Is there something wrong with this cat? Sad Story

Question

About a month ago, I had 4 kittens and their momma show up. I have a roommate that is allergic to cats so I had to keep them remaining outside. I have tried to call the shelters around my area and they were all kill shelters. I have been taking care of these kittens and momma since they showed up at my door step one night. I made them a bed and a little room outside....

I went on Vacation, for a week, and my mom was here and when that happened all the kitties disappeared and the neighbors said there was a bob cat in the area. and that one got hit by a car. I broke down crying they were so adorable....

Anyway only the momma cat is left and I want to keep her. I just got back in town tonight so tomorrow afternoon i'm going to the pet store to get necessary supplies....

However the main question is as follows:

I feed the cat all the time and have been for the past month however she has not gained any weight she is still very skinny.... Could there be something wrong with her? If so what? I know she did just give birth to 4 kittens like a month and a half ago..

Someone Please Help! I have called every where!!!!!

*Also* Does the regular FRONTLINE Flea Medication at WALMART work just as good as Frontline plus prescription???

Answer 1

get the cat checked at the vet! some cats are just skinny mine are wormed every 3 month eat good quality cat food and plenty of it and are skinny, i no they dont look healthy but they are!

The flea treatments, the shop bought ones repel fleas, so the fleas bite the cat, dont like the taste so jump off so usually leavin no eggs, however these fleas can jump of in your house and find somewhere else nice and warm to lay eggs.  Since using a perscribed flea treatment i have never had a problem, as the prescribed treatment works by kiiling the fleas very quickly that bite the cat, i use perscribed frontline and although a little more expensive i would recomend to anybody!

Answer 2

Maybe she has worms Try getting some wormer for her  

Answer 3

yes frontline works just as good and i'm sorry to say this but she might have worms take her to the vet and get it checked out you don't want to buy heart worm medicine without going to the vet beause you need to make sure she is healthy enough to have the medicine because her heart might not take it and she could die. also get a food that will make her gain weight they have that at stores  i don't know what it is called but they have it

good luck

Answer 4

being that she was an outside cat and very skinny, it will probably take a while to gain weight, not matter how much she eats.

There could be something wrong though. Keep an eye on her. If she still doesn't gain weight consider seeing a vet.

I have heard they work the same, one is just more expensive.  

Answer 5

dont kno need points

Answer 6

She could have a parasite. Otherwise, it does take some time for them to put on weight.

I have noticed that female cats that are not spayed, are really skinny. No idea why, but once they're fixed they start to fill out more.

Answer 7

She probably has worms.  I'd take her to the vet and they can give you some wormer.  I have not had good luck with Frontline.  I get Advantage flea medication from my local pet store.

Answer 8

im sorry to tell u this but it hapend to me the momma cat eat them cos she did not want them im sorry about that but it hapend to me

Answer 9

I don't know about your issue i only wrote to tell you that Messy_beast (top contributer)'s answer is the best choose it as best answer.

And yea.. Vanilla ice, you only have 5 pts if you need more you can make a new yahoo accout that'll give you some good points..

Good idea huh ??

Answer 10

You need to get her checked by a vet.  if she's been outside she has probably picked up parasites such as roundworms and tapeworms.  Any food she eats nourishes the parasites instead of nourishing her.   You need to get a wormer (it needs to be one that tackles roundworms and tapeworms).

Hyperthyroid is another reason.  It makes cats ravenously hungry, but they burn it off as fast as they eat it and end up very skinny.  This needs a vet to treat it.  He can prescribe tablets to stabilise the condition followed by surgery to remove abnormal thyroid tissue.

Food intolerance can also prevent weight gain.  Does she have diarrhoea or vomiting?  Food intolerances can mean the food passes through them too quickly (due to the bowel upset) without being properly digested.

Get her checked out by the vet.  She needs to be spayed ASAP and you can get the worm treatments and her thyroid checked at the same time.  If she's not spayed, she'll be ready to mate again within a couple of weeks of not being suckled by kittens and it sounds like she's not in a good state to have more kittens.

Answer 11

If you are serious about keeping her, you need to take her to a vet to get checked out and vaccinated.  The rest of your questions can be answered by the vet.  Good Luck

Answer 12

My Mom is a Vet, and I just wanted to say how sorry I am about the baby kitties. I think it's awesome that you're taking care of the momma, and it sounds like worms to me. Of course, it takes time for a cat to gain substantial weight. A Vet is the best course of action. The walmart frontline is just fine. People sometimes make the mistake of ordering their pets medication online, but the truth is that those medications look exactly the same as the ones you get from your vet, but they ARE NOT regulated by the FDA so its anyones guess whats in there. They often come from 3rd world countries. good luck and let us know how things turn out!