aag

Could be acting out. You changed his food and he started eating again. But then, 3 surgeries in as many years? Arthritic, probably, and cold doesn’t help. Start chasing them out again, see what happens.

It’s got to be the latter. Cats are pure fucking evil.

Well, I’m sure YOURS is nice.

Smart cat! *grin*

cheap cat food is like mcdonalds basically and not very healthy for cats so the truth is probably somewhere in between.

you made it easier for the cat to eat and gave him higher quality food at the same time, hence weight gain. weight gain caused feeling betterness and now he’s back to acting like a cat.

:)

Sounds like you’re doing a great job with that moggie. Isn’t it amazing what a little TLC can do?

In my new relationship I’ve inherited a pair of Burmese and I have to say that I love the little tinkers :o)

I think badinfluencegirl has offered a very good explanation of kitteh’s recovery.

The dry kibble may be what the vet recommended, but it was not the best for my feline. Finally I consulted a DVM who specialized in alternative medicine because her own pet had become so ill and traditional medicine was not helping. A few observations.

First, the dry kibble is high in cereal which is high in sugar which contributes to feline diabetes. Replacing the cereal with more quality meat or fish, and not cheap parts, may have helped with incipient diabetes and the dehydration.

Second, the dry food can also contribute to feline urinary tract problems due to the excess magnesium which can cause struvite stones.

Third, kitteh may need some dental work because of his teeth are not in good condition, the dry food hurts too much to be appetizing.

Fourth, as disagreeable as this will be to read, cheaper brands of cat food contain euthanized animals. There was probably some dog in the neighborhood that kitteh hated. If you don’t hear him barking anymore, pooch could have ended up in kitteh’s food bowl, along with the vestiges of the euthanasia shot, the rabies vaccine, etc. and other med’s in pooch’s tissue and muscles [Solyent Green IS OTHER KITTEHS!]

I arranged to have the euthanasia performed at home for my beloved orange tabby a few months ago. And in answer to a question in your earlier post on kitteh, my guy was always affectionate and became even more so when he developed congestive heart disease. Not a bad way to go: to have your loved one cup your face in her hands, stroke your fur, keep you warm, wrapped in your favorite blanket until the kind stranger gives you a shot that makes you sleepy. We should be so lucky.

If I remember correctly, my guy used to sit in my lap when I read your blog, AAG. Maybe he put in a good word for kitteh with the powers that be.

AAG,

When will my comment become real and play with the other comments?

Please move my velveteen comment from mod. She is being harassed by a penile enlargement ad with atrocious spelling.

Kochanie

As a proud owner of six cats, I can assure you you did the right thing in changing his diet! Dry food is easy to handle but it’s been known to trigger allergies. Cats also get bored and even depressed to eat dry stuff all the time! I try to vary their diet as much as possible, adding fresh food occasionally.
You devoted special time to your cat and he loved the attention: good for his spirits!
xx

Dry food is merely the human provided supplement to what nature can provide. My cats roam the yard eating what they can catch. Birds, ground squirrels, even grass if they want a ’salad’ with their meal. Is that a bad thing? No, that is as nature designed them… They were not designed to sit around on a couch eating corn meal based food and watching Scrubs.

Santa is a wonderful thing and can perform great things… so can the well wishes of hundreds of loyal fans.

DaNewb

Oh, he was most certainly faking it. Cats are such drama queens. And apparently you have “sucker” written on your forehead.

It’s OK. I do too.

I’m betting on cat craftiness. Cats are wicked but too damn cute.

He may have just been sick. And sadly, because he’s old, it is possible his body wasn’t processing the dry food as well and the switch to a different kind was better for his digestive system.

Basically, there’s no real way to know. He’s an obviously loved pet, so, just enjoy his return to good health.

Just a quick note to say hi. We read your blog all the time but rarely ever comment. Love your blog. Keep it up!

Never ever forget. . dogs have owners, cats have staff.
He knew what he was about and no mistake! I’m sure I’d start feigning a terminal illness if my diet was dried food and a bowl of water. . .

Very, very easy answer.

The cat was manipulative and sly, in the cutest possible way; cuz that’s what they do, they get us to fall for them, and then we fall for their tricks, too!

Santa works in mysterious ways.

I vote for Santa magic. Really, it’s the best and most fun thing to believe in. ;)

We started feeding our old guy wet food in addition to the free feedings of dry food and he’s thriving a bit better as well. Perhaps these older kits just need some special luvins in their dotage. I know _I_ certainly will!

Just enjoy the reprieve for an old companion :o)

pobably the stairs were more than he could be bothered to endure for dry food and gave up eating. you did the right thing giving him softer food and letting him eat upstairs. now that he’s getting properly nourished again he might have another couple years in him!