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Well, PTSD cat has settled in just fine- she's still skinny as a rail despite being worm-and-disease free and my desperate feeding her of all things dairy and people-foods. The other cat has decided that only she can eat food and decided to hog up both bowls and has put on like.. two pounds since trauma cat moved in. Had to seperate and start regulate feeding. Old cat(baby) still is adjusting to newcat(Willow) and occasionally chases her into the attic for whatever reason. Despite this, newcat is particularly loving and affectionate as soon as her nerves calm down(She still doesnt like big groups of people and will go hide under the kitchen countertop until the numbers thin out). Also the most vocal cat ever. Speaking of.. time to go harass her with affection XD
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sounds like Fera, she eats hardly anything and is very slim, she also snubs things our other cats die for like lunch meat, the thing is she was born feral and I caught her (by hand, story here http://lilleahwest.deviantart.com/a.....Fate-133069178 ) when she was a fairly old kitten... how the crap she survived being so picky is beyond me :S
Why are you feeding her dairy products and people food? Most cats do not digest dairy well, and people food is not exactly nutritionally ideal for cats. I would definitely second Beastcub in saying that fatty kitten food and nutritional pastes designed to help cats put on weight would be much, much better for her.
Because those are her favourite foods :3 She has a steady intake of regular cat food, only about 10% of her intake is dairy and people foods. I've had cats before, I know what not to give 'em and such, I just can't abide picky eaters X.X If she won't touch her cat food and I put some cream in it she'll eat it right up. *Shrugs*
Sometimes finicky eating habits are a reaction to extreme emotional/physical trauma, and the usual method of "only offer her what she's supposed to eat until she eventually caves in and eats it out of desperation" simply won't work. Traumatized animals that develop eating disorders have been none to literally starve themselves to death. If and when you find things they WILL eat, or find mix-ins that will persuade her to eat normal food, it's preferable to go that route that end up with a dead feline friend. =/
Once this poor thing is out of the danger zone and has put on some weight, -then- it'll be safe to start gently nudging her back towards a more healthy diet without the people treats to entice her so much. I've unfortunately come across a lot of cats like this during my "career" as a foster parent, and I can say with firsthand experience that when you're panicking that a cat is barely eating and they're painfully thin, you jump at the -first- thing they actually like eating (so long as it isn't dangerous to them, naturally), if it means keeping them from starving themselves due to stress.
Once this poor thing is out of the danger zone and has put on some weight, -then- it'll be safe to start gently nudging her back towards a more healthy diet without the people treats to entice her so much. I've unfortunately come across a lot of cats like this during my "career" as a foster parent, and I can say with firsthand experience that when you're panicking that a cat is barely eating and they're painfully thin, you jump at the -first- thing they actually like eating (so long as it isn't dangerous to them, naturally), if it means keeping them from starving themselves due to stress.
Might wanna put her on a raw diet, IMO. If you buy from the right places, it costs about the same as buying kibble or canned cat food (in some cases even cheaper; again, depending on how you acquire your feeding meat).
Honestly? Unless the animal was having some kind of gastric illness or was otherwise very sick, I've never met a carnivorous pet that didn't scarf up raw food.
Ideally, just like in the wild, it has to be a balanced meal, tho. A good balance of muscle meat, organ meat, and either bones (NEVER cooked ones, only raw; cooked bones splinter into razor-sharp shards that if swallowed, will -shred- your kitty's insides) or the safer route is ground up egg shells (has very similar nutritional content to what's found in bones). Packages of chicken livers and chicken gizzards are usually come pretty damn cheap from the grocery store and are the easiest source of organ meat to give. Both my dogs and cats seem to go BONKERS for them. Gross to us, but they love 'em. XD
My mom's dog recently made the conversion to a pure raw diet, due to horrific food allergies (and the holistic brands of pet food are just FAR more expensive than we can afford right now), and she's been doing FANTASTIC (and she, too, is pretty finicky, but that isn't due to trauma, but rather being a spoiled lil' brat, LOL). Here's an example of what she gets twice a day:
- Handful of either stew meat (chicken, turkey, or pork) or 3-4 raw "meatballs" (lil' rolled up balls of either raw ground chicken or raw ground turkey)
- 3-4 chicken livers or chicken gizzards
- And a tablespoon of powdered egg shells mixed in (typically, tho, the egg shell powder gets blended in with the ground meat when we make her the "meatballs", but when it's stew meat, we just mix it into the entire food portion, like how people mix fiber powder into their food).
Highly recommend giving it a try. MUCH better for her lil' system than cooked people food and dairy products, AND you'll have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that not only are all her nutritional needs being met, but that she's thoroughly enjoying it, too. Raw diets aren't nearly as big a strain on your pocketbook as the naysayers would have you believe. End of the day, it's pretty much the same. The only part that changes is the work involved. =3
Honestly? Unless the animal was having some kind of gastric illness or was otherwise very sick, I've never met a carnivorous pet that didn't scarf up raw food.
Ideally, just like in the wild, it has to be a balanced meal, tho. A good balance of muscle meat, organ meat, and either bones (NEVER cooked ones, only raw; cooked bones splinter into razor-sharp shards that if swallowed, will -shred- your kitty's insides) or the safer route is ground up egg shells (has very similar nutritional content to what's found in bones). Packages of chicken livers and chicken gizzards are usually come pretty damn cheap from the grocery store and are the easiest source of organ meat to give. Both my dogs and cats seem to go BONKERS for them. Gross to us, but they love 'em. XD
My mom's dog recently made the conversion to a pure raw diet, due to horrific food allergies (and the holistic brands of pet food are just FAR more expensive than we can afford right now), and she's been doing FANTASTIC (and she, too, is pretty finicky, but that isn't due to trauma, but rather being a spoiled lil' brat, LOL). Here's an example of what she gets twice a day:
- Handful of either stew meat (chicken, turkey, or pork) or 3-4 raw "meatballs" (lil' rolled up balls of either raw ground chicken or raw ground turkey)
- 3-4 chicken livers or chicken gizzards
- And a tablespoon of powdered egg shells mixed in (typically, tho, the egg shell powder gets blended in with the ground meat when we make her the "meatballs", but when it's stew meat, we just mix it into the entire food portion, like how people mix fiber powder into their food).
Highly recommend giving it a try. MUCH better for her lil' system than cooked people food and dairy products, AND you'll have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that not only are all her nutritional needs being met, but that she's thoroughly enjoying it, too. Raw diets aren't nearly as big a strain on your pocketbook as the naysayers would have you believe. End of the day, it's pretty much the same. The only part that changes is the work involved. =3
Yeah, I've been considering it given how she disdains cat food- our other cat won't touch raw food, dairy or anything really that she didn't catch herself- so that might be a good way to stop food aggression. Most of the people food she gets is raw bits of whatever I'm cooking- which includes a great deal of organ meat. I don't give her cooked food at all.
Well she is in good hands and adorable. Thankyou for being there for her.
I feed my cats regularly on minced roo meat, fresh chicken necks and even sometimes some cooked boneless fish. When I've had a skinny cat we enticed her with first off raw bacon rind (with fat attached) that was cut up small and failing that we cooked it a little first and serve it warm, I had one teenage cat that would only eat that for about three months after she was rescued and then as her weight improved she started to eat roo meat and cat biscuits.
The other trick that may be worth a try is mix in weetbix with a little sugar (honey works here too), a little watered down milk or animal milk and serve it warm. The carbs help put some weight on even though cats are mostly protien eaters.
good luck with her and keep up the good work. *hugs*
I feed my cats regularly on minced roo meat, fresh chicken necks and even sometimes some cooked boneless fish. When I've had a skinny cat we enticed her with first off raw bacon rind (with fat attached) that was cut up small and failing that we cooked it a little first and serve it warm, I had one teenage cat that would only eat that for about three months after she was rescued and then as her weight improved she started to eat roo meat and cat biscuits.
The other trick that may be worth a try is mix in weetbix with a little sugar (honey works here too), a little watered down milk or animal milk and serve it warm. The carbs help put some weight on even though cats are mostly protien eaters.
good luck with her and keep up the good work. *hugs*
Chicken necks is something I haven't tried with my dogs and cats yet, but it makes sense. It's the "ruffage" that predatory animals need, after all. I hear chicken feet are also a good route to go, especially with dogs. And also pretty cheap from your local butcher's shop.
Hrmm, I'm gonna hafta see if there's anyplace to get a hold of chicken necks around here. Thanks for the tip!
Hrmm, I'm gonna hafta see if there's anyplace to get a hold of chicken necks around here. Thanks for the tip!
So just to experiment today I gave her some beef chuck I ground up finely for her and she totally ate every last piece I threw at her(I had to go buy another pallet of beef for myself because she ate almost a whole pound, lol), thanks for the tip! I'm going to have to go invest in some chicken entrails this evening. Any idea if beef offal works just as well? I've gotta go pick up oxtails from market tomorrow anyways and might just as well grab some kidney, liver and heart and grind it into a nutrient paste.
I'm glad she liked the beef. One thing to check carefully is the state of her teeth and any redness of the gums. This can also affect their ability to eat and tear at foods or eat biscuts.
The only problem with offal that I know of is the high vitamin A content but I can't remember which organ it builds up in... might be in the liver.
The only problem with offal that I know of is the high vitamin A content but I can't remember which organ it builds up in... might be in the liver.
First thing I checked when she came here :3 Her teeth are white and pearly with a little chip out of one canine but no cavities or plaque, and her gums look in decent condition. She was fed literally nothing but wet food for like a year before I got her, so I'm surprised her teeth are as good as they are, but she's a little anal retentive thing so I wouldn't be surprised if she made it a point to clean them. Vitamin A I think is the liver, I won't be using a whole lot of liver, mostly pancreas, kidneys, heart and tripe with some liver for iron.
Oh, you have NO idea how ABSOLUTELY thrilled I was to read this comment, makes me so happy to hear that her eating has improved. ^.^
I don't have much experience with beef, as most of my animals all seem to have trouble digesting it. It's almost kind of like lactose intolerance, only in their case its "beef intolerance", LOL. Like Yelleena mentioned, it may be due to the high concentration of vitamin A, which some animals can have a difficult time breaking down in their system. And a lot of my animals have sensitive stomachs due to various conditions, so there's that, too.
But since she liked and digested the ground beef without any ill effects afterwards, means she shouldn't have any issues with beef-derived organ meat, either. I'd suggest both turning it into paste, as well as chopping up the softer organs into little bite-sized chunks.
I don't have much experience with beef, as most of my animals all seem to have trouble digesting it. It's almost kind of like lactose intolerance, only in their case its "beef intolerance", LOL. Like Yelleena mentioned, it may be due to the high concentration of vitamin A, which some animals can have a difficult time breaking down in their system. And a lot of my animals have sensitive stomachs due to various conditions, so there's that, too.
But since she liked and digested the ground beef without any ill effects afterwards, means she shouldn't have any issues with beef-derived organ meat, either. I'd suggest both turning it into paste, as well as chopping up the softer organs into little bite-sized chunks.
You and me both, she can't get enough of the stuff. I'll have to add some vitamin rich bits into her schedule and maybe she'll put on some weight! After reading this I checked her leavings- they look normal and good so I'm assuming she's alright with beef. I know if I gave her too much dairy I'd find a little puke-puddle the next day, but as that hasn't happened with beef I think we've got a winner. Tonight I'm going to go buy some chicken livers and gizzards and hearts and give her some of each, see what she likes/can handle and what she can't. I was thinking some tripe for texture, since soft meats can rot their teeth over a long period of time? Any experience with that or raw diet dental problems? Or is that just canned kitty chow?
Yaaaay, healthy poops!
Well, in my experience, you want a lil' of everything (hence why just muscle meat alone isn't enough for healthy animals). All soft meat and all hard meat is never a good thing, so it's good to keep things balanced in their food bowl. Think of this this way. The best meal is pretty much a bit-by-bit reconstruction of an actual kill. Some muscle meat, a variety of organ meats, some fat, some calcium ... the complete package!
The gizzards make for good "ruffage", since they're very chewy. Kidneys are good for adding texture, too, if you can get ahold of them. Beef, pork, whatever you can get. They have almost a "crunchy" texture to them that's pretty unique among organ meats. A lot of animals enjoy them. Tripe is good, too, as long as it's well-cleaned (while animals can't get salmonella and e. coli the way people can, a lot of animal-transferred diseases traffic through feces, so it's always good practice to be cautious).
Well, in my experience, you want a lil' of everything (hence why just muscle meat alone isn't enough for healthy animals). All soft meat and all hard meat is never a good thing, so it's good to keep things balanced in their food bowl. Think of this this way. The best meal is pretty much a bit-by-bit reconstruction of an actual kill. Some muscle meat, a variety of organ meats, some fat, some calcium ... the complete package!
The gizzards make for good "ruffage", since they're very chewy. Kidneys are good for adding texture, too, if you can get ahold of them. Beef, pork, whatever you can get. They have almost a "crunchy" texture to them that's pretty unique among organ meats. A lot of animals enjoy them. Tripe is good, too, as long as it's well-cleaned (while animals can't get salmonella and e. coli the way people can, a lot of animal-transferred diseases traffic through feces, so it's always good practice to be cautious).
That's what I've heard. I'm trying to get her in for the overnight ASAP but between finals and anthrocon crunchtime it's like LAKJDLSKAJLDKJALSDJKAS. So I think sometime this week she will be spirited away to a horrible place where horrible things are done to her, then return to the loving embrace of kitty treats all day despite wearing some kind of hood ornament around her neck.
Yup, you're definitely a cat-lover. I spoil my Fatass-Kitty as much as I can, but for health reasons, I keep them under tight control. I used to over-feed my Kitty a bit, but he started getting really lazy. So now if I give him a treat, it's very rare, and I make him play with me first. He's about 12 pounds, I think? He was up to 16, so I'm happier with where he is now.
Hopefully Willow has a good time with you and LOTS of lovings from both you and Baby.
*pets the kitties*
Hopefully Willow has a good time with you and LOTS of lovings from both you and Baby.
*pets the kitties*
That's true, but she might puke it all up if you give it to her which could cause more complications.
Try feeding her catmilk. You can buy it at your local pet-store. It's not formula, its milk made specially for feline consumption when they won't eat solids. You can feed her with an eyedropper. They have those too.
Try feeding her catmilk. You can buy it at your local pet-store. It's not formula, its milk made specially for feline consumption when they won't eat solids. You can feed her with an eyedropper. They have those too.
I've tried catmilk, she won't touch it. It's not that she won't eat solids, she's just the most incredibly picky eater for a starving cat I've ever met. She seems to like ground beef just fine, but doesn't care for organ meats. Doesn't like dry or wet cat food, but she'll eat yogurt like crazy.
Well she eats certain things in abundance, but a lot of things she disdains. I appreciate the input- but I think she'll be okay without force feeding. I've raised something like 50+ cats in my day, I wouldn't take on a special needs cat if I didn't have tons of experience doing so. She's started to put on weight so obviously I'm doing something right ;) I appreciate your concern for her well being. I just have to figure out how to get her to either eat organ meats or vitamin droplets in her food now.
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