Diary Of a Stubborn Cat!

[brandy rowe]

I'm confused (you'll get used to me...I say that a lot

).  I thought you had a tiny kibble sized piece of raw that you thoroughly coated in kibble powder about a week ago that she ate!  Just that one.  Am I confused with all the people working on converting their babies to raw? 

Haha nope you are right! She DID it by accident...then refused her kibble the rest of the day because I "tricked" her.  And now she is soooo careful about sniffing each piece before she eats it.  So really I'm more worried about her refusing her kibble and not eating than anything else.

As for the pill pocket, I'm not worried about that.  It's about 3 months and she always eats them.  She doesn't really chew them - she just kind of inhales them.  When she hears me open the bag she goes "moeee-oow! oow! oww!" and comes running.  It's so cute!

 

[ldg]

What about feeding her kibbles on one of those plates that has a divider in it? That way the meat smell is there, but her kibbles aren't touching it. You're right - you definitely do not want her refusing kibble altogether. Put nothing on it... just let the smell be there for now? :dk:

 

[brandy rowe]

Update - I think this is around day 16 or so...

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I feel very down right now.  Mario had a vet appointment last Thursday.  She got her vaccines, a little cough she has checked out, her blood glucose checked and her urine checked for crystals.  At the last vet appointment she had about a month ago, she had urine crystals and her blood glucose was too high.  This time she had no crystals, but her urine ph was high.  But her glucose levels were fine, which I am happy about.  It's been about 3 weeks since she's last vomited.  But I also haven't been feeding her very much because I've been trying to get her to eat the raw.  She lost .4 lb in one month from 11.8 to 11.4....and the vet seemed concerned that I was only feeding her about 1/4 a cup (I didn't tell her why I wasn't feeding her very much, but chalked it up to that she could afford to lose a pound or so).  The vet said she needs to be eating about 1/3 a cup and that we needed to take her "weightloss" slowly or she'll develop liver problems.

So ok fine.  I start introducing the raw to her the way I did her pill pockets - a tiny dollop every evening like a pill.  Whether she spits it out or not I don't care - just want her to get used to the taste.  Then she gets a treat (her pill pocket - which she loves now).  And of course, I start feeding her a little bit more kibble also.  Now, this is difficult since Mario can only eat about 25 - 30 pieces of kibble at a time or she'll vomit.  So I have the feeder to go off a few times while I'm at work.  It's been 5 days of this feeding her more kibble and these little rabbit dollops.  (Tonight she spit out the dollop, but then sniffed it again and didn't run out of the kitchen, so we're getting to where she's not scared of it at least)

Anyway, yesterday I came home to vomit everywhere.  I cleaned it up, fed her a little, took a bath, and came back to find more vomit and plant leaves.  My poor girl was so hungry she was eating my plants!  I give her 1/4 a pill more of her meds to calm her tummy, then waited a few hours before I feed her again.

Today...same thing.  I came home to find a pile of vomit and more plant....  So I threw out the plant.  I gave Mario her meds and some kibble.  But up it came a few minutes later.  I upped her meds again and waited another hour before I fed her again.

Now I feel so lost.  Every time she vomits my heart just crumbles.  She won't eat the raw......her kibble is toxic, I swear it's killing her.  I hate upping her meds - it'll make her blood glucose higher!  Why won't she eat what will make her feel better?? She's eating my stupid plants and she can't even digest them!! Uuugh!

 

[brandy rowe]

And to top it off, I leave for vacation in 3 days.  I'll be gone for 10 days.  I tried so hard to make good use of the past 2 months.  I was hoping she'd be on the raw or wet food by now - I wanted so much to go without having to worry.  But I've gotten nowhere!  Now I'm going to ask the sitter to continue with what I've started with the dollops.  Perhaps she'll have more luck.  The last time I went away she was able to get Mario to eat the pill pockets on her own instead of having to be pilled.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Oh dear.  I'm sorry she hasn't been behaving (and been eating your plant)  Is that plant that you disposed of the only one you have that she can get to?  How scary! 

Well, as your thread title says, she's one stubborn cat, but maybe your pet sitter WILL have some luck with her. 

  If not, when you return, you'll just resume where you left off.  As you know, some cats take a very long time to convert, but at least she isn't repelled by the raw food being in her kibble, so that's a great start.

Go on your vacation and try not to think about how to get her on raw.  You can do that when you get back, and we'll still be here to cheer you on

 

[brandy rowe]

Awww thank you!!

The plant was really a palm tree I saved from the garbage.  It wasn't pretty - it was kind of ugly actually, but I felt so bad that someone had thrown out a tree so I rescued it.

Mario liked to eat it even when she wasn't hungry and she always threw up the leaves.  I tried putting it in places where she couldn't reach and cut the branches short, but she always managed to somehow reach it!  I have other plants but she pretty much stays away from them.  She likes the ones with big or long floppy leaves that she can munch on.

I felt so bad throwing away the tree again. 

 

[ldg]

Awwww.... we had one of those, and Shel always ate it. We had to get rid of ours too, but we found someone to take it. I actually have a friend that rescues plants!

Oh hun... I agree with Sally. Enjoy your vacation, and worry about how to get her on raw when you get back. And as Sally says, we'll be here to help!

I'm so sorry about the vomit. I forgot - what kibble are you feeding her? When you get back, if she's not eating EVO, you may want to transition her kibble to EVO. It is SO packed with nutrition, it doesn't take a lot of it. That may help with her eating, her weight, and the vomit. :nod:



Hope you have a great time on vacation! :cross:

 

[brandy rowe]

Thanks Laurie

  She eats the Natural Balance Duck & Pea right now.  Does Evo have a "hypoallergenic" one?  I think she may be allergic to chicken bu I'm not 100% sure.  I've tried so many brands & types of kibbles.  I feel like she's allergic to everything...

 

[feralvr]

AW hun... so sorry about Mario, the plant and all of the vomit. Just go and enjoy your vacation - seriously, transitioning to raw can take many, many month's for some kitties. Believe me.... I know :lol3: Just keep trying when you can - eventually you may be surprised, even if Mario takes a bite here and there, that is a start. EVO makes a Turkey/Chicken kibble, a weight maintenance Turkey/Chicken kibble and a Salmon/Herring kibble. Also a variety of wet foods including venison and duck. http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo Maybe Mario would like one or two of EVO's wet foods :cross: Unfortunately, we all have to "waste" a little money on trying to find something that your kitty will like. I am fortunate in that I have two dog's and feral cat's outside to eat all of the leftover's that my fussies refuse :lol3:

Have a great trip