Question about my cat

nick5150

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Greetings all.. I am new here. I have a question and hoping someone can help. My cat is 12 years old and seemingly very healthy. She's never been outside, only living in luxury buildings in Manhattan and even after we moved to the suburbs she is scared to stick her head outside. So she's never picked anything up and never got into a fight.

So here's the problem, well, one of the many problems but the one that is bugging me enough to sign up to a forum. She spends her life either sleeping or waiting for me or my wife to walk into the kitchen, where she eats. She knows when we are going to the kitchen or bathroom. If I get up to go to the bathroom, she follows me in because she will only drink from the faucet. She will drink from a bowl only if it's bottled water and has to see the bottle opened - I have tried tricking her by putting in tap water and she won't touch it. It's weird because she doesn't realize the bathroom is tap water. If I go to the kitchen, she meows incessantly and is so annoying that I have to feed her or else I will go insane. I am good at ignoring her but I can't starve the poor thing. I give her a little bit of food, and I've tried every brand, but she always eats very fast and throws up almost immediately. She isn't skinny, but she's not fat. She's very lean and athletic. She takes good care of herself. Mean as a rattlesnake 90% of the time, but when she needs something she's sweet as pie. Like if you say her name in a deep voice she makes this weird sound once. If you ask "are you my good girrrrrrl?" she jumps up and head butts you very hard. That's the extent of her kindness though. So getting back to the food situation, the puke has destroyed the carpets, and it's just getting annoying finding dried up puke everywhere. What's more puzzling is the fact she still manages light at least two, often three, giant smelly bombs in her litter box each day. I don't understand where this is coming from. She has more bowel movements than me and I am 177 lbs, she only weighs 14.5 lbs. 

When she was in Manhattan, those people who sit at booths at Petco told me to stop using Fancy Feast. She didn't have dry food until she was 4. She would have 3 cans a day and never threw up. But they told me it wasn't good for her, so I switched to dry, and after a lot of effort she finally gave in. First she would eat the Meow Mix and the junky brands, but then started eating the healthier stuff. Like I said, I've literally tried every single brand on the market. She prefers sushi-grade salmon and will not throw up if I give her a half-pound of that, but I cannot afford her demands on a regular basis. 

So my question is, (other than the obvious "why do I own this cat?") , well because she has destroyed every couch, pillow, blanket, scratched my kids and wife, pretty much the worst cat in the world... she walks around the house like she owns it, disappears and I assume she is somewhere sleeping 80% of the day then makes an appearance when she wants to eat.. she wouldn't dare eat a mouse so I know she didn't pick up a disease eating any - we've had a few over the years get in the house, but she chooses to play with them and subsequently maim them to the brink of death then lets them go, and they end up dying in to walls and stink up the house so I have to hire people to dig them out.. but getting back to the story at hand - my real question is this: Is she puking to tell me the dry food I am giving her is simply not to her liking? I kind of think not, because when I buy store brands, she won't even touch the bowl. Or is there something wrong with her? I've read it is normal for cats to throw up but this is nearly every time I feed her. Should I go back to Fancy Feast? It took over one year and a lot of money wasted on food to get her to eat dry. I feel like I am giving in if I switch back, plus so many experts have told me Fancy Feast is like McDonald's for cats. 

I cannot give this cat away, she's spent 1 night at my friends while I was on vacation and my friend called me and made me come back to get her because she was acting psychotic and meowed all night non-stop. She wouldn't acclimate before driving the new owner crazy, plus for some reason I do love her and so does my family. She is nice sometimes and loves to lick my kids baby dolls so she has some motherly tendencies despite having her spayed when she was a year old.

Also, please don't judge me because of the fact she's scratched my children. I used to clip her nails religiously but by the time I was done my hands looked like they had just been through a blender on maximum puree setting, so after a few years I realized it defeated the purpose. By the time my wounds healed, her razor sharp saber-talons would be back so I figured it was better off to roll the dice there and hope I didn't get mauled next time I decided to go near her. So yeah I guess the point is if I gave her to a nice owner, within a week poor cat would end up in a kennel and I just can't do it. I figure I have about 12-15 more years left with her so I will have to make the best of it. When I am in my 60's I plan to finally get a very nice couch. I bought her a beautiful scratching post and put it right next to the coach legs and she still goes for the couch. She has never touched the scratching post. It's been in the house for 5 1/2 years now. She also ruined every single chair, area rug, carpet manicuring herself on top of the puking. I was going to have her de-clawed but I heard that is very mean as well and they don't like that. Another question, sometimes I just let the puke sit there if it's on the hardwood floor. I reward her if she decides to puke there - but I don't clean it up if the food looks fresh. Not because I want her to go back and eat it, but sometimes I am just too lazy to get up right away - so sometimes she comes back and eat it up. Is that good, or should I pick it up immediately? For some reason she seems to keep that previously eaten or "certified pre-owned" food if you will, a lot better. 

One more thing, when she jumps out in front of me out of nowhere when I am about to go into the kitchen, sometimes I end up stepping on her and even when I go to put the food in the bowl she is already there so I can't even get the food in there without pushing her aside but she keeps getting there so fast, well when I step on her she screeches so loud and attacks me, are there any ways I can avoid this? She seems to be "leading" me as if I don't know where the bowl is. 

Thanks for your help. Any feedback that could possibly help my situation would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, a concerned cat owner. 
 

MoochNNoodles

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First off; welcome to TCS! 
  I'll see what questions I can try to answer for you.  I've had experience with some of them.

The water thing: my cats have one of the fountains that keeps the water moving.  That may be why your cat seeks the faucet.  From what I was told; cats have a difficult time seeing close up, so the movement of the water helps them see where it is.  My one cat would splash in her bowl terribly before we invested in one of those.  We've had ours (Petmate brand) for about 6 years I think.

The food issues: it sounds to me like the foods aren't agreeing with her stomach.  Have you taken her to the vet about it or for just a general checkup?  What brought me to TCS when my girls were tiny kittens was the one cat having diarrhea.  I found out it was from switching her food abruptly.  It was recommended to me to mix their old and new foods.  So more of the old and just a little of the new, and then gradually make it so they were getting more of the new and less of the old.  I've switched food brands since then by doing this and had no problems.  But I do also notice some give my girls gas.  Noxious gas!  Also I've heard others say on here that a wet diet is best (not necessarily Fancy Feast) because it is more like what they would eat in the wild.  I do think a vet check-up would be a good place to start too.  It's just impossible to say for sure over the internet if there could be something going on.  Plus they are trained to see things.  Know what I mean?

The night at your friends: Most cats take time to acclimate to a new place.  It seems most will hide; but sometimes they cry out too.  I actually have issues with my 2 hissing and getting defensive when they've just gone to the vet.  Even together.  They associate things by smell, so they come home and look at each other like "you don't smell like Mooch so you must not be Mooch!"  It takes a few days of this (and using the vanilla trick) to get my 2 back to being happy campers.  So I think your kitty was probably doing that because she was in a new place.  There could have been new sounds too.  My parents once had mice in the walls of their house.  It drove the cats batty!!  They would sit and stare at the walls where they heard noises.   Even ones we couldn't hear.

I'm afraid I'm no help with the scratching issue.  If you'd like to make a separate post in the Behavior section it would probably get more attention from people who are good with that sort of thing.
 

The food bowl thing... My 2 will race me to the kitchen too.  I think I've just learned to walk different when I know it's their meal time and they are trying to do that.  Sometimes picking up the bowl to fill it helps so there aren't heads in the way.  I just love it when they head butt my hand while I'm pouring the food so half ends up on the floor. 

Ok I think that's all the "useful" information I know to add myself.
 

farleyv

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When was her last vet visit?  You say she is 12 years old. I wouldn't say you have 12 to 15 years left.  That would be an extremely old cat.

Wet food is much better for cats than dry.  Do the research and you will see that the thoughts have changed regarding dry being good for your cats.  All mine get wet food as well as many here on the forum.

Cats do sleep most of the time.  I think my vet says they sleep roughly 18 hours a day.  Of course not at one time, but a total.

Cats do come out of nowhere and I trip on mine all the time.  It sounds like your cat is constantly hungry.  Do you leave the dry food out for her.  They like to forage during the day.  Maybe the reason she is bolting her food is she is so hungry.  A way to slow that down is to put ping pong balls in her bowl, so it takes longer to eat.  The fat that she races to the bowl is another sign she is very hungry. 

I would get her a good check up at the vet.  See what they recommend for food.  Twleve years old, lots of diseases start to crop up.  I would definately not leave vomit on the floor.

I am sorry about your furniture.  But cats are known for scratching furniture.  There are claw covers you can apply to their nails.  It takes dedication to solve these problems.   Your kitty has been with you for a long time.  I hope you can take some of these things and begin to help her and yourself.. 
 
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nick5150

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Thanks for the replies. 

She is constantly hungry but it's not like we starve her. For instance, say I fill up the bowl with enough to last her 2 days, she will eat the entire bowl as fast as she can. Then she will throw up everywhere. But to top it off, she will still meow relentlessly the next time I walk into the kitchen. I think it's just a habit now, she will do it even if she isn't hungry.

Her last vet visit was when she was spayed 11 years ago. She doesn't like to leave the house. I've gotten her into the pet carrier a few times but she stopped going in for me. When I brought her to the vet, I had to put her in a cab and she was terrified. Then in the office I took her out of the carrier and she clung onto my sweater and just dug her nails into my skin. She was hanging for dear life meowing. She will do that now if I attempt to carry her onto my patio. I haven't brought her in because she hasn't been "sick" ever. She doesn't sneeze or make noises, she seems content and is still pretty active and nimble when she is awake.  She is territorial and does not like people invading her space. I guess she just wants to be in her space and that's all. Once a neighbors dog came in the house and she ran up to it and stood her ground and then when the dog came too close scratched the bejesus out of him and the dog ran away whelping. If someone new comes to the house, or if a lot of people are here,  she disappears. She is not very social.

I might try the ping pong strategy. For years I've been saying "don't eat fast" and "pip, slow down", nudging her a little. But it doesn't work obviously. The wet food she likes more, so she eats that even faster (at Christmas I stuff some canned tuna and fancy feast in her stocking) and will puke that up as well. I wish they made a mechanism that dispensed the dry food at a very very slow rate so she would have to just sit there and wait for it!
 

just mike

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Hi Nick, welcome to TCS! Good to see new faces on the forums.  I don't have a lot of additional advice.  The water fountain may solve the faucet problem.  I firmly believe a vet visit may be in order.  She is 12, it's way past time for a check up.  Her sleeping patterns sound typical.  My 4 sleep all of the time but it's usually somewhere within the same room I am in.  Except for the 14 year old.  She sleeps in her laundry basket in the utility room.  Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition suggests an 80% wet to 20% dry diet for our feline friends.  A dry diet is not poison for the cat unless the cat does not get enough water.  If the cat does not hydrate itself by drinking water, the dry diet is not good for the cat. Dry food tends to be calorie dense as well.  You risk obesity and UTIs to name a few problems with an all dry diet.   Cats typically hydrate themselves by eating wet food.  They are not wired like dogs are.  Dogs tend to hit the water bowl up for a drink all the time.  Cats usually do not. 

I have a water fountain.  Actually I have 2 of them.  One upstairs and one down.  My cats drink a lot of water. Swiffer drinks mainly from the faucet in the kitchen sink.  I have tried to train her to the fountains but she prefers the faucet.  I have given up on this. 

Feel free to PM me if you have any other issue I might be of help on. 
 

orientalslave

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I agree it's time for a check at the vets.  At 12 she could have a number of problems creeping up.  It might help to cover her carrier in the car - again it might not!  Do put it on something waterproof...

BTW - has she always bolted her food, or is this fairly new?  And is she losing or gaining weight?
 

farleyv

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Very few cats love to go to the vet.  It is a trick around here to get them in their carriers, but a small price to pay for getting a good exam at the vets.  Canned tuna is not good for cats.

There are products on the market that calm cats.  Feliway spray in their carrier is said to help on those vet trips, although I have never had success with it, some have.  I had one cat that I had to give a seditive to as he was violent when at the vets, and they actually had to sedate him when examining him.  Does Pip have a vet at all?

Get a good recommendation from someone you know as to a good vet.  Then call and explain the cats fears.  They can help you make the visit easier.  But please get kitty in.  As I said, no cat looks forward to the trip.  That just is their nature, but we cannot allow them to dictate to us what will happen.  We know it's for their own good.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Here is an excellent article on how to help get your cat in a carrier.  It helped me immensely.  http://www.felinexpress.com/cat-care/cat-carrier.asp  Since she hasn't been to a Vet in 11 years, it's definitely time she had a check-up, afterall, she's a senior now, and who knows what could be going on in her little body.

Also, cats who inhale their food will, typically, throw it up.  Tips to keep her from eating too fast would be to raise her food from the floor (put her bowl on a stand), OR, conversely, just toss a few kibbles on the floor and let her eat them, then do it again.  She cannot just lay there with her head in the bowl and gorge herself if you do either of these things.  Also, try putting a smallish plastic ball in her bowl when you feed her.  It will get in her way, which will slow her down.  We have an overweight cat, and use all of these tricks to try to keep him from overeating.  BUT, whoever told you dry food was better than canned was mistaken, so if you could get her back on canned, that would be better for her.  However, after all these years, that may be easier said than done.  I am trying to convert mine to canned, and they are a hard sell
.

As to drinking from a faucet vs a fountain...we used to have a faucet only drinker, and once we got a fountain, she never drank from the faucet again!  It might be well worth the investment for you to get one. 
 
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