It’s not rare for clients to ask you for pet care advice when you work in a pet-centric business. This morning, I was chatting with a cat owner about ways she could encourage her kitty to gain weight.
One of the things I suggested was good old baby food — a standby for our guests who have food allergies, dietary restrictions, or sensitive stomachs. Plain meat baby food is usually appealing to cats but still gentle on the stomach… so it’s often a winner when a guest won’t eat or isn’t feeling quite right.
The client was surprised that she hadn’t thought of it herself. But then she doesn’t spend her days dealing with a variety of cats — only her own kitty. She doesn’t have veterinarians and vet techs just down the hall to answer questions.
Here are some feeding tips that might be useful for you and your pets!
To encourage weight gain:
- Try offering a variety of foods. When we have guests who won’t eat, the first thing we do is offer a buffet — multiple types of dry and wet food. Once you figure out what your pet likes, be sure to serve that! Try sliced and pate versions of canned food, meat baby food, or baked lean meat (like chicken) with rice.
- Try offering high calorie foods. Several pet food manufacturers make high calorie wet foods that are often given to pets after surgery or severe injury.
- Try offering high calorie snacks. Soft treats generally have a higher fat/calorie content than dry, crunchy kibble and biscuits.
- Try making food available more frequently. Several small meals throughout the day may work better than fewer large meals.
To encourage safe, healthy weight loss:
- Try cutting back on fatty snacks. Switch to dry treats (like biscuits) instead of soft, chewy treats.
- Try cutting back on wet food. Wet food is often higher in calories than dry food is. Reducing wet food portions by half can make a big difference.
- Try switching to a calorie control food. Just remember when you switch your pet’s food, do it gradually or your pet may end up with an unhappy tummy.
When your pet has an upset stomach:
- Withhold food for 12-24 hours. This will give your pet’s stomach a chance to settle down. Just be sure your pet always has fresh water available!
- Offer gentle, stomach-friendly meals. Chicken and rice in broth is always a winner for an unhappy stomach! At the cats-only boarding facility, we keep plenty of baby food on hand for sick guests.