Trying to add weight to my buddy...

Stumpy came to my back door several years ago with a broken femur. After spending that much $$ on him, I decided he was going to join the rest of the rescues inside.

Found out a couple weeks ago during a dental check that he is FIV+. He is also anemic. Stumpy is having good and bad days. Some days he eats well, and others days, hardly at all.

He's on an antibiotic for a tooth extraction. The vet wants to see more weight gain.

Any ideas as far as supplements I can give him?

Its a high calorie dietary supplement for cats and you can get it either through your vet or at Petsmart/Petco. I wish you all the best as you deal with his various health issues.

FeLeuk can travel through a clowder of cats like lightning.

As for fattening him up, there are prescription cat foods that will put weight on him. He would probably appreciate the addition of ground meats, especially mixed with something like chicken liver, while his mouth is healing. My kitty who didn't have a weight problem lived on chicken baby food while her mouth healed after an extraction.

Feed more frequently and encourage Rumpy to take a snooze in your lap after he eats to slow his digestion.

You can tell when FeLeuk is taking its final toll on a kitty. Their gums turn almost dead white and they start eating dirt, trying to get some iron into their systems. Once a cat is infected, the end is inevitable and the best you can do is make sure your other cats are protected either by isolating the infected cat or making sure everybody's vaccinated.

Good luck to you and your buddy. Let's hope he's a carrier only and will have years ahead of him.

All my kitties are feral/rescues, so they have various problems. Stumpy is the 2nd to be diagnosed as FIV+.

I had him vaccinated before, so this came as quite a surprise to me. The vet figures he has had it for several years, and it is just now manifesting itself. My cats are strictly indoors, so I think she is probably correct. We figure he is at least 10 years old.

Anyway, my main objective right now is to get some weight back on him. He is just under 10 pounds right now, but that is more than a 2 pound loss. I will try the Nutri Cal. I am feeding him whenever he will eat. He is on an antibiotic, and acts like he is feeling a bit better. He sleeps a lot, not unexpected. He wants to be close to me, but not as much as a week ago. I take that as a good sign.

It's funny...my husband, who is not all that crazy about cats, was the first to spy him on the back porch with his leg dangling. He insisted that I do something. I was already taking care of seven cats, so I fixed a makeshift shelter for him, and ordered him to find his way back home by morning.

He didn't. :) So, we will do what we can and love him for as long as he is with us.

my recommendation. In the past, I've fed it to my kitties who were having dental troubles, both before and after surgery. Also used it for cats who were having GI problems, and for one cat who was wasting away with thyroid disease and who kept throwing up her meds.

anytime my kitties are not feeling well and quite eating, I head straight to the canned pumpkin. Really stimulated the appetite. Now don't give him too much for too long. It's major high fiber and can cause some bloating.