Struggling With Play Time

calicosrspecial

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You think it may be obsessive? That isn't good. Does he cause bald spots or is it not that bad? I am not familiar with obsessive grooming sadly. Maybe start a new thread?

I wonder if he has discomfort and grooms more?

At least the other two don't have hairball issues.

Yes, that makes it more difficult sadly. Ash does need his glucosamine.

Yeah, vets are not always great. It is hard though in their defense. As long as he is acting normal and he isn't losing a lot of weight then I wouldn't worry too much. But running some tests might be wise (like thyroid, parasites, etc). It is always tricky. :/
 
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I think if he did it much more it would be. It seems like just about every time I look at him he's grooming, particularly around his back end. But no bald spots as of yet which is why I haven't worried about it.

We know he grooms more when he has a UTI. If it seems truly obsessive then it's usually a hint there's something more to it. I haven't seen any signs of discomfort though. He hasn't been playing too much with the toy lately, but it was just the other day he played with Ember and Frost. And his grooming has been a long term thing. It just seems that, of the three of them, he does it the most, and that's saying something since they all groom quite a bit.

There is that pro, but he has enough for all of them.

He definitely does. I can't let him go without that. Fortunately, he has no problem eating it and I just pour it on top. I'm surprised though. I tried glucosamine with nothing else and it was awful. I'd think that would bother him more.

I'm sure it is hard. I know I couldn't do it. I'd love to run as many tests as possible, but at this point I think it would just be stressful for him (and me) and it would take from the money we could save for future problems. He did go to the vet though. I'm not exactly sure what they looked for, but we had them run blood tests. It was all fine.
 

calicosrspecial

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Good. Grooming is a big positive. But some do get obsessive which can be negative. I wonder if the discomfort is causing him to groom since it could be soothing. Especially since he is doing it by his back end.

It doesn't sound like you are worried about it. The fact you are aware is good.

I am glad he is playing with the others. That is great.

His hair is such that is is more hairball likely it sounds. :(

Thank goodness because the glucosamine seems to help a lot.

I agree with you, at this point it doesn't seem necessary. I have a girl that is like him (thinner, doesn't always eat well) and her brother has a weight issue. Go figure. But they are both healthy and happy. The key is to watch and if anything seems different then check it out. Some cats are just different.
 
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I don't know. He's been doing really good with brushing. I can tell he's still a little tense, but that might just be the expectation of pain. I know I'd be worried if I had dealt with pain before. He's always been a big groomer too so it's not as though it's really new.

I'm learning to become more observant with them. I tend to worry a lot though so once I notice something, I'm constantly keeping an eye out for any other changes.

He has very thick fur. Frost's fur is very silky and smooth, but Ash has thick, fluffy fur.

Yes, I'm very relieved he's given us no trouble as far as eating the glucosamine.

I'm not making any promises, but it seemed like he ate better last night. I saw him at all three bowls and his own seemed pretty empty. I'm not sure exactly how much was him, but I hadn't caught anyone else eating his food and he was there twice (once when I first put it down and then after I moved him from Ash's bowl to his own). He got to eat some bacon this morning that was dropped on the floor too.
 

calicosrspecial

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It doesn't sound worrisome. That is good.

It is really good to be observant. Because small changes can suggest something wrong. Of course, not always. But getting to know their habits etc is very helpful. I know what you mean by worrying, so do I. But I always remind myself to only worry about things that are problems and that I can do something about.

Thick fluffy fear gets tangled and knotted etc. SO it makes sense he grooms a lot (to avoid those issues).

YES, that is great. Some cats can get so picky. I am glad Ash eats it well.

That would be great. I am guessing he isn't burning off enough energy or as they get older they do tend to eat less in my experience. Fingers crossed he keeps eating well.
 
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It's hard to pay attention to everything since I'm not home all day and I'm sure a lot goes on behind my back. I can't follow them around 24/7, but I do try to notice any changes or watch their body language in different situations.

I guess that makes sense. Cleaning up the hairballs isn't fun (just cleaned one up), but whatever he needs to do, I suppose.

It does seem like he's eating better. He ate the majority of his food last night and he did eat this morning, but I'm not sure how much. I just have too much to do to be watching who's eating what in the mornings. But at least he is eating.
 

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Very true. But you will pick up on it as it would happen at all times so the times you are around (the sample size) will be big enough to catch any changes. Don't worry, you'll see things.

Yes, I know.

Yes, that is good. I am guessing his appetite just ebbs and flows. Depends on how active they are etc. But it si good news he seems to be eating well again.
 
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I hope. Sometimes I worry there could be more that I'm not seeing, but I think I'd be able to catch changes. At least eventually. It might take a little time to connect things.

They've all been eating pretty good. Ember is the only one who doesn't seem to give me problems. Now that Frost is eating (fingers crossed it stays that way), Ash is my biggest problem. He does eat, but he seems to prefer eating some then and some later. However, that doesn't work out very well with two other cats (and a dog) to come in after him and eat his food. At least he eats enough to maintain a healthy weight.
 

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I know, I always worry too but we will see something if it is there. I am confident we will.

That is great. A lot of cats like to eat a little and then a little more etc. I have a feral that does that, it is so frustrating (like you say with other cats etc). My feral has a healthy weight too but it makes it more difficult.

I was thinking of Frost today. One of my girls (inside) has been eating less lately (but doing well at begging). So today I gave her a can like always and she ate a little but wanted my lunch. Cat do stuff like this for whatever reason. So frustrating. But she too is at a good weight so......................
 
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It is troublesome when one wants to save the food for later. It's just another one of those situations that it would be really nice to be able to truly communicate with them and explain why they shouldn't do that. But alas, we're stuck trying to work around it. Ash is the only one of the three at a healthy weight though, so he must be doing something right.

Frost is a bit weird about food. It's perhaps one of the reasons I find his reluctance to eat so odd. He's a very food motivated cat. He loves treats. He was the only who figured out the treat dispenser we got (though Ember might have gotten it once or twice) and he'd probably stand on his head for a treat if he knew how. And he isn't always picky about his food. Sometimes he eats great, but then sometimes he's ridiculously picky. He also has little to no interest in human food. Why he would choose a cat treat over human food, I don't know, but he does. Sometimes he'll come sit and stare at me with Ember just for the heck of it. When I offer him something, though, he'll sniff it for five minutes and turn away from it.

Ember, on the other hand, is less enthusiastic about cat treats (but still enjoys them) and is obsessed with human food. Ash, however, has little interest in either. He'll take a piece of bacon, maybe a bit of chicken, but he won't be found begging. You have to go to him and even then it's iffy. He does like cat treats, but it's not often he's enthusiastic about them. They all love their Temptations though.
 

calicosrspecial

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I know. But cats are good at knowing how to take care of themselves and their survival (eating) instinct is strong. It is good that Ash is at a good weight. I find most cats (depending on how they were raised access to food etc) tend to eat too much and gain weight. Food is a pleasure, like what it is to many humans (especially me).

Frost sounds a lot like two of mine. One is VERY picky on her food but LOVES treats and human food. One begs always and never eats human food anymore (and she was good at eating her chicken outside). So I have a bit of Frost in two of mine.

Each has their own preferences. They sound a lot like mine (and many others). The good thing is you know them.

I think Temptations are like chocolate cake.
 
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Frost and Ember don't seem to help with proving that though. One is overweight and one is underweight. Overeating I can kind of understand, but what leads a cat to undereating, I'm not sure. Food has definitely become a pleasure to Ember.

I would have thought Frost would love human food from how much he loves treats. I've tried plenty of animal treats myself and I'd much rather human food. I don't know what makes them so appealing. But no, he rarely takes any human food even if he's sitting there staring at me like he wants it. Every now and then he'll take a bite of chicken or something, but not often.

I've definitely become accustomed to their eating preferences. Ash is less food motivated than the other two by far. He used to growl over his UTI treats. He really liked the soft, chewy treats it seemed like. But then he stopped eating them altogether. He would sit there and lick them like a lollipop and then walk away. I eventually gave up.

Ember, I've noticed, is not a sweets cat. She's sniffed my fruit, but will walk away from it. Her brother loved sweets though. He had an obsession with watermelon. We figured that out when he got a really bad cold. He was practically skin and bones and, while the vet seemed unconcerned, we were desperate to get him to eat. We were giving him anything we could to get some food in him.

They're definitely something like that. Though I can't say chocolate cake is my favorite. It's basically the only thing all three cats completely agree on. Well, that and Friskies salmon treats that I use for clipping claws. I give that to Stella too since it's 100% salmon.
 

calicosrspecial

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I am not sure either. Overeating tends to come from a worry about a steady source of food typically from when they were young (difficult access to food or uncertain supply) from my experience. My girl is an undereater at times. But she is very choosy. I like cats that are good eaters. Only 1 of my ferals and one of my indoors are not good eaters.

I don't know why that is. One of my girls is now like that. I have no clue why, she begs then doesn't want it. Remember cats like mice and birds too ..................... ;)

I know, it is wild, isn't it? They like something then not anymore. SO fickle.

Supposedly cats can't taste sweets. My girl LOVES donuts and breads etc. SO is it sweets or just that texture? I don't know but I would swear my girl has a sweettooth. But I think sweets are bad for their teeth so she doesn't get any anymore. :(

That is funny. All desserts are my faves. :) I use treats for training but now I tend to keep them only on their food. :/ But it is always good to have something that can distract them etc.
 
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Well, we can cross that off in Ember's case. She was born with us, grew up with us, and will die with us. Definitely no shortage of food. I think she has the feral's instincts from her father though. We only ever caught glimpses of him around the house after we took her mother in. Sometimes she tries to cover her food too. She's the only one that does that. She tried getting into a bag of food we hadn't put yet. It was quite amusing to watch. She managed to drag the bag about half way across the living room before giving up.

It is odd. I guess he's just hoping I'll have something he wants. Or maybe he sees Ember and Stella staring at me and feels left out. Who knows? My cats don't relate mice with food at all though. Ash liked to carry them around and lay on them, but never, never, hurt them. They were toys, not food. Maybe even pets. He was quite protective over them and it didn't seem like he wanted to chase them as much as he wanted to keep them.

They are extremely fickle. Of course, that's something that just has to be accepted. We can't force them into anything.

I don't know about not tasting sweets, but I know Coal absolutely loved watermelon. His current owners used to give us updates on him. They said he'd come running whenever they cut a watermelon, no matter where he was in the house. They gave him is own bowl. I don't know if that's healthy, but I'm sure he enjoyed it. We would just give him a few bites when we were eating it. It was an obsession, really. Ember, on the other hand, will eat lettuce. Only a few bites though. She might have gotten piece of broccoli on accident before too. But she has not interest in fruits.

I've lost most of my sweet tooth. I use different treats for just about every situation. So it probably goes without saying that I have at least five kinds of treats on hand at all times. Stella alone has three. One for her ball which we give her when we leave, one for being groomed, and one for basic training. Plus carrots for her "special" training to calm her down. With the cats, they have treats for grooming and treats for training. Then the salmon for nail clippings. You don't get much in a bag so it doesn't last long. One bag = two nail clipping sessions for each animal (it doesn't work out evenly though since I think it's 10 pieces of salmon/bag and four animals). But it works as a nice, extra-special treat that they all love. I figured that way the treats wouldn't get old and they'd get a better treat for a harder/more stressful activity. They don't get very many very often though. Even with training, they normally get 5-10 treats in a session and no more than one session a day.
 

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Yes, agreed. Ember is funny.

It is very possible that he is emulating Ash and Ember. I don't know why mine has changed either.

That is funny with Ash. My ferals only play with them as well. But they aren't protective sadly. It never ends well for the mouse. :(

It almost see,s like Ash has a parental instinct. That is cool.

Some of mine too. Agreed.

That is wild. If you figure it out let me know!!! Interesting.

Lucky you. I wish I lost mine!!! It is good to rotate them so they don't get bored with them. Some treats you have to be careful with since they are all not that healthy. Food/treats are such a good way to help cats.
 
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That she is. She's a lot of things though. Some things more amusing than others, but I love everything about her.

Well, Ash doesn't beg. He's never around for the food. But Ember and Stella are pretty much always right there.

Oh, it never ends well for the mouse with him either. It got to the point that I feel bad for them and have to save them from him, though, fortunately, we haven't had any mice since we moved. I used to wake up in the middle of the night to him laying under my bed growling because he had a mouse. Terrifying thing to wake up to. But I have never seen even so much as a scratch on any of the mice. They just... slowly move less and less until they die. I'm pretty sure they have little heart attacks.

I will. I'm assuming I won't though. I think it's just another one of those things that the explanation is "Because they're cats." They're interesting creatures. I think it's really interesting that there's such a huge difference even between blood relatives.

I gave them up to be healthier. Eventually, they lost most of their appeal. It's hard at the beginning, but once you lose the sweet tooth, it's not so hard. It's all too rich/sweet/etc.

They don't get many. Two for grooming, four for nail clipping which is salmon, and around six for training.
 

calicosrspecial

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I am sorry for the delayed response. I had the worst migraine yesterday and couldn't really function.

Aren't they? I know the exact feelings. They are so lovable.

Well that is good Ash doesn't beg.

Yeah, it is tough to see. Their instinct is there. I guess I wouldn't be as upset if they act the mouses ince then the mouse isn't wasted but when they die and then they died for no reason it is hard. :(

REALLY interesting creatures. Unique. Even between siblings. There are similarities but differences. It is really cool.

Good for you. I wish I could because I need to be healthier. I would love to lose my sweettooth or teeth!! Hahahaha

That is good. I read the package on one package of treats I gave and I panicked. The pure salmon ones sound really good. I need to get some of those.
 
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Don't worry about it. I missed a day too and for no good reason other than I just didn't get on my laptop. Well, when I finally did, my laptop updating for three hours.

They are. I'm surrounded right now. Ember on my lap, Frost on my arm kneading me, and Ash on the next cushion over. Stella is here too though a little separate. It's getting a bit warm actually.

It definitely is. I feel terrible that they have such a slow, miserable death. I couldn't imagine being so terrified in my last moments that it's actually what kills me. And then, of course, it's for no good reason other than their own entertainment.

I agree completely. Though I wish Coal was still around so I could see those little differences as well as the similarities. Instead, I only know what little I learned from when he was a little kitten. I guess they both ended up being lap cats. He was basically born one and Ember quickly adapted.

I could do better, but I'm trying to be healthier. I guess I never was as into sweets as many others, but I did like them.

Yeah, they claimed to be 100% hand-flaked salmon or something like that. I wish they'd put more in a bag though.
 

calicosrspecial

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That is great. I know what you mean, it can get very warm. but it is wonderful that everyone is happy and enjoying, isn't it?

:( I know. It is just in their instinct. Mice are prey.

Oh I know. It is fun to see how they interact. I have a feral inside (a black cat) and a feral in the colony outside (a black one). There are so many similarities between them. I suspect they are brother and sister or more likely mother son. But I don't know, but they have similar ways of doing things when eating and getting love. I wish I could DNA test them!!

Good for you!! It is good to start healthy trends when you are young, it will help as you get older. For me it is probably too late but I still should try.

That is good. When I eat salmon the cats are always begging. Would be nice to have them in treat form.
 
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My turn to apologize! I wanted to get on (needed to, really), but it just got so hectic and, by the time I had the chance, I didn't want to do anything that required thinking. I had to get my allergy shots so I didn't get home until 4:30. Then Ash had poop stuck in his fur, so I had to get that out and wash his back end. Then Ember was stressed. I don't know what to do with her. I seriously doubt I got even so much as a third of his body wet and even less soapy. But she acts like she's never seen him before. I'm not sure if it's better or worse than usual though. If she can't see him, then she's totally normal even if they're basically in the same room. Her tail has been up and down constantly and she hasn't been hiding much, but that means she's around him more and so there's been a number of tense moments. I tried treats, I tried pettings, I tried holding her so she could watch him from up high. She would eat the treats and was within a foot of him, but he approached her a little too much and she ran. She let me hold her for a while, but then she jumped down.
Last night, Frost started hissing at Ember for no good reason, adding to the tension.
I woke up around midnight to some noises and it's still tense though not quite as bad.

Apparently Stella got my mom up twice after that to go outside and still ended up having diarrhea in the living room, so we got to clean that up this morning. When I came up, there was some more in the dining room, inches away from the puppy pad we put down. She's acting completely normal, but I'm a bit worried because I didn't feed her this morning so I've no idea what she could have had on her stomach. It was also almost completely water and a bit translucent. That might be too much detail though. Sorry for that. I just don't know what to do because she seems totally fine. Other than the fact that she's sleeping on my lap right now. She's not really a lap dog. More of a lay-as-close-as-possible dog. She does get on my lap something, but usually when she wants attention and rarely to sleep.

It is really wonderful. I enjoy every moment with them. Frost is laying on me and Stella.

Yeah, I can't hold it against them. Honestly, it's a bit reassuring that they don't hurt them. I love mice and rats and would love to have rats again. Not sure if that'll be in their life time, but at least I know they aren't going to kill them.

It is interesting to see. I'm sure it's neat to get to know all the personalities of the ferals. They seem quite amazing though I, admittedly, have no personal experience.

I don't think it's ever too late, but I agree. The younger, the better. I know I need to be healthy now so I can be able to run a shelter later. That's probably my biggest motivation.
 
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