lol
Does she drink water? It looks like she squawks either after tablescraps or hairball treat -- maybe she gets thirsty?
- 8AM – fed approx. 1.5 oz canned food
- 10AM – given a bite of my breakfast/brunch
- 11 AM – squawks* for food
- 1 PM – fed approx. 1.5 oz
- 3PM – given hairball treat and Glyco Flex
- 5PM – squawks* for food
- 6PM – fed approx. 1.5 oz
- 8PM – given a bite of protein from our dinner
- 10PM – occasionally acts like she wants food, but doesn’t squawk* so much
- 11PM – fed approx. 1.5 oz
I can fully understand your "exasperation", as all of my cats do the same:I thought I would create another thread on this issue with Feeby, as I don’t think it is necessarily related to my ongoing thread (I Don't Know What To Do - 15+yo Cat about her. Sorry about the length…but, here goes…
It seems that Feeby now wants to be fed more often than her current 4 meals a day. Here is what has been going on recently - all times are approximate:
* NOT meowing – literally squawking (but that is kind of her norm for most all communication)
- 8AM – fed approx. 1.5 oz canned food
- 10AM – given a bite of my breakfast/brunch
- 11 AM – squawks* for food
- 1 PM – fed approx. 1.5 oz
- 3PM – given hairball treat and Glyco Flex
- 5PM – squawks* for food
- 6PM – fed approx. 1.5 oz
- 8PM – given a bite of protein from our dinner
- 10PM – occasionally acts like she wants food, but doesn’t squawk* so much
- 11PM – fed approx. 1.5 oz
Other factors:
Does anyone else’s cat do this???? Do I give into her and possibly be feeding her some amount of food at least 6 times a day (not to mention the other ‘snacks’ she gets)? Or, should I just assume what she really is doing is trying to get attention? I have tried to play with her or just pet her and talk to her, but she is not a ‘player’, and the petting/talking only works for 5 or so minutes after I stop.
- She has never eaten more than 1.5 oz in a single meal, so I can’t increase the amount per meal and cut back the number per day.
- She will only eat from a dish that has a certain amount of food in it, so when I have given in to her squawking, I prepare a full meal. Then, she might eat a bite or three, or she might eat more. I refrigerate whatever is left for her next scheduled meal.
- She requires her food to be scooped and re-scooped up to 6 times per feeding, depending on whether she is eating a ‘mini-meal’ or a full meal. She flattens out the food and doesn't seem to be able to eat it once it is flattened out. If I scoop it up into a pile again, then she starts eating again.
- Each full meal takes anywhere from ½ to 1 hour from beginning to completion.
- She no longer wants to eat dry food, although I do leave some out for her just in case.
- Last Thyroid tests (April and July last year) within normal range. No other health issues identified (other than old age and arthritis!).
- She weighs just under 16 pounds, and appears to be able to maintain this weight on her current food intake.
If I sound frustrated, exasperated, and a bit aggravated, it is because I am!
Thanks!
Feeby is actually very good at drinking water - thankfully, she always has been. She even sometimes stops in the middle of eating to drink a bit before going back to eating. She has 3 water dishes and uses them all at varying points in time of the day. She pees about 3-4 times a day and they are pretty good sized!Does she drink water?
Hmmm. Maybe I should try it just to see. I won't syringe her though, so she would have to drink it on her own. I didn't post more yesterday, but she continued the squawking mid-way between each snack/meal session. She even did a mini-squawk before her 11PM meal, but ate only a little bit and then headed off to our bed - by herself!I've been thinking about you all morning... She's still restless and wandering about the house talking? Would you be interested in trying Mamanyt1953 's chamomile tea, for her and for you, too ?
I am sure I can leave it out longer than I have, but the re-scooping will be the issue. I know if I am going this route, the food dish will STAY in the kitchen, where I can better monitor it, and she will have to learn to come there to eat. Maybe over time, she will learn to eat without scooping... ...… ... sorry, I had to take a break to laugh hysterically over that one!!!I personally leave my Big Guys wet food out for about 12 hours, then whatever's left gets removed and a fresh plate with fresh food gets put down. You could try an arrangement of an ice pack under the food dish.
I guess Krista is more of a chewer even without teeth these days. I do get crumbs because she picks up the chewier bits off the plate and tries to process them over the carpet. Significantly more still makes it into the cat than on the carpet, though. As you can see, she still does a pretty good job clearing a plate.Unfortunately, Feeby laps the food right off the side of a flat plate. I have a shallower dish that I use when she gets her food down to a smaller amount that what she is willing to eat from a dish (pic above in Post #10) and she manages to lap that out over the edge.
Thanks! Does it really keep the food moist? The noise concerns me though. She has never liked any kind of motorized toy. I was feeling pretty optimistic about this you mentioned the noise factor.I also leave the wet food for many hours and I'm not worried about this. But one of my cats would never eat one out for more than 15minutes until we got them sealed bowls that close automatically, making sure the food is still fresh after few hours. My place is naturally cold so I'm not worried about this temp wise. It could be a good option for Feeby but given she's 15, I wonder if it's not too challenging to train her to use it, it's tricky... Anyway, that's the one I'm using. It's not perfect but it does the work, I bought it for $30 but I don't think I'd paid more. This thing is rather noisy so it's not for every cat.
My boy required food scooping when I first got him as a kitten (he was dry addict and only ate wet food if it was mountain shaped). I managed to change it with deep, rounded at the bottom bowl. It sort of created reverse mountain but it worked for him for some reason? Luckily this sensor activated bowls have similar shape. But well, he was 6mo not 15yo.
It keeps the food moist. I always add some water to their meal but they generally eat most of the watery stuff at the beginning, and the leftover are "drier", but they do stay moist and fresh. If my girl eats it with pleasure after 2h, then it means the seal does the job wellThanks! Does it really keep the food moist? The noise concerns me though. She has never liked any kind of motorized toy. I was feeling pretty optimistic about this you mentioned the noise factor.
Progress is progressOne baby step at a time...