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I'm saving up for a dental cleaning first of all! I have two very painful teeth myself, I can relate to pain.
I think Rue may have been part of the problem. The cat food dish is right outside my room on a piano bench. I used to have it in my room until we moved. We adopted Clyde, who can NOT have normal cat food. So I put it on a piano bench (he couldn't jump.) And set it outside my door for the cats. It worked great until wr adopted Rue. Rue never fit in, and attacked my other cats in terror. (Single cat household meets my slightly wild cats. My house was also four times larger than she's had. Very scary). She would attack cats at the food/water dishes since she lived in my room. My room connects to the bathroom which connects to the hallway with the litter box/water.
When Spoon wad young my other cat, a Tom named Lead, would pound her. He'd chase her around until she began fleeing into boxes/baskets where she learned she was safe. As a result she used to pound Beck to feel better. Beck became terrified of Spoon, but they came to an uneasy truce. Rue, on the other hand, didn't understand that you attack until the other cats learn to leave you alone, and then you just ignore them. She would attack on sight every time.
You see the problem? Spoon is Hugh strung, been pounded, timid, and her usual tatic of beating people until they leave her alone failed. Rue is around the food, water, and littetbox. Rue trained herself to listen to the jingle of cats collars to pound them.
After we rehomed Rue (I got to see her yesterday! She's terrified of me?) And I realized Spoon was sick I began watching. And do you know what I found? She avoids the basement where Rue was. She used to keep us company while we played video games. Now she didn't. She wouldn't go to the food dish, hated the water, and peed outside only.
Ten bucks says that's part of the reason she stopped eating. Her sore teeth + Rue + whatever is going on with her liver. We got her stomach working again with canned food. And she now sleeps in my room. Once her appetite came back she began eating solids again. But NOT the food dish solids. She only eats them if it's in a fish in her "safe space" aka my room.
I caught her drinking last night. She sniffed the room with the litter box. I saw her pee outside!! She's been sniffing over the food dish again. She stands in the hall outside my room and watches. She even came over when I opened a new bag of food. She's pretty much off canned and on solids again - she still gets canned to fatten her up, but it's not survival. She's learned that if she sits on a chair in the kitchen people will feed her.
And you know what? She's become a picky eater in a healthy way. Before it was being picky because she felt sick. Now she's being picky because she's a cat. My brother eats turkey sandwiches 3x a day (it's literally all he eats) and gives Blackie a piece as a treat. Spoon found if she sits on her chair he will feed her as well. She used to pig it down because hunger. Now she INISISTS he rips into tiny bits for her, and holds it while she eats. Sure, it could be her sore gums. But it looks more like an attitude....
She's following me around all the time which is SUPER annoying. Either love or food, she's not picky. (She's also a very dependant cat... whiny). She's getting all the love. She sleeps in my room all the time and eats from the dish on my floor. She acts like canned food is a treat instead of her only meal. Her voice came back!
I'm thinking she had something wrong with her liver - an infection, she's just getting old, whatever - and Rue happened. Rue pounded her until Spoon gave up. And then the teeth are a second unrelated problem that makes cold hard for her. The not eating made her liver worse until it was a Very Bad Thing. I'm still not sure this accounts for why het liver values are so HIGH, but it gives me hope. Maybe we can beat this yet!
And as for Rue... My brother's wife's cat died a month ago from old age. She had that cat and her sister since childhood. She was heartbroken. I'd been telling my brother for a year that I KNEW Rue belonged to them. No idea why, I just knew it. My brother said no. His wife loved Rue. Their cat passed, and the cat left behind wasn't doing well. I finally wore my brother down. They took Rue last week. Rue fits in perfectly. The apartment is smaller so she's not stressed. The wife is home all day so she gets lots of love. She's an inside cat which she prefers. Their older cat is ... Not happy, but adapting. Rue is spoiled rotten, no longer fighting with other cats. She was happy here, and I loved her, but she did NOT fit in. Turns out I was just keeping her safe for those two.
Long post, but Spoon just got done pigging out at the food dish and I'm feeling positive.
She's also not pacing around anymore. She seems a lot more relaxed. Just needy. Now to make her fat again. Petting a cat and feeling their spine/ribs is gross.
I think Rue may have been part of the problem. The cat food dish is right outside my room on a piano bench. I used to have it in my room until we moved. We adopted Clyde, who can NOT have normal cat food. So I put it on a piano bench (he couldn't jump.) And set it outside my door for the cats. It worked great until wr adopted Rue. Rue never fit in, and attacked my other cats in terror. (Single cat household meets my slightly wild cats. My house was also four times larger than she's had. Very scary). She would attack cats at the food/water dishes since she lived in my room. My room connects to the bathroom which connects to the hallway with the litter box/water.
When Spoon wad young my other cat, a Tom named Lead, would pound her. He'd chase her around until she began fleeing into boxes/baskets where she learned she was safe. As a result she used to pound Beck to feel better. Beck became terrified of Spoon, but they came to an uneasy truce. Rue, on the other hand, didn't understand that you attack until the other cats learn to leave you alone, and then you just ignore them. She would attack on sight every time.
You see the problem? Spoon is Hugh strung, been pounded, timid, and her usual tatic of beating people until they leave her alone failed. Rue is around the food, water, and littetbox. Rue trained herself to listen to the jingle of cats collars to pound them.
After we rehomed Rue (I got to see her yesterday! She's terrified of me?) And I realized Spoon was sick I began watching. And do you know what I found? She avoids the basement where Rue was. She used to keep us company while we played video games. Now she didn't. She wouldn't go to the food dish, hated the water, and peed outside only.
Ten bucks says that's part of the reason she stopped eating. Her sore teeth + Rue + whatever is going on with her liver. We got her stomach working again with canned food. And she now sleeps in my room. Once her appetite came back she began eating solids again. But NOT the food dish solids. She only eats them if it's in a fish in her "safe space" aka my room.
I caught her drinking last night. She sniffed the room with the litter box. I saw her pee outside!! She's been sniffing over the food dish again. She stands in the hall outside my room and watches. She even came over when I opened a new bag of food. She's pretty much off canned and on solids again - she still gets canned to fatten her up, but it's not survival. She's learned that if she sits on a chair in the kitchen people will feed her.
And you know what? She's become a picky eater in a healthy way. Before it was being picky because she felt sick. Now she's being picky because she's a cat. My brother eats turkey sandwiches 3x a day (it's literally all he eats) and gives Blackie a piece as a treat. Spoon found if she sits on her chair he will feed her as well. She used to pig it down because hunger. Now she INISISTS he rips into tiny bits for her, and holds it while she eats. Sure, it could be her sore gums. But it looks more like an attitude....
She's following me around all the time which is SUPER annoying. Either love or food, she's not picky. (She's also a very dependant cat... whiny). She's getting all the love. She sleeps in my room all the time and eats from the dish on my floor. She acts like canned food is a treat instead of her only meal. Her voice came back!
I'm thinking she had something wrong with her liver - an infection, she's just getting old, whatever - and Rue happened. Rue pounded her until Spoon gave up. And then the teeth are a second unrelated problem that makes cold hard for her. The not eating made her liver worse until it was a Very Bad Thing. I'm still not sure this accounts for why het liver values are so HIGH, but it gives me hope. Maybe we can beat this yet!
And as for Rue... My brother's wife's cat died a month ago from old age. She had that cat and her sister since childhood. She was heartbroken. I'd been telling my brother for a year that I KNEW Rue belonged to them. No idea why, I just knew it. My brother said no. His wife loved Rue. Their cat passed, and the cat left behind wasn't doing well. I finally wore my brother down. They took Rue last week. Rue fits in perfectly. The apartment is smaller so she's not stressed. The wife is home all day so she gets lots of love. She's an inside cat which she prefers. Their older cat is ... Not happy, but adapting. Rue is spoiled rotten, no longer fighting with other cats. She was happy here, and I loved her, but she did NOT fit in. Turns out I was just keeping her safe for those two.
Long post, but Spoon just got done pigging out at the food dish and I'm feeling positive.
She's also not pacing around anymore. She seems a lot more relaxed. Just needy. Now to make her fat again. Petting a cat and feeling their spine/ribs is gross.
She WANTS to, but won't. I had to move her vet appointment to next week. My paycheck didn't come in on time. I'm off to the store tomorrow to buy her more canned food to see if we can find a flavor she likes again.
