My cat is very skinny and not gaining weight. What can I do now?

Overall being thin could be a result of an underlying metabolic, endocrine, or gastro-intestinal issue. (such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes,or inflammatory bowel disease) It would be best to have her evaluated by a veterinarian, and consider having blood work and urine tests run to see if there are any abnormalities. She is listed as unspayed--keep in mind that metabolism tends be slower once they are spayed. If everything on her lab work checks out to be normal, I would recommend you have her spayed for her overall health and for pet over-population concerns; another positive for her may be weight gain! Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I would recommend having some blood work performed on your cat. Hyperthyroidism is a common disease in middle aged to older cats that causes an increase metabolism so cats are often very hungry but unable to gain weight. I would also recommend having your vet check a fecal sample to ensure that Koda does not have any intestinal parasites as this can cause weight loss as well. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

I would talk to your vet about checking her thyroid hormones. It is probably unlikely but definitely possible that her thyroid is too high causing weight loss and hair loss. I would also make sure she is on a high quality dry and canned cat food to help increase the caloric intake. If you aren't planning on breeding her, I would consider getting her spayed as long as she is healthy enough per your vet. I would definitely continue the vitamins. Also, I would talk to your vet about ruling other things out if they haven't already like parasites, giardia, feline leukemia, feline aids, and more. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jastin. First, I would have her evaluated by her veterinarian to determine if she is in fact underweight or just small in stature. Some perfectly healthy cats are petite and do not grow to the size typical of the breed. However, there are numerous disease that can affect weight gain and growth. You want to ensure there is not a medical issue that needs addressing. In the meantime, ensure that she is eating kitten food as this will be higher in calories, fat and protein. It will aid in growth. Offer her canned food as well to supplement her dry kibble. This will help her to take in extra calories. I hope this information helps!

I suggest you take your cat to a veterinarian for a weigh-in and a wellness exam. Your vet can tell you if your cat is underweight. You can also use a body condition score chart to monitor her body condition as weight alone is not a reliable way to assess a cat's condition. If your vet says your cat is in good condition then you will not need to change food. Should you have to "fatten" her up you should use a complete cat food manufactured by a reputable company such as Iams, Hill's, Royal Canine, etc.. You can feed kitten food for a few weeks until she has the target condition specified by your vet. Here is a body condition chart: https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/images/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20cats_0.pdf

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chica. I recommend that she has bloodwork and urine testing done soon to check for diseases that could be making her so skinny. For example, thyroid disease is a common cause of weight. Diabetes can cause the same to occur. Other cats can have kidney disease. I would also recommend testing her pancreatitis. This can be done with the bloodwork. Fecal testing to rule out parasites can he helpful as well. This is especially important if she goes outdoors. I hope this information helps!

Cats can be thin for a variety of reasons. Make sure he has been checked for parasites or dewormed recently. Some cats will also become thin due to kidney disease or hyperthyroidism. Sometimes this can happen even before kidney disease begins. Any GI disease will also cause a thin body. Lastly, some cats have a fast metabolism. Make sure Choo Choo's bloodwork is all normal and that parasites are not a concern. Then you may try focusing on nutrition. I recommend the brand Royal Canin. It's diets are all tested and formulated to contain appropriate protein levels that are high quality and easy to digest. Feed one of the higher calorie diets available. This may help to put weight on him. You can also supplement with a high calorie canned like A/D or R/S.