The Maine Coon is a breed of large domestic cats, superior to their relatives not only in size and weight, but also in intelligence, kindness and tenderness. It is these qualities that make Maine Coons wonderful companions. At the same time, despite their rather large dimensions, among these cats there are real giants and giants, striking with their size everyone who sees them.
Visit to the veterinarian
Consultation with a specialist is necessary in order to exclude the presence of serious diseases. If you don't do this, sooner or later you will begin to doubt the correctness of your chosen tactics. When thinking about how to fatten a skinny cat, you need to act consistently. The veterinarian will examine the animal and do the necessary tests. The overall picture will become clear when you conduct a full examination of your pet. If no diseases are detected, then you need to pay close attention to nutrition. A lot depends on food: energy level, activity, presence or absence of appetite. Any knowledgeable specialist will tell you that proper nutrition is the basis of health.
Ways to sell kittens
After reading all the information, understanding all the difficulties in the colossal work that every breeder does, you understand why a purebred kitten with a pedigree is worth so much money. You can sell purebred kittens at exhibitions, via the Internet, bulletin boards and through other media.
If you do not have a pedigree and metrics for kittens, you can sell them at a significantly reduced price, although this does not bring a bad income. But in the absence of documents, you can sell them only to pet lovers who are not interested in the development of their pet.
Breed characteristics
It turns out that this matters too. When wondering how to fatten a cat, you need to pay attention to the breed characteristics. You need to understand that a Siamese cat, by definition, cannot be fat. If the owners are too zealous in feeding, the animal is more likely to acquire a lot of health problems than to get better. If you are thinking about how to fatten a Bengal cat, you need to take into account that the breed’s peculiarity requires them to remain at a weight of three to four kilograms. There is no need to try to break the norm on your own. Otherwise, the animal will become obese. It is necessary to clearly differentiate where weight gain is required, and in which case it is worth abandoning the idea itself.
What should I feed my cat to make him gain weight?
It is clear and natural for everyone that pets need food, water, veterinary care and attention. But dogs and cats have other needs. Our beloved furbabies need ample physical and mental exercise to live truly full and happy lives.
Our pets need work. Dogs and cats need to have something to do during the day, but, unfortunately, most pets sit in the apartment all day with nothing to do, they are chronically bored, and they wait for their owners to get home from work. And as we all know, a bored pet can quickly turn into a capricious, mischievous, disobedient and restless animal.
With nothing to do, dogs and cats are forced to look for ways to entertain themselves.
Scottish and British breeds
These seals, by their constitution, are designed in such a way that they should be relatively massive. When deciding how to fatten a Scots cat, you need to focus on the norm. You want him to be at his ideal weight and not overeat? Then you should understand that a healthy animal without pathologies cannot be heavier than five to six kilograms.
For a Scot this is a perfectly acceptable option. If he weighs more, he may become obese. When a caring owner is thinking about how to fatten a British cat, you need to understand the natural characteristics of the breed. These animals look quite massive due to their dense short hair. The ideal weight of a Briton ranges from six to nine kilograms. It is undesirable to gain large amounts of weight, since in this case there will be a serious load on the cardiovascular system.
Answers to popular questions
When losing weight in animals, owners have many questions. Answers to the most common ones are presented below.
- How to feed other cats if only one needs to lose weight?
There are several options. You can place plates in different rooms, add different types of food, and then clean everything up. Or, for a skinny cat, place a bowl of food on a high place where a fat cat cannot reach. In general, adherence to a diet is recommended for all sterilized pets, not only those who are overweight, so everyone can be put on proper nutrition at once. Some to normalize weight, others to prevent obesity.
- How long will my cat have to be on the diet?
It all depends on the efforts of the owner, additional actions, the individual characteristics of the animal, the initial weight, and the desired result. On a diet, a cat loses approximately 500 g per month. In most cases, it takes 6-8 months to achieve your ideal weight. However, it should be borne in mind that after leaving the diet, the pet may gain extra pounds again.
- What to do if your cat is constantly begging for food?
To control excess weight, as well as to normalize body weight, it is very important to adhere to the regime. If a cat constantly asks for food, this does not mean that it is hungry. In most cases, food is perceived as signs of attention, therefore, in order to calm the animal, you can pick it up, stroke it, and talk to it.
- How to lose weight for a cat naturally?
A cat's diet can consist not only of special food, but also natural products. In order for your pet to start losing extra pounds, you need to eliminate carbohydrates from the diet and reduce the amount of fat. The main diet will consist of protein. Products are selected individually based on tolerance.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the Maine Coon: description of the breed, character, reviews of owners
A well-fed cat needs to lose weight in order to improve its health, prevent serious diseases, and prolong its life. Before taking your pet for surgery, you need to remember that it is much more difficult for a castrated or sterilized cat to lose weight, so you need to feed the animals correctly right away, and not wait until they become overweight.
Feeding rules
If your pet really needs increased nutrition, you need to understand what you need to pay attention to. How to fatten a cat if he is thin? There are two options here - natural food and professional ready-made food.
Which one to prefer depends entirely on the choice of the owner. Under no circumstances should different types of feeding be mixed. Otherwise, it will immediately affect the health and well-being of the pet. Cats typically eat several times a day. At the same time, they themselves measure the size of their portion.
An enterprising felinologist makes decent money
Breeding domestic cats of various breeds can bring good income. Initially, you need to understand that to become a good felinologist, you need to have good enthusiasm, average starting capital and have free time. A felinologist is a veterinarian, a breeder, and a specialist in the care and maintenance of domestic kittens all rolled into one.
It’s just that a person on the street will not be able to properly raise and prepare an ideal stud cat to produce further offspring with an ideal pedigree. If you decide to devote yourself to the kitten breeding business, you first need to read some useful information.
Today, a good purebred kitten, with documents and an excellent pedigree, can cost from $200 (British breed) to $2000 (Savana F1-F2). The cost of a kitten is determined by the following parameters:
- Gender of the animal.
- Coat color.
- The right to breeding (the most important thing when buying for offspring).
- Pedigree.
- Veterinary passport.
- Living and feeding conditions.
- Age.
When choosing any breed, even if you have all the necessary documents confirming its origin and classification, you can and should demand the right to see one of the kitten’s parents.
Beef
Meat is a source of protein. If you really want your pet to please you for many years, you should try to include boiled beef in its diet.
Raw meat can be given only frozen to reduce the risk of infection with worms. When thinking about how to fatten a cat, you must remember to give him beef. You will see how the coat changes and greater physical activity appears. If an animal eats properly, it will look the part.
How to fatten a cat so that it is fat?
Fattening a cat is not difficult. You can give plenty of high-calorie foods. However, this technique does not always work. In areas with hot summers, cats can avoid overheating by reducing their food intake. But in the fall, pets begin to eat intensely and accumulate a thick layer of fat in winter in order to survive the cold.
In such a situation, it is easy to fatten your pet, even without using high-energy food. However, this approach will inevitably lead to obesity and accompanying chronic diseases.
Fermented milk products
Fresh cottage cheese, kefir, and fermented baked milk must be present in your pet’s diet. Milk, contrary to popular belief, is not recommended for cats. The fact is that it is learned only by babies. An adult may experience gastrointestinal upset.
If you try to feed your pet correctly, he will be at his ideal weight. Fermented milk products are generally very beneficial for the health of both humans and animals.
Reasons for the need to lose weight
The reasons why an overly plump cat needs to lose weight are associated with the harm that excess weight causes to the animal’s body. Due to the abundance of fat, the following occurs:
- deterioration of the functions of internal organs, primarily the liver, heart, blood vessels;
- the occurrence of type 2 diabetes;
- problems with movement, muscle atrophy;
- deformation of joints under the influence of excessive load, development of arthritis and arthrosis;
- lack of oxygen due to heart failure.
Obesity can provoke the development of cancer. All these factors dramatically reduce the time and quality of life of a pet. And communication with the owner comes down to petting: the cat has no desire to play, becomes sleepy, lethargic, and its hunting instincts fade. In a private home, this can lead to the appearance and reproduction of rodents.
Excess weight prevents the animal from moving normally
In some situations, cats lose weight for predictable physiological reasons:
- Nurturing numerous offspring.
- Hunger - the animal lives on the street or for some reason has been deprived of food.
- Stress and hunger - the cat was lost and afraid to leave the shelter.
- Medical intervention - after intensive treatment, strict diet, complications of pathologies.
- Metabolic disorders - congenital or acquired as a result of mixed natural and industrial feeding.
- Dysbacteriosis is an innate tendency to eat unsuitable foods.
The above reasons slow down the cat’s metabolism; the animal slowly and gradually loses weight, but with due attention and a nutritious diet it returns to normal physical shape. In case of dysbacteriosis and metabolic disorders, the pet will need special care, dietary adjustments, courses of vitamins and probiotics.
Strengthening your diet will not help if:
- The animal is infected with helminths - the animal must be dewormed.
- There is diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration - most often an intestinal infection.
- A cat refusing to eat is a very broad symptom.
READ Liver Diseases in Cats - Symptoms and Treatment
Poultry meat
You should mainly include chicken and turkey in your diet. Poultry meat is very beneficial for cats. If you feed it regularly along with a hearty side dish, the animal will be at its optimal weight.
It is necessary to accustom your pet to proper nutrition from childhood, then in the future it is guaranteed that no health problems will arise.
Video on how to properly feed cats
We have taught our cat to eat dry food since childhood, and he always has a cup of food with him. He can go eat at any time. I believe this is the best food option for cats. Our pet eats about five times a day and a couple of times at night, but he eats in small portions, so he is of absolutely normal weight.
I agree about the bowl of food - and, conversely, it helps with obesity. Former homeless people, for example, have an eternal fear of hunger, and at first they overeat at the first opportunity. A bowl is a good way to calm them down mentally. I know from experience.
My sister has a cat, he almost always ate food, rarely ate regular food. Because of this diet, a fistula appeared behind the ear. We had to give him antibiotics, apply ointment, and wash him. The fistula took a very long time to go away. After that, his sister stopped feeding him food. The same thing happened to my cat, and I also stopped buying this harmful food. Moreover, when he ate food, he always looked bad, the hair on his back began to fall out... And as soon as we started feeding him oatmeal with fish, he became healthier, the fur became thick and shiny. In general, if you feed your cat this crap, you may bitterly regret it later.
It depends on what food you feed. With good premium food, the cat will not suffer from such misfortunes. By the way, I conducted an experiment for my always hungry cat, poured a bowl for him and thought he would eat enough and dose himself. Mistake. He ate and ate, the same on the second day. As a result, diarrhea from gluttony, a course of medication and a lot of problems. So not for everyone The self-dosing method is suitable. Some people need to give the norm.
I feed my cat only natural products, the cat has gorgeous fur, he is energetic and powerful. To everyone who thinks animal food is an excellent option - go and buy ready-made food from unknown products yourself... let's see what this kind of food will do to your health.
And I feed my wife’s cat exclusively with pork and dry food. My wife thinks that I’m doing great, but I’m waiting for him to get fat and die from this food because he destroyed all the expensive renovations of the apartment!
Industrial feed
If you have chosen a finished product, you should not choose one that belongs to the economy class. A variety of “Whiskas”, “Friskas” and “Kitekets” have a detrimental effect on the health of your pet. Not only will they not help him gain weight, but they can also significantly worsen the functioning of the digestive system.
You need to choose industrial food correctly if you do not want to harm your pet. Brands that are truly trustworthy are not publicly available in supermarkets. The main feature is that such feeds have a completely balanced composition. If you feed your cat Proplan or Royal Canin, then she does not need to add any additional vitamins to her food. Such feeds are of high quality. In the composition you will not find dyes and various harmful substances that have a negative effect on the body. In addition, expensive foods have special lines that can be used to improve the health of your pet.
Thus, if you are thinking about how to fatten a cat, you should follow simple rules. You need to immediately decide for yourself what type of feeding you will choose and stick to it throughout the animal’s life.
How to fatten a cat so that it is fat?
Even if they are very thin, cats should not be given fatty foods in large quantities - this will have a very bad effect on the functioning of the liver.
Your cat should not be given fatty foods frequently.
Taking into account your pet's tastes, you should buy foods with high energy value, and most importantly, follow a feeding schedule.
You need to feed your cat often , but in small portions. This way she will become well-fed, and not an always-eating “bump” with a distended stomach.
You need to feed your cat in small portions.
Remember about proteins - a cat needs muscle mass, not fat.
Recommended protein foods for thinness
It is important to monitor the amount of food your cat consumes, otherwise it can become very fat.
- beef;
- steamed or lightly boiled oatmeal or bran. If the cat does not eat them in their pure form, you can add them to a meat dish or wet food;
- boiled (!) liver;
- hard-boiled egg yolks (no more than 2 times a week);
- boiled fish in small quantities;
- jelly or cartilage brew;
- cottage cheese or cream (milk with a fat content of at least 3.5%);
- You can take baby food for complementary feeding - meat with vegetables. You just need to be careful that there are no legumes or seasonings in the mixture;
- special food and vitamin supplements for cats - dragees, tablets, drops, powders;
- To restore intestinal microflora after antibiotics or prolonged hunger, Bifidumbacterin can be used before each feeding 20–30 minutes. The course is from 7 to 14 days, depending on the severity of symptoms.
Boiled oatmeal is a recommended product for thin cats.
