Has anyone tried Nutri-Cal?

[sweetcharliecat]

Hi there,

My little cat, Charlie, is sick, and I'm hoping to get some advice.

The long version: My husband and I were away on our honeymoon for three weeks, during which time we had someone staying at our house and watching Charlie. The day we left, I noticed that Charlie seemed a tiny bit skinnier than usual, but I didn't think much of it, as he seemed fine. When we got home, Charlie had lost 4 pounds--almost a third of his body weight. He went from 11.4 pounds in April to 7.7. At first, we (stupidly) thought he might just have been stressed out while we were away. But soon, we realized he wasn't really eating much (although he's always been a light grazer who's not food motivated). The night after we got back, he had diarrhea and I knew that night that he was really sick. I took him into the vet's first thing in the morning. An overnight stay with an IV and several tests later, including an ultrasound yesterday, and the vet still doesn't know what's wrong. We have him on an appetite stimulant as of yesterday, though, and an antibiotic for a bladder infection. Right now, we're waiting to see if that works in the next few days.

In the meantime, he's still not eating much and he's never been a big eater.
I'd love to hear if anyone's had any experience with Nutri-Cal, which is a high calorie food supplement. Has anyone used this product? The poor little guy needs to put on weight...

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[Craftlady]

I have used it many times for different reasons. Great product.
I would also suggest the Science Diet A/D food (can) prescription from the vets. It's very high in calories when an pet is sick.

[moosmom]

Nutrical is a great supplement. It is high in calories and nutrients.

Poor Charlie. Did you ask whoever it was that took care of him what happened? Did he not eat because he was stressed, or did they just not feed him the way he's supposed to be fed. I think they have some explaining to do. 4 pounds is ALOT of weight to lose in only 3 weeks.

Another thing you can do to put weight on Charlies is kitten food, both canned and dry. It's also high in calories and protein.

Good luck.

[columbine]

Catnip is also good for the appetite!

Love, Columbine

[kuhio98]

Nutri-Cal is great -- if Charlie likes the taste. Kuhio hated it, so it was difficult to get enough in her to help maintain her weight. How old is Charlie?

Has the vet done bloodwork on Charlie? Kuhio developed hyperthyroidism when she was 16. Her little body was burning calories faster than she could consume them. And the fast metabolism caused her to throw up a lot.

Please keep us posted.

[sweetcharliecat]

Thanks for the thoughts on Nutri-Cal--I checked in with the vet today, and he said it was fine to try it out. So far, Charlie's had full bloodwork, x-rays and an abdominal ultrasound, and they haven't found anything. The cat sitter says she fed him as we told her to, and that everything seemed fine. He's always been a light and picky eater, so getting him to eat now, when his appetite is basically gone, is just not working out. It makes me so sad, seeing his little body so thin. We're going to give him his second appetite stimulant soon, and maybe that will work--he did show some interest in his food, but he's only eating a few dry pellets here and there, not enough to put on any weight.

I just wish he would eat....

[fragrancehound]

What about some stinky fish like sardines to help stimulate his appetite? Maybe even some tuna juice on his food?

[Catty1]

When my mom's cat Pyka was sick and post-surgery, I asked about kitten food - seems to me the vet tech told me it was too high in fat for adults?

But heck, whatever he will eat is fine! I agree with trying some stinky stuff to wake up his taste buds!

Also Whiskas Cat Milk...will give him some protein and help hydrate him a bit.

Prayers for poor Charlie!

[critters]

I like to take the Nutri-Cal and mix it with food or something, because it tends to make my monsters squirty when used alone. Tuna Select food is a fave around here since it's mostly used for meds or when somebody's sick; it's the nastiest, fishiest stuff I've ever seen!

[Freedom]

Hey Charlie what's with this weight loss? Please eat up some for mom OKAY?

I haven't used Nutrical. The canned a /d food and teh appetite stimulant morning and evening help Ruffles quite a bit.

Best wishes!

[sweetcharliecat]

Sigh. Charlie's still not eating much. I'm going to pick up some Nutri-Cal today, though, and give that a shot. I'm a little worried about changing his diet too much, because he had another bout of diarrhea last night. Poor little guy.