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Abandoned Kitten
- Thread starter bengalcatman
- Start Date
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- #202
June Bug is finally losing weight!
Back in June we noted that June Bug was overweight. We didn't want to upset her by cutting back too much. Nor did we want to have to monitor it too closely: we don't always have time to stand by and make sure each cat only eats out of their assigned bowl. It took a few tries, but we finally found what works for June Bug.
First we had to figure out how to reliably attain accurate weights. June Bug is far to squirmy to sit on a scale, so we had to be clever. We get the shipping scale out of my shop, and sit her play box on it. June Bug is always curious about everything so she comes over to see what we are up to, then we coax her into her box.
After we subtract the weigh of the box, we have her weight.
The Bengals never ate too much, and we always left out some dry food for them in case they were peckish between meals. Unfortunately, June Bug just plowed through that dry food every chance she got. The Bengals usually got some cooked chicken a few times a week and June Bug would never have any. She really just wanted dry food. Attempts to cut back on the dry or not leave it down for free feeding didn't produce results.
So we stopped feeding them any dry food and June Bug started losing a little weight. Then we started her on this.
Unfortunately, we have to monitor them while they eat, but only for a few more weeks. Once she gets to a good weight, she will be fine with the regular food we feed them.
At first, she was did not much care for canned food at all. But now that she has been eating it, she really likes it. Now that she is getting less carbs, she likes to eat the cooked chicken with the Bengals.
We have been keeping track of June Bug's weights by writing them on top of the box. She has lost a whole pound so far!
June Bug feels a bit better with the weight off, she is playing harder, jumping higher and doesn't get out of breath as easily.
Mum and June Bug playing with a string toy
We are a bit relieved - we were worried about her health. We were also concerned she would become focused on food if she felt she wasn't getting enough, but she seems happy and doesn't beg.
Exclusively feeding all three cats quality canned food is expensive. Once we get June Bug down to a reasonable weight, we attempt to reintroduce some portions of quality dry food.
Back in June we noted that June Bug was overweight. We didn't want to upset her by cutting back too much. Nor did we want to have to monitor it too closely: we don't always have time to stand by and make sure each cat only eats out of their assigned bowl. It took a few tries, but we finally found what works for June Bug.
First we had to figure out how to reliably attain accurate weights. June Bug is far to squirmy to sit on a scale, so we had to be clever. We get the shipping scale out of my shop, and sit her play box on it. June Bug is always curious about everything so she comes over to see what we are up to, then we coax her into her box.
After we subtract the weigh of the box, we have her weight.
The Bengals never ate too much, and we always left out some dry food for them in case they were peckish between meals. Unfortunately, June Bug just plowed through that dry food every chance she got. The Bengals usually got some cooked chicken a few times a week and June Bug would never have any. She really just wanted dry food. Attempts to cut back on the dry or not leave it down for free feeding didn't produce results.
So we stopped feeding them any dry food and June Bug started losing a little weight. Then we started her on this.
Unfortunately, we have to monitor them while they eat, but only for a few more weeks. Once she gets to a good weight, she will be fine with the regular food we feed them.
At first, she was did not much care for canned food at all. But now that she has been eating it, she really likes it. Now that she is getting less carbs, she likes to eat the cooked chicken with the Bengals.
We have been keeping track of June Bug's weights by writing them on top of the box. She has lost a whole pound so far!
June Bug feels a bit better with the weight off, she is playing harder, jumping higher and doesn't get out of breath as easily.
Mum and June Bug playing with a string toy
We are a bit relieved - we were worried about her health. We were also concerned she would become focused on food if she felt she wasn't getting enough, but she seems happy and doesn't beg.
Exclusively feeding all three cats quality canned food is expensive. Once we get June Bug down to a reasonable weight, we attempt to reintroduce some portions of quality dry food.
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Wow 15 pounds is a lot for most housecats. Sounds like she's making good progress though. 
My Gracie is a bit overweight! Is hard with house cats especially when spayed too ! She is a mare at the moment and sits by her food cupboard until I give her a snack ! I try and ignore her however sits and stares at me (ever tried ignoring that ?) , I work all day so she doesn’t eat for 10 hours so sure that’s why
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- #206
I guess she is a little cat, her head and frame are much smaller than Makena's or Lilia's. But now that I think about it, her mum (from what I recall of the few times we saw her) was a tiny cat.
Makena's weight changes all the time - but he is usually between 16 and 17 pounds. In any case there is never any fat to be found on Makena: he is a solid block of muscle. June Bug is at best 2/3rds his size, probably less. I am guessing her ideal weight might only be 10-11 pounds. There is a little chart I found that seems to offer a logical guide:
Will just watch her and see when she looks about right.
This stare?
Yep. Kinda hard to ignore
Makena is the worst with the "stare" game. At 5PM, he expects to be fed. Not 5:01PM. The annoying part is that most of the time, he takes two bites and walks away. But he fully expects that dish to be full at his precise feeding time!
It amazes me that they always know EXACTLY what time it is.
Have to add this pic from yesterday....out hiking in the woods and Makena saw or heard something up ahead.... which resulted in an epic "phoof tail"
June Bug doesn't care much for the cold and prefers just a little exploring close to home. She gets overwhelmed if we try to bring her on one of Makena's long hikes.
When we get home, June Bug always greets us at the door and spends a few minutes sniffing Makena all over (much to his annoyance) to see where he has been.
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Love the updates on this thread -- great news for June Bug's weight! 
All of your cats are so beautiful!
All of your cats are so beautiful!
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- #209
June Bug is coming up on two years old: I can't believe how fast the time went by.
All the cats I have owned over the years were rescues. They all knew some hard, and sometimes scary times. June Bug has suffered no real trauma in her life. All she has known is kindness, full food dishes, a warm house and lots of toys. She has her very own large Bengal to watch over her and teach her all the important cat things cats need to know. And love, she has had lots of love. These things are manifest in her behaviors. She has become even more secure and independent. This is in contrast to the other cats I have known who generally had emotional scars from some hurt in their lives.
June Bug likes to sit with me while I read. She doesn't always want to be petted, she just likes company.
Tonight my wife and I were experimenting with making some low carb snack bars. June Bug sat in a chair by the kitchen island, watching us intently as we mixed ingredients. She often stretched neck so her little nose could get a better whiff of the stuff we were using. She is fascinated by new things and wants to be a part of whatever we are doing.
We had to laugh; her bright gold eyes seemed to be asking "what the heck are you guys doing?"
June Bug loves to watch out the windows, but shows little interest in going for a walk when I take Makena out. She is happy as a house cat. We sometimes bring her along on nice days, but she is content to sit in one spot or do minimal exploring.
Her weight is stable around 13 to 13.5 pounds. This appears a little heavy for her. However, she really makes it clear that she is HUNGRY when we try to get her weight lower. We plan to keep her at this weight for a few months and then try to get another pound off by minimally reducing her intake. She seems happy enough, running and jumping when she plays... and she is able to tussle with Makena well enough.
As she has been since the day we found her, June Bug is a bright, happy little star in our home.
All the cats I have owned over the years were rescues. They all knew some hard, and sometimes scary times. June Bug has suffered no real trauma in her life. All she has known is kindness, full food dishes, a warm house and lots of toys. She has her very own large Bengal to watch over her and teach her all the important cat things cats need to know. And love, she has had lots of love. These things are manifest in her behaviors. She has become even more secure and independent. This is in contrast to the other cats I have known who generally had emotional scars from some hurt in their lives.
June Bug likes to sit with me while I read. She doesn't always want to be petted, she just likes company.
Tonight my wife and I were experimenting with making some low carb snack bars. June Bug sat in a chair by the kitchen island, watching us intently as we mixed ingredients. She often stretched neck so her little nose could get a better whiff of the stuff we were using. She is fascinated by new things and wants to be a part of whatever we are doing.
We had to laugh; her bright gold eyes seemed to be asking "what the heck are you guys doing?"
June Bug loves to watch out the windows, but shows little interest in going for a walk when I take Makena out. She is happy as a house cat. We sometimes bring her along on nice days, but she is content to sit in one spot or do minimal exploring.
Her weight is stable around 13 to 13.5 pounds. This appears a little heavy for her. However, she really makes it clear that she is HUNGRY when we try to get her weight lower. We plan to keep her at this weight for a few months and then try to get another pound off by minimally reducing her intake. She seems happy enough, running and jumping when she plays... and she is able to tussle with Makena well enough.
As she has been since the day we found her, June Bug is a bright, happy little star in our home.
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That face!!!!!!! She really is a precious little creature!We had to laugh; her bright gold eyes seemed to be asking "what the heck are you guys doing?"
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Two years! I can’t believe it’s been that long already! I feel like it’s just yesterday when you first posted pictures of June Bug when she was a tiny kitten. She’s an absolutely gorgeous cat now!
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- #212
When she gives that "big eyes" questioning look, we always have to laugh. It make me want to pick her up and squeeze her (which she HATES!)
Doesn't seem possible to me either. I still think of her as a kitten. She was probably born in late April, and April is just a month away...Two years! I can’t believe it’s been that long already! I feel like it’s just yesterday when you first posted pictures of June Bug when she was a tiny kitten. She’s an absolutely gorgeous cat now!
June 2017
She is just precious. Always has been, always will be.
I love your updates and beautiful photography.
I love your updates and beautiful photography.
I can’t believe it has been that long either ! Gracie was born the September before (2016) so was small when first ready your post.
Gracie is overweight and I’ve been advised to put her on hills metabiotic for 3 months - vet gave me a nice graph showing a line going downwards indicating what her weight loss will be (2 kg). She won’t touch it, she sniffs, and does that thing with her paw which indicates she’s burying it then torments me for food !
Gracie is overweight and I’ve been advised to put her on hills metabiotic for 3 months - vet gave me a nice graph showing a line going downwards indicating what her weight loss will be (2 kg). She won’t touch it, she sniffs, and does that thing with her paw which indicates she’s burying it then torments me for food !
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- #215
June Bug didn't like that low calorie food at first. We left her no alternative and she started eating it. She did not become anxious about it, she just kept giving us a "what else do have?" sort of look for a few weeks. I think we just got lucky, most cats would have put up more of a fuss.
I think in June Bug's case she was just addicted to the high carb dry food. After a few weeks of no high carb food, she seemed to adapt to her low cal wet food. Now she gets the same stuff we feed Makena and Lilia and her weight is holding steady.
We can't leave dry food out anymore: June Bug would just sit and gobble it all up. This makes it hard on Makena - he liked to have little snacks through the day. We have to watch Makena's weight now to make sure he is getting enough. We had problems with him losing weight in the past, he is indifferent about eating. He makes a big deal out of getting fed on time, but often takes a few bites and wanders off. That is why we were in the habit of leaving dry food out in the first place, to help Makena maintain his weight. So far Makena is doing okay.
Good luck with Gracie's weight loss!
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- #217
We bring a bag of treats when out for a walk or hike. In warm weather we take him out in the courtyard with us in the evenings and bring along a dish of dry food for him to snack on. The problem is that he is indifferent regarding food. He will wander over to the dish, if there is food, he takes a bite and then wanders off. Makena gets excited when food is put down, but seldom eats more than a few bites at a time. So he really does best when there is a dish of food available all the time.
Getting some snacks on a hike..
The only time he will sit and eat a whole meal is when he is out with me for the day. I stop along the way and get big ham or tuna sandwich and give him half the meat. Sometimes when I am working from home I take my lunch break out in the woods, I bring Makena along and he sits with me and eats a whole dish of his food, or whatever I give him. I suspect eating together with me is kind of a special event so he gets excited about it.
Oh, and grasshoppers.... in late summer we take Makena out in our field and he has fun jumping around catching and eating his fill of grasshoppers (cheaper than having to buy food too!)
Makena is getting a little better about eating more at a sitting, and his weight is stable, but I liked it better when we didn't have to worry about it.
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- #218
June Bug is just over two years old.
She remains young at heart, especially in contrast to Makena and Lilia. June bug still loves to play whenever she can. She spends a great deal of time trying to coax Makena or myself into playing. Makena plays with her regularly, though perhaps not as much as June Bug would like. Makena is a lot older than June Bug and is not given to the frequent antics of younger cats. For my part, I find it hard to resist her plaintive meow and big gold eyes... Every day I am sure take a few minutes to get a toy and play with her.
Of late she is infatuated with brown packing paper. We have been leaving a few pieces of it around for her to play in. The paper becomes quite tattered after a week or so, and I go out to my shop and get her another few pieces...
Makena seems to like the paper too; he often lays on it or sneaks under it for a nap
June Bug and Makena remain best of friends. I suspect June Bug recalls her kitten days when Makena looked after her, played with her, cleaned her and taught her all the secrets of being a cat.
They are frequently in company of one another: napping, playing or gently tussling for a prime sunny spot or window ledge.
June Bugs playfulness has inspired Lilia to play more. She watches June Bug playing with a toy, then a few minutes later she takes the same toy and plays with it. Lilia usually keeps her distance from June bug, but June Bug has coaxed Lilia into playing a few times.
Lilia prefers my wife, Makena is deeply bonded to both of us, and June Bug is a "daddy's girl."
June Bug often follows me around the house and loves to nap or sleep with me. Much to Makena's annoyance, June Bug often pushes in front of him to greet me when I come home.
Waldo
Last year I was away for a week or so. One day at the grocery I happened down the pet supply aisle and noticed a little green lizard cat toy. The lizard looked like something June Bug would play with....
When I got home June Bug was overjoyed to see me and she gratefully took the little green lizard toy.
She doesn't play with it much: it is not shredded like the other toys. But she carries it all around the house and you never know where it will turn up. My wife named it "Waldo" as in "Where's Waldo?"
In the stairway
Window sill
In our bed
Oddly, we seldom see June Bug carrying Waldo around. You just get up in the morning, or come home... and Waldo is somewhere new.....
Two years went by so fast.......
June Bug, our sweet little girl.
She remains young at heart, especially in contrast to Makena and Lilia. June bug still loves to play whenever she can. She spends a great deal of time trying to coax Makena or myself into playing. Makena plays with her regularly, though perhaps not as much as June Bug would like. Makena is a lot older than June Bug and is not given to the frequent antics of younger cats. For my part, I find it hard to resist her plaintive meow and big gold eyes... Every day I am sure take a few minutes to get a toy and play with her.
Of late she is infatuated with brown packing paper. We have been leaving a few pieces of it around for her to play in. The paper becomes quite tattered after a week or so, and I go out to my shop and get her another few pieces...
Makena seems to like the paper too; he often lays on it or sneaks under it for a nap
June Bug and Makena remain best of friends. I suspect June Bug recalls her kitten days when Makena looked after her, played with her, cleaned her and taught her all the secrets of being a cat.
They are frequently in company of one another: napping, playing or gently tussling for a prime sunny spot or window ledge.
June Bugs playfulness has inspired Lilia to play more. She watches June Bug playing with a toy, then a few minutes later she takes the same toy and plays with it. Lilia usually keeps her distance from June bug, but June Bug has coaxed Lilia into playing a few times.
Lilia prefers my wife, Makena is deeply bonded to both of us, and June Bug is a "daddy's girl."
June Bug often follows me around the house and loves to nap or sleep with me. Much to Makena's annoyance, June Bug often pushes in front of him to greet me when I come home.
Waldo
Last year I was away for a week or so. One day at the grocery I happened down the pet supply aisle and noticed a little green lizard cat toy. The lizard looked like something June Bug would play with....
When I got home June Bug was overjoyed to see me and she gratefully took the little green lizard toy.
She doesn't play with it much: it is not shredded like the other toys. But she carries it all around the house and you never know where it will turn up. My wife named it "Waldo" as in "Where's Waldo?"
In the stairway
Window sill
In our bed
Oddly, we seldom see June Bug carrying Waldo around. You just get up in the morning, or come home... and Waldo is somewhere new.....
Two years went by so fast.......
June Bug, our sweet little girl.
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She’s beautiful! It seems like just yesterday that you were posting about you finding her as a tiny kitten. 
Thanks for the update! June Bug's story is so sweet; we remember how you found her so well. Two years have, indeed, gone by very fast. It's so good they have gone by well, and June Bug has a happy, loving home and two feline companions.
