What can I do to help my cat gain weight and strength after a fever?

I recommend feeding Hills a/d. It’s easily digestible, cats usually love it and it is very calorie dense so Watson will start to recover quickly even if he doesn’t eat that much. I would also have a dry kitten food available at all times and offer some tasty cat treats to stimulate his appetite. In addition to feeding many meals daily increasing his exercise will help build muscle and also stimulate his appetite and speed his recovery. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Watson.

Hello, Feline upper respiratory infection can be caused by a number of viruses and is seen frequently in younger cats. To my knowledge, we have no evidence to support the use of liver cod oil as a immune booster. Historically, we have recommended L-lysine added to the diet or even treats for cats with herpes infection. However, even the scientific evidence supporting the use is lacking. The best thing to do is feed Leo a good diet, avoid exposure to young, non-vaccinated cats, and follow up for yearly wellness exams, vaccines, and parasite prevention.

Hi, has he had any blood tests ? If so, are these all fine ? If no suspect of pancreatitis or liver disease he could have some Hill’s recovery food, slightly warmed up and offer small amounts little and often. You could also offer a small amount of tuna in water or sardines or white fish. Try to encourage him to eat spontaneously, now that he has received some medications, his temperature might drop and he might feel more inclined to eat. If by this afternoon he stilll has not eaten, I would recommend to try with syringe feeding some recovery diluted with water. If he should not eat, I would still recommend that he is on a drip, at low fluid rate and he receives antibiotics intravenously. Hope it helps.

Without a full history and physical it is impossible to guess exactly what the cause of her fever is. Antibiotics will only help to treat bacterial infection but will not help with viral infections. Blood tests for FELV/FIV and feline herpes virus may help to identify underlying causes. I would continue with the lysine, a high quality kitten food and probiotics until test results come back

I would recommend taking the kitten back to the veterinarian for a recheck and further testing to see what could be going on with Meow. Meow will likely need further treatment. He may be dehydrated and may need other additional treatments. I hope this helps and hope Meow gets better soon! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, yes you can increase the amount of food you are offering gradually. You could try Hill’s recovery tinned food which is quite palatable packed with vitamins and minerals and could mix it with a bit of bland diet. Hope this helps !

The jury is still undecided if Vitamin C really helps pets or not. Cats synthesize their own vitamin C naturally. Likely the best measures you can take are to support over-all health. Make sure they are eating a high quality cat food. Deworm them if possible. Many cats respond well to Lysine for herpes infections. Adults take 500mg twice daily. This can be found in a fish flavored powder, gel and treat form. Also giving them an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for cats will help with natural inflammation control. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.