READERS' NOTE: This entry mentions specific food brands and gives some dietary guidelines. These brands are used only as examples not as recommendations. And it should go without saying that the dietary guidelines are just guidelines. So any of you wishing to slim down should consult with your veterinarian to make sure that the diet process you follow is the right one for you.
Hi Greyce,
My brother Timmy says you are the best and I need the best because I have a problem. I am ALWAYS hungry and, at about 18 pounds (about 8.2 kg) of weight, I'm starting to look like a basketball with eyes.
Of course I'm handsome, too, being orange and white. I'm the cat Timmy used to intimidate. We live with Jigger (a dog) and a purrson. (Readers' Note
: Mihijo's brother, Timmy, is the subject of the recently-posted entry, Timmy the Brave
).
Here's the scoop: We are fed twice daily (morning at 6 a.m. and about 12 hours later) in separate rooms because Timmy gets prescription food. I am given dry food although I would eat anything. Since I will even sample the dog's food, Herself puts it away if Jigger doesn't eat it. Sadly I seldom get treats. Right now I'm eating Purina Cat Chow Weight Management Dry Food (1/3 cup in the morning and 1/3 cup in the evening). I think Herself is planning to switch brands again as soon as the bag is empty, because we've tried several weight management foods and none seem to work.
I gobble my food in seconds. I am ALWAYS hungry. The only time I don't want to eat is during the early afternoon because that is nap time. Otherwise I scream at all hours of the day because I am starving; and this gets Timmy going as well. When I burst into song Herself says, "Quit screaming at me!" and then gives me a few kernels of kibble to keep me quiet.
She has tried to distract me by giving me attention (picking me up,
petting me and talking to me); but I am too focused on getting food to
care. Herself says we are driving her nuts.
Keko is a Bengal cat who pees outside the litterbox when things get to be too much for her. Her problem started with peeing on the mattress (November 2010) , then transformed to peeing just outside her litterbox. The next month she consulted me about waking her purrsons up very early in the morning. All appeared well until July 2012 when major changes in household routine led to her peeing in many places. She was in good health (no urinary tract infection). Being a Bengal, she has lots of energy and needs lots of stimulation and physical activity. And so she needed a richer and more challenging environment, to reduce her anxiety and give her brain and body a continual workout. She implemented a number of my suggestions and updated me the following year, saying all was going well. In her own words: I'm high maintenance but I'm worth it!
 |
| Timmy |
Timmy is a brave and very reactive male cat who has been challenged by BIG problems. He does not deal well with change.
Stressed by the stray cats who visited the outdoor areas of his home for feeding by his animal-loving purrson, he would then attack both his purrson and the other cats in his household to the extent that everyone was very fearful - for good reason. Well-meaning friends advised that he be 'put down' for the safety of all. Instead he contacted me and we worked out a plan to help the household. But it wasn't easy. There were times of progress and times of discouragement. Yet persistence paid off. Timmy and his purrson kept up the work and it got results.
In 2012 the household changed with the addition of a dog; new problems manifest. Take heart.
It's a 'good news' story that starts in March 2011 and continues for several years. By compiling it in one place, I hope to give cats and their purrsons a better idea of the timeframe and evolution of behavioural problem management; as well as to alert them that household often have complicated problems that evolve over time.
Dear Greyce,
I am a stunning, five-year-old, female tortoiseshell in a long, fine fur coat that I keep in good condition largely by myself - though admittedly I do produce furballs. Two months ago, I arrived in my third home via an animal shelter, as a companion for a 14-year-old, male tabby called Henry after the death of his former feline room mate (also male). While considerably older than me, Henry is in good health except for having high blood pressure. We live with Herself in a five-room, single-storey home.
When I arrived, I was placed in the second bedroom with a catnip pillow. Of course I had my purrsonal litterbox and food and water bowls. At first I hid.
Herself visited every evening for about two hours. Henry would come to the door and we would hiss at each other (me in response to him).
Two weeks later, I was let out to explore the rest of the house for brief periods. There was still some hissing but it calmed down. Now I have the run of the house.
Now Henry and I eat out of each other's bowls (mine is still in the bedroom). We now share a common water bowl as well as a common litterbox (kept very clean - in the basement). From time to time he will grab my hind leg in an attempt at play and I will run with him
chasing me. It's very benign and he doesn't harm me in anyway. But other than that we seldom interact. For example, during
heat waves I stay upstairs while Henry goes to the basement which is
cooler. At such times I like to lie behind the sofa table near the
window which is purrfect because I am hidden but can bask in a light
breeze.
So what's the problem? It depends on whom you ask.
Dear Greyce,
We have been making progress since I first wrote in (see blog entry Cat Fights in the Family posted 12/30/12). We have been doing a lot of room switching over the last month. Patches and Max have been going to my headquarters (the basement) for an hour or two every day, while I explore the rest of the house. Themselves installed a large crate in the living room which I call 'the apartment'. We all like to nap in it.
On a few occasions when I was in 'the apartment,' Themselves closed its door and then let Max wander around the room. I wasn't too fond of this. I'd hiss when Max got too close or tried to play with my tail.
Last week Themselves reversed the process and closed the door when Max was in 'the apartment'. I went up to the crate and we touched noses. Then I jumped on the loveseat next to the crate and looked out the window. Themselves were so surprised that I took all of this in stride.
To be honest, I have uttered a few hisses when Max suddenly sticks his paw out of 'the apartment' when we are playing with string, but overall things are going well. No fat tails, no big staring eyes. When I'm hunting my new string toy I hardly notice Max until I end up next to 'the apartment' and see him. Then I get a little startled and rush off.
So now I wonder if we are ready for the next step and what that step might be. Should we try putting Patches in the apartment and having me meet her this way? Or should we continue with Max and maybe let us meet without the barrier of the apartment.
What do you advise?
Buddy
