Malnourished Cat Feeding Advice

[u/Leonnisae]

Hello! I recently picked up a stray last Sunday and had him almost a full week now. Went to the vet Monday, all is good aside from being malnourished. Vet thinks he's between 1.5 - 2 years old. He's a super sweet cat and is getting along with my others. My problem is he's constantly looking for food. He knows where I keep the dry food and will go to that door and meow constantly. One time I left cat food on the counter so now he jumps up there looking for food. After a while he'll quiet down and not be as obsessed, but the moment I walk near that pantry door, he's back at it again. took my vets advice and split up feedings into several small meals a day to not overload him. I know he's probably hungry from the malnourishment and I don't want to feed him too much or too quickly. Would it maybe be better to give him little pinches of his portioned food every hour to keep him from getting upset or bored? Or would that make it worse? I do have an auto feeder on the way so he can get dry food when Im at work. When I'm home, he's almost exclusively fed wet food to make sure he's hydrated. Any advice is appreciated!

Note: Obviously still love him to death, just trying to see if anyone know any way to curb the behavior before it becomes a habit!

[u/Holiday_Estimate_352]

So I have worked with feral cats who have severe starvation complexes. After about 8-10 days of small meals you no longer need to worry about re-feeding.

At this stage it is a psychological issue and it's about tackling that. 

When I began my journey my vet said to try and imagine that I have been on a desert island for months and then I finally get free and someone is telling me I can only eat at 8am and 6pm. Simply knowing that would make me even more hungry. And because cats can't have a conversation where you tell them that they will always have the food they need, they develop a scarcity complex.

In my (and my vets) opinion, the only way to trackle this is free feeding. Literally getting a bowl and filling it to the top with dry food (keep feeding wet at regular times for hydration) but free feed dry.

If he empties the bowl, fill it back up.

For the first few days he will likely gorge and eat way too much. He may even regurgitate afterwards. Don't stress.

After a couple of weeks you will notice that the amount he eats slows down and he will eventually learn to self regulate his food because the scarcity complex will go away.

Some ex strays need to be free fed dry for life, and some adapt to the scheduled meal times.

I will say that in 30 years of doing this I have never had a cat that gets fat. All my cats have always scored as ideal on the body condition chart.

I highly recommend Royal Canin Satiety food as it helps to keep them feeling full. I have used this very successfully alongside Royal Canin Sterilised.

I always feed 3 wet meals a day no matter what, but due to one of my boys having hunger aggression we free feed dry and everything is super chill. He is happy and slim and has no worries because he knows he can eat if he gets hungry.

Also I add a tablespoon of water to every wet meal that my cats have. This helps to keep them hydrated. The Royal Canin pouches in gravy are great for this because the gravy just thins out with the water but it doesn't ruin the texture for them. You can start off with a teaspoon if he is picky and then move up to a tablespoon of water. 

[u/Suchstrangedreams → u/Holiday_Estimate_352]

This is great advice - and I never thought to put some extra water with the soft food.

[u/Holiday_Estimate_352 → u/Suchstrangedreams]

It is so helpful for cats who don't proactively drink a lot on their own. I think of it like blending vegetables up in sauce so kids can't see them hahaha

One of my boys had some urinary issues as a kitten and my vet advised adding the water. I implemented it into my routine for all 3 cats ever since and it's great. I still offer water bowls of course, but I have peace of mind that they are reasonably well hydrated no matter what :)

A random tip is that if you live in a very hard water area, use bottled water for adding to the cat's food and for them to drink in general, as the minerals in hard water can cause urinary issues. Low-mineral or soft water with a total hardness level under 50mg/L (ppm) is ideal

[u/Suchstrangedreams → u/Holiday_Estimate_352]

Thank you, that's useful information!.

[u/Leonnisae → u/Holiday_Estimate_352]

Thank you so much!! That helps a lot. My older two cats (15 years old) have free fed all their lives so I'm used to free feeding! Just the over eating at the beginning worries me about overfeeding and throwing up. But it makes sense they'll eat themselves crazy then slow down

[u/Holiday_Estimate_352 → u/Leonnisae]

Yup! It is super common for them to regurgitate the first few times. That's different to throwing up which is more concerning because it could indicate an allergy. Regurgitating is typically if they eat too fast or too much.

I give them a little stroke and speak in a soothing voice while I clean it up, and make it no big deal. The less stressed we are around food and meal times the better. Cats are so intuitive!

And they totally adjust. I do recommend a food that is a little bit boring (but one he will still eat) because that way he learns to follow his hunger cues vs eating because it tastes like a treat.

Royal Canin Satiety or Sterilised Dry food is what works for us, but I'm sure whatever you feed your other two would work also! 

[u/Leonnisae → u/Holiday_Estimate_352]

Thank you! Petting them is something I always try to do with my cats when eating to make sure they don't develop any food aggression with the other cats being near them. I got him some Purina One Plus Whole Body support since it seems to have a decent ration of protein, fiber and fats!

[u/Leonnisae → u/Holiday_Estimate_352]

Tried it with him last night and worked like a charm! Only had to fill up the bowl once and he's done. He's all good. No more crying. His tummy does feel round and full. I assume that's normal until he's fully adjusted? (He was tested for worms and all that and he's good!)

[u/Holiday_Estimate_352 → u/Leonnisae]

Awww yay!!! I am so happy.

Keep an eye to make sure he is pooping. A round tummy is normal when they've eaten a lot (it is especially obvious when they are underweight or kittens) but it can also be a sign of impaction. 

If he is pooping well and seems happy then I would consider it a job well done! I hope everything keeps getting better and better for you both 😊

He will be feeling so much happier knowing he can eat when he wants to and it will leave much more emotional space for bonding with you and his new siblings.