My girl is about 1, and due to stresses at her previous household she's thin and her back fur is not as thick and flowing as the rest of her body.

She has been on Science Diet from her previous owner and I just picked her up IAMs food as it was the only one I could find at that given moment. They look very similar.

Because she is scared (just got her yesterday) she has been hiding. I did manage to get about 1/2 a can of wet food down her yesterday. I'm at work today, so I'm not sure if she has eaten anything as of this point?

I've read that Bengals have sensitive tummies, so I want to work on fattening her up, but not causing her to have stomach problems?

Any ideas from experienced people? =-)

Becca

Your cat needs to see a vet.

I think you should keep her on the food she was on at her previous home until she has settled properly with you. When you do change it, you need to do this very slowly by gradually mixing in with her current food or she will get an upset tummy.

The food she was on should be easy enough to find in any pet shop. Make sure she has the same litter she was using before as well to avoid any confusion for her in these early days.

May be worth having her checked at the vet in the meantime to make sure there is nothing else going on and ask their advice re her fur and weight etc.

Good luck!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Becca, hang in there!!! I know having a bengal is completely new to you and you're worried about her. She was not a happy kitty in her previous home and it is going to take her a while to get used to being an only pet. It's common for kitties to not eat much in their new environment. She's stressed out and her appetite is not there. Don't worry. She will come around. You can't try to "fatten" her up overnight. With a kitty, it's going to take a while. Slow and steady!

You should probably take her to the vet for a checkup. That way you can start a medical history on her and the vet can make sure there are no parasites or other things that might cause her to be thin. The most important thing is that you let her settle in at her own pace. She's been traumatized. It will take some time for her to get over that and understand she's in a loving home right now.

Keep us updated and I'm sure within a month, she will be settled in and eating just fine.

Science Diet and Iams are two of the worst brands. Their dry food in particular is horrible imo. You really should get something that has more and higher quality meat in it.

In terms of fattening them up, there is some special food that is packed higher in calories, but you'll need a vet prescription to get it (plus a vet to tell you if it is really warranted in this case). I agree with others, that the first course of action should be to see a vet and get a checkup.

Congrats on your new addition

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The little monsters 3

As far as changing food. I have the food mixed, and want to change out food once she settles in. I have birds and a little Chihuahua and their foods are really high-end. My little pup has a sensitive tummy like the Bengal cats, so I have to buy her this food, which sadly is really expensive. I also have a special needs parrot, and he to has to have a high-end diet, so this isn't new too me. I just am not too familiar with these types of cats.

My last cat was a calico and she would only eat friskey's =-) I'm going to be checking out more about foods for her.

I just realized the food I feed my dog "Stella & Chewy's" is also available for cats. It does wonders for my little pup, how about cats?

The only thing I know about Stella & Chewy's is that it's fairly expensive.