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What to feed my skinny senior rescued cat to gain weight and muscle?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 5 lbs

Hi! I just adopted a rescued 9 yo male cat. He is very skinny and barely has muscle on his back legs. He also had FUS and had a surgery to relocate his urethra. I would appreciate any advice on how to feed him and any other recommendations

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 4th, 2018

Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach to address your concern. I would increase the amount of food being fed per day. Science Diet Adult maintenance would be a good choice or something high in protein and calories. If you would like to feed a homemade diet to see if he eats better with home cooked food, I would recommend visiting www. balanceit.com
If he continues to lose weight or does not gain any weight with the diet switch, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would definitely consider testing his thyroid to make sure he does not have hyperthyroidism, which can lead to weight loss or difficulty gaining weight. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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