What She Say??

[Lrabbitt]

Greetings! Little Mouser has made great progress. She will now nap 2 inches from my feet. She has tried to climb into my bed without success (it's a 36 inch height), so I am getting her cat stairs. She eats, drinks, trills, "makes biscuits" with her paws and plays "pounce" with a long peacock feather that I manipulate for her.

In the past day however, this encouraging behavior has gone south. Suddenly she will not eat or drink (in my presence at least). Last night she sat by my bed and meowed all night. This morning when I did the weekly complete litter pan clean - dumped all the old litter, replaced with fresh and cleaned with a safe, non-citrus cleaner - she got in and laid down in the clean litter - looking sad.

Is it my imagine that this behavior started when I came home yesterday with bare feet and a fresh pedicure? That is when Mouser started staring at my toes and acting upset. Meowing and guarding my legs so I cannot move freely about the apartment.

I tried to hand feed her honey ham today and although she usually gobbles it off my fingers, she turned her head away. She has walked away from her favorite human baby food (Gerbers) as well as her beloved Purina Beyond chicken food.

Any insights on what might be bothering her? Many thanks and may God bless you, Leslie

 

[maggiedemi]

Is she urinating okay?

 

[Lrabbitt]

Is she urinating okay?

Yes she is peeing although less today

 

[maggiedemi]

If she starts peeing in really tiny amounts, that could mean a UTI, and she might need antibiotics from the vet. Sometimes my cats lose their appetite when they have a hairball. You could try some hairball treats. Does she get any canned food?

 

[Lrabbitt]

If she starts peeing in really tiny amounts, that could mean a UTI, and she might need antibiotics from the vet. Sometimes my cats lose their appetite when they have a hairball. You could try some hairball treats. Does she get any canned food?

She has had limited pee just today. She gaks up her hairballs usually no problem. She usually eats Hills Science Diet digestive formula kibble and for wet food she gets Gerbers baby food. I occasionally give her a can of Purina Beyond grain free chicken with sweet potato. I'll look into the urinary tract infection possibility. Thank you so much!

 

[maggiedemi]

If you can, I would try to give her some canned food every day instead of the Gerbers baby food.

 

[shadowsrescue]

The Gerbers baby food is not complete nutrition for a cat. It is fine to give as an occasional treat, but it not meant to be fed as a daily meal. Feeding her wet food is needed if she doesn't drink much water. Many cats don't drink much so wet food is important. I even add a bit more water to my cats food.
Please keep an eye on her and if she is urinating less, you see many tiny pees and she is still not eating, a trip to the vet is necessary.

 

[trudy1]

Have you changed your play pattern with her at all? Sometimes if they get all your attention and then changed she could be saying “ I want your undivided....

Or is she is a really guarded cat ? If so even the lack shoes might trigger her guard reflex.

Time and patience will prevail

 

[Lrabbitt]

The Gerbers baby food is not complete nutrition for a cat. It is fine to give as an occasional treat, but it not meant to be fed as a daily meal. Feeding her wet food is needed if she doesn't drink much water. Many cats don't drink much so wet food is important. I even add a bit more water to my cats food.
Please keep an eye on her and if she is urinating less, you see many tiny pees and she is still not eating, a trip to the vet is necessary.

Thank you - this is important information. She is coming back to her usual self today. She seems to like Purina Beyond Grain Free wet cat food. If you know of a better one, I am all ears! Many thanks and may God bless you!

 

[Lrabbitt]

Have you changed your play pattern with her at all? Sometimes if they get all your attention and then changed she could be saying “ I want your undivided....

Or is she is a really guarded cat ? If so even the lack shoes might trigger her guard reflex.

Time and patience will prevail

This little Kitteh is a very guarded cat - I suspect she was neglected/abandoned/abused at a very young age. Her TNR occurred from what the vet can tell at about 2-3 months. It has taken Little Mouser almost 2 months indoors to understand the concept of "play". The good news is she is kneading now and happy to pounce on playthings - but slowly. She is definitely upset that I am not home all day - I have a full time job and the choice was to take her in before the temps went to single digits. Not ideal for her, but we are making progress. The problem is in Alabama, the "no-kill" shelters are a sham. They ship "non-adoptable" animals to the "humane society" where they euthanize. You are correct - "Nothing cures like time and love."

Thank you so much for your wisdom, understanding and generosity.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I am happy that she is back to more normal today. The wet food is best if that is within your budget. The Purina beyond is not too bad and if you are located in the States, I know there are often lots of coupons available for it. The key is to find something she likes. Also offer her a variety of flavors so that if she ever decides she no longer likes a certain flavor, she has others to fall back on.

Other options for wet food are Wellness, Weruva, Tiki, Fromm and Halo. There are also many mid range such as Nutro, Blue Buffalo,and Natural Balance. There are certainly many others in all categories. I just say to feed the best wet food that you can afford.

You can still offer the Gerber baby food as a treat from time to time. My cats love it as an extra special treat 1-2x a month.