Mmm… the Dutch obviously drink a lot of milk… they are so tall… at least the ones that I know… 
As Véro hints adult lactose intolerance is the norm for humans. We produce lactase as babies when we need it to digest the lactose in breast milk but loose that ability as we grow up.
At least we did until perhaps 10,000 years or so ago when we started to become dairy farmers and started to drink milk as adults - so there was a “selection pressure” which has actually made us evolve a little, retaining lactase production into adulthood.
In groups where milk consumption is not common in adults (so, probably the majority of the world’s population) lactose intolerance is still the norm.
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Aha… this could explain the hedgehog stuff then… the hedgehogs of my youth were obviously of British stock…drank their milk and enjoyed it… and the modern ones are from somewhere else… 
And domestic cats’ liking and tolerance for milk is possibly just another neotenous trait.
Yes. The milk would probably have had a higher fat content. In the UK I sometimes bought OH a bottle of gold top, not sure if you can get it here. Makes a good rice pudding.
You can get a cat friendly almost lactose free cat milk…(whiskas)…
If he’s a stray then he may have been catching his own food up until his accident…???
I’d also second adding raw mince to his diet…if you have a mincer then chicken wings or rabbit portions minced to a fine consistency and added to what you’re giving him…I also agree with finding a cat food with as little cereal as possible in it…
With cats the meat has to be fresh though…preferably served at room temperature…they don’t naturally eat carrion…dogs will eat carrion so short date and out of date meat and bone doesn’t cause them any harm…
Hope you find a way to help him regain his weight…xxx
thanks Helene, he occasionally catches a mouse and scrags it with his paws but can’t actually eat it as he can’t chew. The vet said that any corrective operation would be traumatic and possibly not successful and - as we both agreed he’s not actually in any pain - we felt it best to leave as is since he has a home with us in our woodshed. he comes in for cuddles, in fact he’s purring away at my feet as I type this. So it’s mixed up wet food well mashed, mashed sardines with oil, cream and butter, he can’t do dry biscuis. He got a bit of leftover cottage cheese this morning and wolfed it down. He’s putting on weight, slowly, and has been wormed. I’ll try him with some mince, he can swallow stuff or hoover it up but no chewing. He’s really a sweetie …
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Poor little thing. How fortunate he found you. Lucky chap.
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This is him enjoying some beef gravy and cream. He’s a messy eater, usually has his whole face covered in goo. He’s one of about 6 that we’ve got (I’m staying 6 in case my husband stumbles across this post … but the number is actually far more). They all get sterilised and live in the outbuildings where there’s plenty of boxes and blankets.
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What a gorgeous boy, such an expressive face and he is a lovely colour too.
Ceratinly seems to be enjoying life with you…if hubbie queries then the answer is 'well what are outbuildings for anyway ’ ! 
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Cars not cats.
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have to agree with David on this one Anne… 
A car can stay outside all year round even in thick snow, a poor pussy cat needs some shelter 
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I was about to say the same thing regarding the Dutch. The tallest people are those who drink a lot of milk. In my case, I have always drank milk, and still do. I’m not tall, but a bit taller than my mother was, anyway. Also, I had a bone density test taken a few years ago, and was told that my bones were very strong, a 70% higher density than the average woman my age, so there’s that to think about.
My daughter drank lots of milk as a child and still does. She’s 5ft tall. Perhaps she would have been 4ft11in without it.