How Can I Help My Kitten Gain Weight?

Growth and development in the kitten stage is key to a cat's long-term health. If a kitten is not gaining weight as it should, there are numerous possible reasons. Some are potentially serious, such as a disease or an infestation of worms. Others are simple matters of feeding choices. Keep an eye on your kitten for any symptoms of a serious illness or health defect, such as seizures, dehydration, diarrhea or vomiting.

Instructions

• 1

  Keep your kitten on a regular feeding schedule. If it is not used to being fed at certain times, it may miss feedings. Animals, just like humans, benefit from a regular meal schedule.

• 2

  Check your brand of cat food. Many popular brands actually promote weight loss in animals in response to the general trend of overweight pets. Therefore, you may be purchasing a brand of cat food that is low in fat without even knowing it.

• 3

  Add fats into your cat's diet. You can do this by feeding your cat tuna in oil once a day. You can also pour a spoonful of olive oil over the cat's dry food daily to increase the food's fat content.

• 4

  Do not feed your kitten "human" food. It not only fails to meet your cat's nutritional needs, but it also spoils your pet and potentially causes it to stop eating its dry or wet food, resulting in weight loss.

• 5

  Add wet food to your cat's diet. When you put wet food over dry, your cat is more likely to consume both, thus increasing its general caloric intake.

• 6

  Increase your cat's feedings from one to two per day. Your cat is likely to have an appetite both in the morning and evening. If you feed it twice a day, it is more likely to consume more food overall.