · 17/07/2025 18:29

We had the same with our last little cat, and were advised to give him Royal Canin Recovery food @2morrowiscancelled .

It's a soft mousse and as well as being recommended for cats and dogs recovering from surgery, it's also for malnutrition, so it's very calorie dense for a relatively small amount of food.

Worth a try.

BluGreenBlu · 17/07/2025 18:36

We've been trying to make our cat a little more chonky too. Someone suggested Lick-e-lix with Cimicat mixed in (a powdered milk for cats that you can buy at Pets At Home.). Like your cat OP, he won't touch the Cimicat when its made up as a milk, but will happily tuck into it if its mixed into Lick-e-Lix, the tub lasts ages too.

2morrowiscancelled · 17/07/2025 18:47

Yes, of course she is wormed.

I have trialled loads of foods - pricey and cheap. Some she will eat the first time it's offered then says no the next day. I tried mixing it and offering different brands different days but she either refuses to eat at all or eats some then is sick or has an upset stomach. Of all the brands I have tried, she will only eat Purena and the felix soup. I haven't tried Lily's Kitchen, Applause, or Royal Canin though, thank you for the recommendations.

I have tried the senior versions of all foods too and she just refuses to eat. I figured eating all of the food she chooses is better than none of the one for older cats.

I didn't even think of chicken skin. And will try the Cimicat. Thank you.

OP posts:
Allergictoironing · 17/07/2025 18:53

See if she will eat kidney food - when Boycat had CKD & I was feeding that (the Royal Canin dry), Girlcat ended up circular! She's normally a very slender shape, but within 5 months she looked pregnant with about 10 kittens.

proximalhumerous · 17/07/2025 19:49

putitovertherefornow · 17/07/2025 18:24

Give her the skin off roast chicken as an occasional treat. High in protein and fat, but 'good' fat, and I have never known a cat turn it down. As far as I know, senior and elderly cats need smaller quantities of food, but good quality and high in protein and fat. There's also sardines in oil, but go easy on that in case it has a laxative effect. A little raw mince will be welcome too if mine are anything to go by.

Most brands of cat food do a 'senior' version for age 7 and up, but there are some that do food from about age 12 + as well.

You will need to do some trial and error testing, as we've tried our oldies on some 'special' and expensive food only for them to chuck it up again or get a stomach upset as it was too rich.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I always assumed food for senior cats has fewer calories as they are generally less active (so the opposite of the kitten version).

If I am right about that, perhaps it's worth trying kitten food?

Mine loves milk and cheese. She only gets a small amount of either, but if your cat can tolerate dairy that could be a way of upping the calorie intake.

Oily fish like salmon, maybe. And would she eat small meals more frequently?

ButtSurgery · 17/07/2025 19:51

Add a squirt of salmon oil to her meals. You can buy it in pump bottles. It was brilliant for my elderly puss in her latter years,the difference in her fur was huge with it.

soontobeamama · 17/07/2025 20:15

Our vet recommended we try Royal Canin Ageing 12+ food for our cat, as she had been losing weight - it’s made such a big difference to her - we use the pouches and the biscuits. It contains an appetite stimulant, which encourages eating. The vet couldn’t believe her weight when we took her back.

I’ve also recently tried Scrumbles - just to give her a bit of variety - they are really small biscuits and easy for her to eat and she loves them.

Prior to this, we had tried all sorts of different brands, but none were successful.

Good luck!

putitovertherefornow · 19/07/2025 11:24

proximalhumerous · 17/07/2025 19:49

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I always assumed food for senior cats has fewer calories as they are generally less active (so the opposite of the kitten version).

If I am right about that, perhaps it's worth trying kitten food?

Mine loves milk and cheese. She only gets a small amount of either, but if your cat can tolerate dairy that could be a way of upping the calorie intake.

Oily fish like salmon, maybe. And would she eat small meals more frequently?

No, it's the other way round. They need smaller quantities of food, but higher quality and nutritional value. It is a balancing act though, and if they have kidney disease (common in older cats) then that has to be taken into consideration too.

I'm not a feline nutrition expert by any means, but I've had cats all my life.

proximalhumerous · 19/07/2025 12:26

putitovertherefornow · 19/07/2025 11:24

No, it's the other way round. They need smaller quantities of food, but higher quality and nutritional value. It is a balancing act though, and if they have kidney disease (common in older cats) then that has to be taken into consideration too.

I'm not a feline nutrition expert by any means, but I've had cats all my life.

Surely kitten food isn't lower in calories?

The senior versions of the food I buy has the same portion sizes as the normal stuff.

MrsSkylerWhite · 19/07/2025 12:30

At her age, I’d give her what she wants, when she wants it. Cook up some chicken legs, debone and whizz up with some of the resulting jelly and a few peas/carrits, white fish poached in cat milk, as many cheesey Dreamies as she wants. tuna in spring water for Sunday dinner.

My mum had a very elderly cat who loved lightly cooked, liquidised liver a couple of times each week.

TryingAgainAgainAgain · 19/07/2025 12:34

Fortiflora feline probiotics sprinkled on food will encourage her to eat, the flavour is irresistible to most cats. You only need a fraction of a sachet on each meal.

www.viovet.co.uk/PRO-PLAN-FortiFlora-Cat-Probiotic-Sachet/c10424/

There's also this liquid food for oldies which is a good addition:

www.viovet.co.uk/Liquivite-Liquid-Cat-Food/c3798/

MiGataCalico · 19/07/2025 12:44

Another vote for salmon oil. A drizzle on her biscuits will add easy calories and be good for her joints.

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