What is the best canned food I can give my aging cat to help him put on some weight?

My 12 year old cat has been gradually losing weight. I know its not that old for a cat, but still 12 is not young either. Its getting to the point that I am worried. He does act like he's hungry all the time but doesn't eat very fast or very much. He also has trouble eating dry food, I suspect his teeth are starting to hurt him.

I know I should take him to the vet but I'm afraid if they tell me something is wrong with him I'm just going to have to explain that I don't have money to fix him.

Besides his weight loss, he is acting alright. He is gradually becoming more needy but if anyone has time to just cuddle with him he is perfectly happy.

What I would like to try is to just give him a food several times a day that is the best I can give him. I don't want to give him anything to make him sick though. I was thinking high calorie/high fat senior food but I read online not to give an elderly cat a food like that - however it did not say what to give him!

I have been looking and looking online and all of the sites say what to feed an elderly overweight cat. And they mention elderly underweight cats but don't ever say what to feed them!

Does anyone have any ideas? Again, I am afraid of taking him to the vet because I don't have a lot of money for tests that are might tell me he has issues I can't afford to treat. I just want to have him be as happy and healthy as he can be for whatever amount of time he has left.

?2014-08-16T14:36:04Z

Favorite Answer

I totally understand your situation. Your cat is older and is losing weight. Most likely, he has hyperthyroidism which is common in older cats. Your vet would put him on thyroid medication for the rest of his life. I will bet your cats fur is thinning and is getting oily looking. If it hasn't happened yet, it will.
I have an elder cat that is in the same situation. I know she would not want to take medication and it would be a daily fight. (she is 17). So I have decided to let her be as comfortable as possible and I will give her anything she wants to eat. Right now, she wants fancy feast. I will give her all she wants. I also give her a raw food diet (which she loves) and raw liver. She loves liver. She eats almost as much as my queen who is feeding 6 kittens. But, whatever she wants and as much as she wants she can have.

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Sandy2014-08-16T13:35:19Z

Give him "senior" cat food. If he's alright otherwise, don't try to make him eat. Older cats just don't need as much food because they aren't active.

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?2016-03-02T04:11:22Z

turn dinner into a healthy lunch the next day by wrapping your lean leftovers in a whole wheat wrap add a little dijon mustard or curry powder for added flavor

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Noemi2016-03-28T20:09:17Z

people who regularly weigh themselves and keep track of their progress in a journal are more likely to lose weight

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?2016-02-27T02:19:42Z

close the kitchen for 12 hours

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