What's wrong with my skinny stray cat? Best food and care tips?

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.

How lovely of you to look after this stray! There are a number of things that could cause him to lose weight, such as intestinal worms, diabetes, kidney disease, or hyperthyroidism to name a few. He could also possibly have fleas. It's important to make sure your cats are up to date on their flea treatments and deworming treatments. As for the stray, I would take him into the SPCA if you don't want to assume financial responsibility for him. They can get him the veterinary attention he needs and find him a home. Otherwise, you can take him into the vet yourself :-)

Thank you for trying to help Forest! Because he is an outdoor cat there is a good chance he may have fleas or gastrointestinal parasites that are causing some issues. You may want to try to apply Frontline plus to the back of his neck if he will allow you to do so safely. The best option would really be to take Forest to a veterinarian for evaluation as any number of things could be causing his thin body condition and skin lesion. There may be a feral cat rescue in your area that would be willing to work with you to trap Forest, make sure he is vaccinated and neutered, and do a health exam. Good luck and I hope Forest is doing better soon!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. This cat could be malnourished or could have some type of systemic disease or infection. It is hard to say just by looking at him. If you plan on caring for him, you could take him to the veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I don't think I can help very much. I can't really tell what is wrong with the skin. Thin, weak, poor appetite, those are things that more likely indicate internal illness. In a stray, unvaccinated cat, FeLV or FIV would be on the top of my list. There is no cure for these viruses. We also can't prescribe medications, even OTC, as it is illegal.

He needs to be seen by a veterinarian. He could be suffering from an overactive thyroid gland or kidney failure, or is losing his hair due to mange mites. Mites are easily treated with a miticide. An overactive thyroid is also treated relatively easily (your vet will give you the particulars, there are several ways to treat) and even for renal problems there are various ways to give him good quality of life. It may be useful if someone in your neighborhood takes him in as their pet for treatment, and you all could pitch in for the vet costs.

Your cat needs to be fed a complete commercial cat food. He will not gain any weight from cat milk. He may also need to be wormed. I recommend you take him to a veterinarian for a wellness exam to make sure he is not ill. Offer him some canned cat food. I guarantee he will love it.