# Juvenile cat looking thin



## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

So, I have wormed and he is on a flea and tick regiment. I have started feeding him tuna in addition to kibble and this cat is still looking thin. His coat is fine, his spirits are great, he regularly kills squirrels and chipmunks and plays with the dogs like he's one of them.

Is he likely just in an awkward growth spurt stage? What are the chances it could be something more and what might that be?


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I"m not sure how old "juvenile" is, but my 12 week old kitten is growing so fast she looks really thin. But she eats like a horse, has been wormed, de-fleaed and no ticks. So to my thinking she's in a growth spurt and will put on some weight when she stops growing so fast. I swear her tail has grown 3" in just this week!


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

He'll be a year old in about two months. If his mood was at all altered or his eyes looked dull or he seemed somehow pained or scruffy, I guess I'd be more concerned. But I thought I would ask people more learned in the ways of cats than myself.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

It can be hard to put weight on an active animal. You might want to give him a snack in between meals.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

You say "him", is he an intact tomcat? If so, his hormones will keep him on the prowl and thin. Just a thought. Otherwise, at his age, he may just not be mature yet. I think we need pictures!


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## Veronica (Oct 31, 2008)

It may be that he's just built wiry. One of my kitties is long and thin, and the other is short and chunky. Sort of like Laurel and Hardy. Giving a wet topper to the kibble is a great idea, especially for a male kitty because of the risk of urinary tract infections. But I wouldn't give tuna - it's actually not good for cats. If I remember right it has to do with fatty acids, but I'm not sure.
You might want to look into a canned cat food to top the kibble.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

Is he neutered? If not, get him neutered ASAP and you'll find that he'll start putting on weight. I have never seen an intact tom that wasn't thin. Once they hit sexual maturity at around 8 months of age, they have one-track mind, and it isn't for food. 

If he is neutered, he's probably just a very active kitty and is at that awkward "teenage" phase. He'll most likely grow out of it.


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice, I do appreciate it. So, cats reach maturity by 8 months? I have to admit I am more of a dog person and as such, having weighed pros and cons, wait until closer to 2 years of age to neuter/spay. I want my dogs/ toms to mature to the point they have the territorial instincts and will patrol our lands and mark them. Though I do not want to be part of the over population problems either. Not that cats way out here are really overpopulated... they end up prey pretty quickly if they aren't fast on their toes and smart to boot.

I will try and get some pics of him. He will be a very handsome boy. He's a black and white and from the length of him surely to be a big boy one day.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Most cats hit sexual maturity at about 8 months, yes. He'll still grow a bit, but if he's not fixed sometime soon, he may start to really roam and get lost or killed. I'm more of a dog person, but 6 - 8 months seems a good time to neuter a male cat.


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

Duly noted, he will be taken in asap. Thanks.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

> I have started feeding him tuna in addition to kibble


Bad. Fish blocks a b vitamin in cats and increases the odds of bladder stones. It should only be fed occasionally as a treat or in a cat food that balances the problems out using other ingredients and processing. With a raw diet we would give it no more than once a week and usually only a couple times a month.

Chicken skin and excess fat cut off meat would be a better supplement. You can get chicken thighs and legs pretty cheap and feed them whole raw for a fairly high fat, high quality addition. Right before we rehomed our cats we were getting chicken cheaper than cat food by just buying whatever small parts (thighs, legs, wings, necks...) were on sale that week. Eggs are also a good addition if you feed the whole egg. Scramble it so they can't pick out part of it. Otherwise the whites have something in them that binds to another vitamin but the yolk contains more of it than can be bound by the white so the whole egg balances while part of the egg will cause health issues. Raw or cooked doesn't matter but some cats will only eat it one way or the other.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

CraterCove said:


> I have to admit I am more of a dog person and as such, having weighed pros and cons, wait until closer to 2 years of age to neuter/spay. I want my dogs/ toms to mature to the point they have the territorial instincts and will patrol our lands and mark them.


Unlike with dogs, there is no benefit to waiting 1-2 years to spay and neuter cats. By 8 months of age they are sexually mature and WILL breed. Toms will wander far and wide looking for females, they will get lost, hit by cars, attacked by dogs or wild animals, and get into fights with other toms and wind up with horrid festering wounds.

If you want your cat to stay alive and stay home, neuter him ASAP! Cats are generally territorial creatures, even when neutered. Although if you really want to keep other cats away, get a spayed female--they are the most territorial of all.


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

Well, my cat knowledge is growing leaps and bounds. I sure do appreciate that no one is being mean about it--- I am glad to have my mistakes corrected, hopefully before they have the chance to cause real harm. I am taking him to the next local clinic.


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## ai731 (Sep 11, 2007)

We adopted a male kitten from a "kittens free to good homes" ad on our local agricultural newspaper. His momma was a barn cat and his daddy was a stray. We got him fixed at about 1 year old (when he was 8 months old it was mid-winter and he wasn't going outside). We kept expecting him to fill out but he never did. He's still long and lean, even though we feed him free choice and he eats his little head off. Just the way he's built, and our vet agrees. If he hunts a lot it wouldn't hurt to worm him often / regularly. We have to worm ours every second month during the summer when he's out hunting every day.


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