(no subject)

[trinityvixen]

I 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.

Comments

[viridian.livejournal.com]

Actually, that's pretty rare. And the symptoms of it are obvious to anyone who's paying attention to their cats. Obviously you should make sure they eat if it's the end of day 2 and they're not showing interest in food. But 99% of the time, the cat will eat as soon as it gets hungry, after about 12 hours or so. Practical experience is a better guideline here than worst-case-scenarios.

[jennisis.livejournal.com]

Well, if by rare you mean that it is seen at veterinary hospitals on average about 2-3 times a week, then it is rare. We've had to place feeding tubes in three cats so far this month.

A good rule of thumb is that a cat should never go more than 24 hours without eating - and eating one or two kibbles is not "eating". MOST people don't watch their cats at the food bowl close enough to give the advice "just wait them out".

Your rule works for dogs, but I've seen too many cats that are "eating just fine" and drop 2-3 pounds in a month.

[viridian.livejournal.com]

Do you get what you're saying, though? In a veterinary hospital. You don't see the vast percentage that does just fine, and if it's going on for a month, obviously that's a long time for a problem to be going on.

I will allow that perhaps my experience is different because my mother was a professional cat breeder and watched her cats like a hawk. We also had two excellent vets whose advice never once steered us wrong. I will tend to favor the experience of having raised 30+ cats -- a tiny, tiny number of which WERE picky enough eaters that they needed special attention -- that I will give advice assuming that the person in question is attentive enough to make good judgment calls. But the average person probably IS better erring on the side of caution.

Sorry, I just get twitchy when people imply that I don't know what I'm doing. I'll drop out of this convo now.

[jennisis.livejournal.com]

I didn't by any stretch mean to imply that you don't know what you're doing!! :O

Like you, I have a reflex, and it's when people say "cats won't starve themselves". My heart squeezes and I have to jump in with a "Yes they will!" Most of the time I hear that refrain, it's coming from people who can't figure out why their 17 pound cat is only 6 pounds when he eats a whole whopping 1 oz canned food and 15 kernels of dry food a day. Sorry I made you feel like I was jumping on your case.

[viridian.livejournal.com]

No problem! I do forget on occasion that people don't all have the exact same amount of common sense when it comes to animals. :) It is better safe than sorry, you're right, but I figured if trinityvixen was flailing this much about Wally, she'd be keeping a pretty close eye on the amount he was eating.