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Old July 14th, 2008, 12:24 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Sugarcatmom and Growler-advice please

I have been trying to wean all my group off Orijen for obvious reasons. The last die hard is Jasper.


Sweet Pea is OVERWEIGHT (by about 4lbs ) and will eat anything AND everything so I can't leave any food down on the floor or she will eat it. No problem getting her off kibble.

Puddles eats her three meals a day as she has since she has been 12 weeks so she is easy, just have to make sure Sweet Pea is locked up while she eats and she eats when her food is put down. She has been off kibble for a while so no issues with her.

So now Jasper:

He has some mental/stress issues and is very passive. He won't eat if there is any activity in the house. He gets very stressed and walks around and around the island. He won't eat if Sweet Pea is around (she would beat him up when he tried to eat when her kittens wanted to eat from his bowl). If it is quiet and he starts to eat, but will stop as soon as he hears a noise.
When we were putting down kibble and allowing him to eat when he wanted he maintained his weight. Now that he is on canned with very limited kibble, he has lost about 2 lbs very quickly (kibble sprinkled on his Wellness). I have started locking him in the bedroom with us at night and bringing his food in with him so he will eat. The problem seems to be that he won't spend enough time eating to get enough calories with canned.

Any change seems to stress this guy out. I am worried his weight loss will continue. He is actually at a healthy weight now, he was a little porky before. If only Sweet Pea would loose some.

Should I continue with kibble or stick to my guns as I did with Puddles and have him eat only canned?
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Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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  #2  
Old July 14th, 2008, 05:19 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Hmm, that's a tough one. You know how generally anti-kibble I am, but I admit that there are times when it's not so cut-and-dried. I can only tell you what I would do, and that's based on my limited perspective of your particular situation. What if you were to cut out all the kibble but weigh Jasper frequently to keep track of anymore changes? It's possible that his weight is just balancing out and will level off, and hopefully his appetite will pick up the slack. Can you sneak him more food at quieter times periodically? If he still continues to lose weight, then maybe a small amount of kibble ain't so bad (Innova EVO is the highest in calories at 612/cup), as long as he still gets predominantly wet. Could it be that he also needs more enticement with the canned? Something like Real Food Toppers crumbled on top, or some tuna juice or parmesan cheese? A pinch of nutritional yeast powder also works well.

Jasper sounds like such a sweet, sensitive soul. I totally understand how frustrating it can be when kitties don't eat the way you want them to. Early on in Aztec's diabetes, he had some serious appetite issues and my whole life revolved around trying to get enough food in him. I would sit beside him while he ate and hold my breath until he was done. If the phone rang or hubby walked in and disturbed us, that was it, Aztec would walk away and I would literally start crying. Entirely different story today! Now he's a little pig and I'm having trouble getting his weight down (which is complicated by being diabetic).

Let me know how it goes, and give that handsome cat of yours some extra chin scritches for me.
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Old July 14th, 2008, 06:09 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Thanks sugarcatmom, I really want him off kibble (and would really like him on raw, but that won't be for a while). I will start weighing him tonight. How often do you think I weigh him? I really like the weight he is now.

I am feeling the same way as you were with Aztec and sounds like they are very similar. The real food toppers worked with Puddles, but didn't entice him at all. Maybe I'l try different flavours like lamb, he is fed mainly Wellness, chicken, beef and chicken, and turkey. He has allergies to grains and gets horrible diarrhea and will literally scratch his eyes until they bleed.
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Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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Old July 14th, 2008, 06:59 PM
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Winston Winston is offline
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Have you tried DVP Venison and Green Pea? Honestly I never could get Tabitha to eat any canned at all but she has turned into a hound! with this stuff! she actually drives me crazy now for it! might be worth a shot! I know what you mean about a skittish cat! my boy was the same way! he has adjusted noe but it can be tough!

Cindy
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Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013
Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010
Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011
Sophie Aug 30, 2011

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
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  #5  
Old July 14th, 2008, 07:03 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Thanks Winston, I think I will try him on different flavours. That's the one problem with adopting an adult cat, if they are fussy, it is so hard to find what they like.
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Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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  #6  
Old July 14th, 2008, 07:06 PM
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Winston Winston is offline
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I have tried every brand on the market and they snub them all! But for some reason this one they LOVE! I'm doing the same thing trying to wean them off kibble which they have been on all their lives! Its tough! but we are up to almost a full can of that a day! I am worried that she will get sick of it! But for now she loves it!

Cindy
__________________
Tabitha April 10, 1995 - August 23, 2013
Bomber April 10, 1995 - July 12, 2010
Winston Nov 15, 1999 - September 15, 2011
Sophie Aug 30, 2011

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown
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  #7  
Old July 15th, 2008, 09:26 AM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Winston View Post
Have you tried DVP Venison and Green Pea? Honestly I never could get Tabitha to eat any canned at all but she has turned into a hound! with this stuff! she actually drives me crazy now for it! might be worth a shot! I know what you mean about a skittish cat! my boy was the same way! he has adjusted noe but it can be tough!

Cindy
Winston - what is DVP I'm giving the cats Wellness grain free, but Kale is not that keen.
Sorry to hi-jack L4H, trying to get finnicky cats to eat is a pain.
Kale is similar to Jasper, everything has to be a certain way and a certain karma around the room, the slightest movement and he goes running. Lord knows why we've had him since he was itsy-bitsy.
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Old July 15th, 2008, 09:32 AM
Love4himies's Avatar
Love4himies Love4himies is offline
Rescue is my fav. breed
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Boating in the 1000 Islands
Posts: 17,769
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris21711 View Post
Winston - what is DVP I'm giving the cats Wellness grain free, but Kale is not that keen.
Sorry to hi-jack L4H, trying to get finnicky cats to eat is a pain.
Kale is similar to Jasper, everything has to be a certain way and a certain karma around the room, the slightest movement and he goes running. Lord knows why we've had him since he was itsy-bitsy.
Don't worry about the hijack, doesn't bother me especially if it is on the same subject, we all can learn.

DVP is Dick Van Patten, Natural Balance.

Puddles wouldn't eat Wellness either until I sprinkled some pulverized freeze dried salmon on it. She was a fish food addict (fancy feast). Now she loves it. I think it is what ever they get used to.

That is funny how you describe karma's environment in order for him to eat Yes, Jasper is the same way. Even a differnt plate sends him into stress mode.
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Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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