Feeding Bright Eyes

[Margret]

As some of you already know, we've just acquired a new cat, Bright Eyes. My friend Rich, who was Bright Eyes' preferred person, went for a bicycle ride in the mountains on Sunday and suffered a fatal heart attack - all Bright Eyes knows is that Rich left and didn't come home, and that he's been kidnapped and taken to a strange house.

Bright Eyes is a black, neutered DSH, about 8 years old (we think), and to my eye he looks too thin. As far as we can tell, Rich was feeding him whatever cat food he could get cheaply at the Dollar Tree, and he was giving him 1 tablespoon/day of canned plus all the kibble he wanted. This is obviously not a very good diet for Bright Eyes; I'd like to switch him over to two or three larger meals of canned food per day, plus a better brand of kibble to snack on between meals.

Obviously I'll want to change the kibble slowly, mixing some of the better stuff in with the junk food, but I'm not sure how to go about switching him to larger, more frequent meals. Will I give him an upset tummy if I just do it, rather than building up slowly?

Pictures will be a few days yet; I rate it as a victory that Bright Eyes came out of hiding long enough to have some supper.

Margret

 

[jen]

So sorry about your friend
I think that is a great idea to get him on canned diet, even with a little kibble in between although I don't think that is necessary. Yes a quick switch might upset his stomach but it might not. Just be prepared for an extra smelly litterbox for a few days. Watch the amount of weight he puts on though as obesity will be much worse for his health. Might be a good idea to have him checked by the vet too. When was he in last? Some baseline bloodwork would be excellent to see how everything inside is functioning.

 

[Margret]

Might be a good idea to have him checked by the vet too. When was he in last? Some baseline bloodwork would be excellent to see how everything inside is functioning.

No idea. We could find no paperwork on him; don't know who his vet has been, what vaccinations he's had, nothing.

With a quality, grain free kibble in addition to adequate canned food, in my experience, cats don't end up obese. Jasmine had a weight problem when we got her, but after taking her off of the junk food kibble it went away, painlessly.

Margret

 

[jen]

Well it seems you got lucky with Jasmine, I wish all cats worked that way lolol. My bf's cat free fed GF food with wet, was 21lbs, morbidly obese and diabetic when I moved in and took over. Just keep an eye on it in the future is all. Also remember that grain free is a great marketing ploy, many companies just replace the grains with other carb heavy ingredients like peas and potato and convince everyone it is a good food. It all turns to sugar and not anything cats need. Leading to diabetes and kidney issues and male cats getting blocked. Just some stuff to think about.

I would say it is definitely a good idea to take him to the vet then. A fresh start. If you can't find any papers there probably aren't any.

 

[Columbine]

I'm so sorry about your friend Bright Eyes is lucky to have you taking him in. I hope it's a smooth transition for all of you

As far as the food switch goes, I like to transition over a month or two where major dietary changes are concerned. For going from canned/kibble to raw feeding, 6-8 weeks is usually suggested. I find kibble brand/type changes work fine over a month, but the wet food will need to be introduced a little more slowly.

Transitioning Free-fed Kibble Kitties To Timed Meals
Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food (canned, Raw, Or Homemade)

 

[Rini]

I am so sorry for your loss and God bless you for giving Bright Eyes a loving home. Please keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Margret]

Also remember that grain free is a great marketing ploy, many companies just replace the grains with other carb heavy ingredients like peas and potato and convince everyone it is a good food.

Yes, I'm very aware of this issue, I'm big on reading labels. I was seriously shocked the first time I shopped for grain free and the first label I read said "potato." What the heck?! Potato?! How is that supposed to be an improvement over grains? The salesperson said that it was, and I didn't believe her and kept looking.

Bright Eyes has come out of hiding and begun soliciting head scratches. He has also condescended to lie next to me when I'm sitting on the daybed, though not when I'm lying down; I suspect Rich had a "No cats in bed" rule. He isn't playing with his toys; I don't know whether that's an age thing or simply that there are too many important things happening for play. He purrs loudly, and kneads when snuggling, and has a very tiny meow, almost a squeak.

Jasmine is feeling very threatened, with hissing and yowl-growling at the door to his safe room. And, since Jasmine is very much my cat, Roger is "courting" Bright Eyes in the hopes that Bright Eyes will be his cat - an ideal solution for everyone.

And I'm off to the store to get Bright Eyes his very own scratching post; I'm being very careful to give him nothing that Jasmine believes to be rightfully hers. I don't know how Rich managed for so long with no scratching post.

Rich died quickly, doing something he loved. He was a good, kind man, and I'll miss him, but the way he died was enviable, and that eases the pain. I just wish it were possible to explain to Bright Eyes that Rich didn't "desert" him.

Margret

 

[Columbine]

I know it's hard to fully help a kitty understand that a loved one has passed, but I do find sitting snuggling with them and explaining it helps...even if the reality is just that it's making me feel better to vocalist it to them.

If you're not already using it, Feliway is worth a try. Asha greatly benefited from being on Zylkene whilst she adjusted to the boys moving in. It might be worth trying Jasmine or Bright Eyes (or even both) on that or another food based calmer like Composure, just to see if it helps ease the transition along. Obviously, run it by your vet first, just in case

When the boys came home, I set their room up with things Asha wasn't fussed about (plus some new things just for them), but also got some things specifically for shared use - mostly blankets and cardboard scratchers. I also brought in more cat trees and opened up more vertical space, to create a bigger territory to share. Little things like that make a surprising difference

I'm sure you've read them already, but I'll link a few helpful articles, just in case
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats
Do Cats Mourn?

 

[LadyLondonderry]

My deepest sympathies on the sudden loss of your friend.

I think Bright Eyes will need to settle in and feel more secure before he can relax enough to play. He is so lucky to have found someone who will give him the time, patience and love he needs, and who has lots of kitty savvy besides.

I'll be thinking good thoughts for both of you during this transition period!

 

[Margret]

I went out today and got him 2 cardboard scratching posts (they were on sale - buy one and get the second for half price) and have opened one, which was a great success (or at least the catnip I put on it was ), a Feliway spritzer which I've sprayed on both sides of the door, and a brush, which he's accepting though not enthusiastic about - he doesn't really want to hold still for brushing, but he's really shedding.

I'm a little worried that when scratching along his spine he got very upset when I neared his tail area; I think there's some pain there, likely arthritis. Something to ask the vet about.

And somehow I'm feeling very tired; I think it's time to feed the cats and take a good book to bed with me.

Margret

 

[Margret]

Well, I tried feeding the cats right next to the door. Bright Eyes managed to push his plate under the door (not intentionally, it moves when he licks up the food) and Jasmine refused to eat at all that near to Bright Eyes. She got her breakfast back in the kitchen, and I moved Bright Eyes' breakfast plate to a spot where there's something solid behind it.

The Feliway bottle says 8-10 spritzes in a carrier a few minutes before planning to leave for the vet, so I gave 10 spritzes on either side of the door, near the bottom. Boy is that stuff strong! I could smell it, and I couldn't smell it when our dog got sprayed by a skunk when I was a kid! I think I'd better cut back on the number of spritzes; does anyone know how often I should renew it?

Margret

 

[Tobermory]

I think I'd better cut back on the number of spritzes; does anyone know how often I should renew it?

From the Feliway website:

• At home: Apply at least once daily to reduce the likelihood of re-marking
• During car journeys: re-apply every 4-5 hours
• Always wait about 10 minutes before putting your cat in the carrier

I’m glad you asked because I was wondering myself! I use it to keep one of mine from scratching the rugs.

 

[duckpond]

I am so sorry about the loss of your friend, and Bright eyes dad! I am glad he has you to care for him!

Hopefully you guys have had a good vet visit? You went today?

I have always given my cats a wide variety of wet foods, and switch up a lot. For dry i use to switch around, never had any tummy problems, they just would not eat some of it. Now i stick with Dr. Elseys for dry, its one all my guys like, and i feed wet twice a day. I think it depends on the cat, how fast you can switch them over to what you want to feed. I think with mine they could eat different wet and or dry every day and not have problems. I have always just put new food out, and seen how it goes. Usually no problems, but sometimes one or two will not eat a new food, so i usually buy small bags to try.

 

[Margret]

Hopefully you guys have had a good vet visit? You went today?

No, I want to wait until he's less stressed before the vet visit, and when it does happen she'll come to us; Jasmine hates car rides so much (no matter where) that a mobile vet is essential.

Right now I've skipped out on my pre-scheduled afternoon filk and moved the router and computer into his safe room so I can sit with him and get on with other things (our Wifi is the cheapest available, so the signal isn't very strong with a closed door in the way). Moving the router was a job and a half! Bright Eyes observed me crawling under the table in here to get at the phone outlet with great interest (we all know humans are crazy, right? ) but made no move to try to play with the cables, thank goodness! No claws allowed in electrical cords around here! I'm watching (okay, listening to) Pluto TV and taking care of other things on the computer. I just got a new, larger hard drive before Bright Eyes came to us, and it's wonderful being able to have new things on it, like Pluto TV.

I know that Bright Eyes is aware of my presence, but mostly he's napping - good sign. Healthy behavior.

Margret

 

[Margret]

I've been giving Bright Eyes two meals of canned food a day, which he eats enthusiastically. He also leaves leftovers, so he's getting enough, and he knows when to quit. I've mixed a small amount of grain free kibble in with his other kibble (easy enough to avoid if he doesn't like it), but he currently seems to be totally uninterested in the kibble, presumably because he's getting enough canned food. I believe there will be little problem improving the health of his diet, and I doubt that he'll ever have a problem with obesity.

He's still feeling tentative about people, about his welcome here. He got out of the sewing room yesterday and started exploring the house. Jasmine came to check him out and he attacked her. She, of course, fought back. I shouted "Stop it, both of you!" and clapped my hands loudly, which startled them enough to break up the fight, and Bright Eyes immediately went back to the sewing room, on his own volition.

Time for some more Feliway on the door.

Margret

 

[Tobermory]

That’s great news about Bright Eyes’ eating canned!

I know some cats seem to be immune to Feliway, but the diffusers—both the Classic and Multicat—have made a huge difference for Lily this past year as she has struggled to adjust to Mocha’s coming to live with us. I hope it helps Bright Eyes and Jasmine.

 

[Margret]

I'm avoiding the diffusers, both because of the added expense and because I'm concerned about the fire danger with the diffusers; right now I'm just spritzing some on the bottom of the door of the safe room. Is it helping? No way to tell, really. It certainly isn't hurting.

Margret

 

[Kflowers]

With you on the diffusers.

Not to be presumptuous, but when you take him in you might ask about arthritis.

Have you thought about some of the joint medicine - dasuquin? Sweet Gum was a rowdy kitten, which may have been due to being away from her mom too soon (a raccoon got Mom and litter mates) but it seemed a bit much. So I got her a full-body x-ray and it turned out she had a longish patch of arthritis on her spine at less than a year old.

She was allergic to the metacam (it did work except for the sore spot) and I didn't want to be giving her cortisone every month from that age. So I got the dasuquin and it really helps. The vet agreed, said it actually helped improve the arthritis as well as stop the pain, (which the metacam and cortisone do not.) I don't know why he didn't suggest it first. (Perhaps because it's over the counter, MUCH less expensive...)

Once she took the medicine she became a lot easier to live with, a lot less biting.

 

[Margret]

Once she took the medicine she became a lot easier to live with, a lot less biting.

That's very easy to believe; we all tend to get cranky when we hurt.

I've been experimenting (gently) a little bit today. It isn't his hips, and he doesn't get upset when I pet him or brush him along the spine; the reaction is limited to when I scratch him on either side of the spine and it gets all the way back to his hip area. This says to me that it's definitely the spine, and only the spine. (Either that or it's an over-stimulation issue; it'll take a vet to say for sure.)

I've never heard of dasuquin before; I'll have to research it. I appreciate the recommendation. I used to have really bad arthritis in my left knee, from a couple of fairly major injuries, but years of using glucosamine and chondroitin supplements have put it right (mostly), so I'm highly in favor of using something natural that can actually help him to heal rather than just treating his pain.

The poor little boy is still too uptight for play - he was briefly distracted by the sound when I rolled his ball that has a bell inside, but not enough to actually chase it. He has more important things on his mind. I wish he and Jasmine would hurry up and make friends, so he could be out and about with the family rather than mostly isolated in the back room. I know; there's only so much I can do to hurry that along, and it's only been a few days. It only feels like forever. In all fairness, they've been stressful days for several reasons, not just Bright Eyes.

Margret

 

[Tobermory]

I've never heard of dasuquin before; I'll have to research it. I appreciate the recommendation. I used to have really bad arthritis in my left knee, from a couple of fairly major injuries, but years of using glucosamine and chondroitin supplements have put it right (mostly), so I'm highly in favor of using something natural that can actually help him to heal rather than just treating his pain.

You might want to research not only Dasuquin but also Cosequin. Both are made by Nutramax. They both contain glucosamine and chondroitin. Dasuquin is supposed to be more powerful (and thus, more expensive) because it has additional ingredients that are supposed to reduce cartilage breakdown. My 14-year-olds were both limping and seemed uncomfortable. I started them on Cosequin, and within a few weeks, they were noticeably better. You might want to check with your vet as to which might be better for Bright Eyes.

If you have a Costco membership, I found the least expensive Cosequin was online from Costco. They don’t carry Dasuquin, unfortunately.