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Sep. 14th, 2008 11:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trinityvixenI forgot when I assured the vet that our cats ate anything that the cat who eats anything isn't the one who needs to eat the special food they gave us and that the cat that was sick was, in fact, the picky eater.
D'oh.
So, what tricks do people know to get cats to eat stuff? I need him to eat this or I'll be an anxious wreck forever because his bladder won't get rid of the deposits if it doesn't acidify slightly through diet. I plan to call the vet tomorrow to see if they have anything else I could give him if he won't eat this. We already have to shove a pill down his throat twice a day for a week; I'd prefer not to force-feed him, too.
So far, I've tried mixing it with other wet food. It wasn't the same as he'd had before ('cause the vet said not to use that kind), so maybe I need to risk the Friskies and mix that all up. I tried microwaving it a bit so it was warmer. (Some cats like that, and he seemed more enthused about not-refridgerated food before.) I tried putting dry food on top of it. Nothing. Currently, I have to lock Oscar up to even know if Wally is going to eat the new dry food I got him that is also supposed to help cats with their urinary tracts. Also, it's an experiment to see if Wally, given enough time and not many other options--i.e. limited dry food--will eat the wet food. Keeping Oscar locked up just keeps him from getting to it first.
It had to be Wally that got sick. This is a cat so picky he doesn't like tuna when I offer him some of mine. I've never met a cat that would turn his nose up at tuna. It's not great for them, and I don't do it often (more to prove that I won't do it always when they beg), but he's never had it any time I've offered. This cat is so broken.
D'oh.
So, what tricks do people know to get cats to eat stuff? I need him to eat this or I'll be an anxious wreck forever because his bladder won't get rid of the deposits if it doesn't acidify slightly through diet. I plan to call the vet tomorrow to see if they have anything else I could give him if he won't eat this. We already have to shove a pill down his throat twice a day for a week; I'd prefer not to force-feed him, too.
So far, I've tried mixing it with other wet food. It wasn't the same as he'd had before ('cause the vet said not to use that kind), so maybe I need to risk the Friskies and mix that all up. I tried microwaving it a bit so it was warmer. (Some cats like that, and he seemed more enthused about not-refridgerated food before.) I tried putting dry food on top of it. Nothing. Currently, I have to lock Oscar up to even know if Wally is going to eat the new dry food I got him that is also supposed to help cats with their urinary tracts. Also, it's an experiment to see if Wally, given enough time and not many other options--i.e. limited dry food--will eat the wet food. Keeping Oscar locked up just keeps him from getting to it first.
It had to be Wally that got sick. This is a cat so picky he doesn't like tuna when I offer him some of mine. I've never met a cat that would turn his nose up at tuna. It's not great for them, and I don't do it often (more to prove that I won't do it always when they beg), but he's never had it any time I've offered. This cat is so broken.
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Date: 2008-09-15 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 03:24 pm (UTC)They tell you not to indulge finicky cats unless the cat otherwise has lost its appetite due to illness. Did your vet say whether or not Wally was still "sick"? I mean, I know the crystals are still there but normally as long as they're not actually blocking anything the cat should feel healthy unless there's something else going on.
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Date: 2008-09-15 03:34 pm (UTC)I already called the vet to ask if there's medicine he can take either in addition or if he just flatly refuses to eat the wet food. I'm waiting to hear back.
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Date: 2008-09-15 03:38 pm (UTC)My mom had a cat that theoretically "wouldn't" pick up food to eat it because his face was too flat and he didn't like getting his nose or whiskers wet. She had to feed him piece by piece. But he didn't like to let anyone else feed him, either, so when she went away, he would sneak food out of the bowl after his attempted feedings failed. And he would lick up ice cream.
Cats will play you if you let them.
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Date: 2008-09-15 03:39 pm (UTC)You know, I got cats to avoid the shit parents go through with kids getting sick and being picky eaters 'n shit. What the F?
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Date: 2008-09-15 03:45 pm (UTC)There's a lot of conflicting advice, but some people warn that cats will starve themselves if they don't like the food. One person mentions that stressed cats may not eat... but he is eating the dry food, so.
Someone also suggested weaning him from his old wet food by putting a little of the new in there, then slowly adding more until you switch over completely, but we may not have time for that.
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Date: 2008-09-15 03:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 03:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 03:58 pm (UTC)OBVIOUSLY you have to exercise common sense. If the cat isn't eating but otherwise seems okay and not listless? It's fine to give it a day or two. If it's acting sick, then you'll want to be more careful with it.
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Date: 2008-09-16 12:56 am (UTC)Urinary blockages can be very stressful on the system and put a lot of pressure on the kidneys. Cats that have been blocked are often febrile and don't want to eat in the first place!
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Date: 2008-09-15 05:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 03:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 03:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 05:06 pm (UTC)