I wanted to give everyone a little update about Carmine.
Some days he eats well. Other days I have to try to get him to eat his noms about five times before he'll eat a decent portion of them. He will eat his kibbles regularly as they're in my room, but the wet food is a little harder to get him to eat some days, depending on how nervous he is. He needs his wet noms for his FLUTD. We've been mixing a little extra water into his wet noms so when he eats some, he's getting a good bit of water. :)
I went out and bought the Comfort Zone diffuser like many of you suggested and that seems to be helping him quite a bit, actually! Thank you everyone who has been offering suggestions, purrs, prayers, hugs, and kind words. We appreciate you all so much! :)
Carmine still isolates himself in his cube a bit more than I'd like, but he has been running around at night more, which is a good sign. When everyone but me is asleep I think he's most comfortable. He has been acting like his usual self more often at night since I plugged in the Comfort Zone in our room. It's nice to see him improving.
Carmine has a vet appointment on Tuesday (because they aren't open on Mondays). We'll see if he's losing any weight, and if he is, how to get some of that weight back on him.
Thank you all for your support. It means a lot to us :)
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Need Some Ideas on How to Get Kitty to Eat
There have been a lot of changes in his life in the past month (one horrid roommate moving out, a family moving in, kids being here....). He uses my room as his safe place, specifically, he loves to spend time is his cushy cube :)
What worries me is......he seems to be losing a little weight - again - and he can't afford to lose any. I have already made a vet appointment for him. As soon as I noticed it, I knew we had to take him to the vet. He is due for his three-month visit anyway....
He also doesn't seem to be eating as much as he used to. I think a lot of that has to do with anxiety/nervousness. I *thought* we agreed that the family would be in the basement (their space as they're only here for a couple of months) after 8 or 9pm. Or at least we requested the kids be down there around that time (they are young so should be in bed then anyway) as the kids make Carmine especially nervous. He's never been around kids before now.
But our request has gone ignored and they are up here a lot after the time we requested they not be up here. Carmine gets his wet food around then and we want him to feel comfortable eating and not be nervous.
I tried feeding him in my room tonight to try and make sure he could eat in peace, but he was still too anxious to eat much of anything. After everyone was actually downstairs, we gave him some more wet food. I sat right by him and reassured him that he was okay. He ate really well then.
My question is......what can I do to help my baby feel comfortable eating? Should I just feed him later after everyone is supposed to be asleep? Do you think me sitting by him would make him feel better? I know quite a bit about cats, but I'm at a loss here.
Any ideas? Of course I will ask the vet when we go, too. I just know that a lot of you probably have some good ideas I can try in the meantime and I'd really appreciate it if you share them with me :)
Thank you so much!
Monday, June 27, 2011
How to Tell if Your Cat is Sick - Part 1
Cats are notorious for being able to hide their illnesses and pain from everyone. They've had to do this historically in order to not appear vulnerable to predators. However, their great ability to hide pain and illness can also make it difficult for feline parents to recognize when a cat is sick or in pain. Getting to know your cat's routine and his or her habits is very important for being able to recognize the early signs of possible illness or pain in your pet.
Appetite and Eating: Knowing your cat's eating habits will help you recognize when something is amiss with his or her appetite or eating. For instance, if you feed your cat dry food in the morning and it typically lasts all day, you'll recognize your cat is not eating as much or doesn't have an appetite if his or her bowl is half-full at the end of the day. If you feed your cat wet (canned) food everyday and he or she is typically excited about it, you can assume he or she has no appetite if your cat doesn't come running for his or her wet dinner as usual. However, if your cat comes running for his or her dinner and then doesn't eat much (or anything at all), your cat may not feel as if he or she can eat much. Loss of appetite and/or changes in eating habits is one sign your fur baby may be ill.
Drinking: Your cat's drinking habits are another important thing you should know about him or her. If your cat is not drinking as much as usual, he or she may become dehydrated and may need to get fluids at your veterinarian. In order to tell if your pet is dehydrated, gently lift up the skin between his or her shoulder blades and release it. If the skin falls back into place immediately, your feline is hydrated. If the skin does not snap back into place immediately, your cat is likely suffering from dehydration.
Similarly, if your furry friend begins drinking more water than usual, it could be a sign of a serious problem, such as diabetes.
Elimination: Though it may not be the most comfortable thing to think about, it is important to know your cat's usual elimination habits. If your feline is litterbox trained and typically uses his or her litterbox, he or she may be ill or in pain if he or she suddenly stops using it and eliminates elsewhere. Of course, a refusal to utilize the litterbox could simply mean that the box is not clean enough for your furry friend. However, if after cleaning the box and filling it with fresh litter, your cat still refuses to use the litterbox, there is likely something amiss with your pet.
Personality and Behavior Changes: Personality and behavior changes are another sign that may indicate something is wrong with your pet. If your cat typically greets you at the door when you come home and stops doing so, there may be something wrong. If your furry friend usually follows you around your home, but stops doing so and begins sleeping in another room while you are at home instead, this could mean your fur baby is ill. Lethargy and sudden aggressiveness are some other changes you might see in your pet if he or she is not feeling well.
These are just a few of the signs that may indicate your pet is not feeling well. I hope you will return to learn about other signs that your feline may be ill or in pain.
Appetite and Eating: Knowing your cat's eating habits will help you recognize when something is amiss with his or her appetite or eating. For instance, if you feed your cat dry food in the morning and it typically lasts all day, you'll recognize your cat is not eating as much or doesn't have an appetite if his or her bowl is half-full at the end of the day. If you feed your cat wet (canned) food everyday and he or she is typically excited about it, you can assume he or she has no appetite if your cat doesn't come running for his or her wet dinner as usual. However, if your cat comes running for his or her dinner and then doesn't eat much (or anything at all), your cat may not feel as if he or she can eat much. Loss of appetite and/or changes in eating habits is one sign your fur baby may be ill.
Drinking: Your cat's drinking habits are another important thing you should know about him or her. If your cat is not drinking as much as usual, he or she may become dehydrated and may need to get fluids at your veterinarian. In order to tell if your pet is dehydrated, gently lift up the skin between his or her shoulder blades and release it. If the skin falls back into place immediately, your feline is hydrated. If the skin does not snap back into place immediately, your cat is likely suffering from dehydration.
Similarly, if your furry friend begins drinking more water than usual, it could be a sign of a serious problem, such as diabetes.
Elimination: Though it may not be the most comfortable thing to think about, it is important to know your cat's usual elimination habits. If your feline is litterbox trained and typically uses his or her litterbox, he or she may be ill or in pain if he or she suddenly stops using it and eliminates elsewhere. Of course, a refusal to utilize the litterbox could simply mean that the box is not clean enough for your furry friend. However, if after cleaning the box and filling it with fresh litter, your cat still refuses to use the litterbox, there is likely something amiss with your pet.
Personality and Behavior Changes: Personality and behavior changes are another sign that may indicate something is wrong with your pet. If your cat typically greets you at the door when you come home and stops doing so, there may be something wrong. If your furry friend usually follows you around your home, but stops doing so and begins sleeping in another room while you are at home instead, this could mean your fur baby is ill. Lethargy and sudden aggressiveness are some other changes you might see in your pet if he or she is not feeling well.
These are just a few of the signs that may indicate your pet is not feeling well. I hope you will return to learn about other signs that your feline may be ill or in pain.
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