I am having an interesting issue with Sparky, our kitten. He's about 14 weeks old. He seems to eat better if he gets lots of attention and petting late at night. Any ideas?
Long version:
When sis-in-law was here, he really bonded with her. He would sit on her chest each night while she watched tv and she would pet him even though she claims she hates cats.
Then mom-in-law arrived and the whole house was completely disrupted. Sparky, who of course only weighed 2 or 3 pounds, wasted down to skin and bones in about 4 days. Then both my in-laws left (mom was driving sis across country because her company was relocating her). Sparky was quite listless.
That weekend, Labor Day, we had a bout of bad weather. I heard a cat crying in the rain outside and found a kitten in our bushes. I know this kitten and his owner, so we kept him overnight and tried to bring him home, but they had gone out of town for the weekend. I think our visitor was a godsend for Sparky, because they played together quite well and Sparky began eating again.
However, since then, I have noticed that Sparky sometimes doesn't eat much. I changed to brand of dry food he likes better, and I also pick canned food carefully because he prefers the "chunks in gravy" kind over the ground kind. The odd part is, it seems like if I am up late at night and he gets to lay with me in the dark and quiet while I pet him, he eats well the next day.
What is the connection between the petting and the eating?
Long version:
When sis-in-law was here, he really bonded with her. He would sit on her chest each night while she watched tv and she would pet him even though she claims she hates cats.
Then mom-in-law arrived and the whole house was completely disrupted. Sparky, who of course only weighed 2 or 3 pounds, wasted down to skin and bones in about 4 days. Then both my in-laws left (mom was driving sis across country because her company was relocating her). Sparky was quite listless.
That weekend, Labor Day, we had a bout of bad weather. I heard a cat crying in the rain outside and found a kitten in our bushes. I know this kitten and his owner, so we kept him overnight and tried to bring him home, but they had gone out of town for the weekend. I think our visitor was a godsend for Sparky, because they played together quite well and Sparky began eating again.
However, since then, I have noticed that Sparky sometimes doesn't eat much. I changed to brand of dry food he likes better, and I also pick canned food carefully because he prefers the "chunks in gravy" kind over the ground kind. The odd part is, it seems like if I am up late at night and he gets to lay with me in the dark and quiet while I pet him, he eats well the next day.
What is the connection between the petting and the eating?
