...Lucy had some health problems a few weeks ago and she is on new medication that I mix into her wet food - I no longer give her hard food (even though I hate not to b/c 1) she likes it & 2) I like it for her teeth). The past few days she hasn't eaten all of her food and last night I gave her a half a can - and she barely ate that. I know she feels fine, b/c today I gave her a full can sans food, and she ate it all up. (I know, I shouldn't have done that but...) Last night she was biting me! She actually woke me up at 1 in the morning, biting me...and when I went to the bathroom, she jumped up and bit my thigh as I was walking back to bed! Now, she's always been a biter - her way of letting me know that she's hungry...lately, though, she's been biting really hard - I have teeth marks on my thigh!
Anyone else experience this ever? Do I need to call a vet? Is she starving? (While she was sick she went from 17lbs to 14lbs - she could still stand to lose a lb - even though I think she's too long of a cat to be so thin, but, what do I kno?!) Am I just a freak?!
palebride
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
could she just be in a playful mood now that she's feeling better? my cat bites all the time - only me though! i say it's becuse he loves me the most!!!
I don't know about the illness...but my cat is a biter...hard too...but shes siamese and they are supposed to be b*tches...
I am nervous about her with the kids though...she bites just hard enough not to break the skin, but to cause a shock to go up your spine!!
ETS: cats are nocturnal...so its natural for them to be up and playful in the middle of the night
Jordan
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
haha - that's what *I* usually say - that she bites me b/c she loves me the most. These bites are different...I think she also has cabin fever - I usually take her out on a leash and I haven't been able to lately so I let her go up in the attic. Now she sits in the hallway, under the attic door, and if I walk by her - she circles me (like a shark!) and screams at me. If I walk away, she comes and bites me!
It's pure insanity. Last night was the final straw - she had me up for FOUR hours...I finally had to lock her out of the room and put the air purifier on high to drown out her crying and scraping under the door!
LizD
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
What kind of health problems does/did she have? It may be a good idea to check with the vet, but if your cat is anything like mine, this harder biting and not really eating the food so much is because the cat is mad at you due to the change in food. Unless there is a medical problem, cats will eat when they are hungry. It may just take her time to get used to the change, but she is not going to make it easy for you. She probably just needs time.
I had the opposite problem, I switched them from can to dry, 1 cat did not care, the other was not happy. While she did not bite me, she woke me up every hour on the hour all night long by wacking me in the head with her paw. If I got up she ran to the cabinet where the can food had been kept and then to the bowl. It took a good month for her to accept that I was not going to give in (although it was hard not to).
Edited re: meds - I forgot that part. If the cat likes treats, you can try putting the pill in that. I sometimes put pills in the pounce treats. They are softer so you can mush the pill in it. Depending on how stubborn the cat wants to be (mine actually ate around the pill sometimes), but within a couple of tries she got it down. (I think she just wanted extra treats)
ChristineC68
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
I would let the vet know she isn't getting all the meds or try giving them to her orally. (I know this is much easier said then done )
liz!! what a great visual...I can totally see my cat doing that (thank goodness she did not like wet from the beginning) but she woke us up this morning for food...jumps on the bed walks over our heads...jumps off...and does until we wake up...with screaming...
I think the dog in the middle of the night gets up and eats her food...which the vet told us is bad for his kidneys...so I have to catch him in the act...
Jordan
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
Lucy was being treated for a chronic constipation problem for the past 2+ years, along with an anal gland (not draining on its own) problem...this past time, she was in the vet for 8 days because she was 'clogged up' with fur!
I really think it has to do with the food...the canned food is the same, I've just eliminated the hard b/c it's dry and can contribute to her 'back up' problems. I know I shouldn't have given in this morning - I should have given her her medicine in the food and let her realize that she either svcks it up and eats it or starves. It just breaks my heart to do this to her cause she clearly is incapable of understanding what I'm doing (as all animals are).
Jordan
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
hahaha - yabbo, I call that 'walking the plank'. She walks the perimeter of the bed - over our faces, on my hair - crying the whole time. She stops periodically to either 1) lies down in a way that her BUTT is in my FACE! or 2) lies down facing me and then with her paw, pulls at my hand or pushes at my face...with an occassional bite or two.
I think I will call the vet and see if I can start adding the hard food back - maybe if I mix it with the soft, at least she'll get the meds & food.
I'd love to give it to her orally - I can control her easy enough - but it's a BLUE powder (think: Miracle Grow!) and that would be tres messy!
LizD
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
Yabbo - lol. It's so true. I honestly believe she was a true wetfoodaholic. It took a lot to get her through the 12 steps.
CP- Walking the plank - another true statement. It's amazing how many times they will walk around the bed like that. I think I got used to it and slept through it and that is why she started wacking me in the head to wake me up .. too smart !!
sometimes when my cat can't 'go' she runs around the house screaming...do you think its part of the constipation?
Kathy116
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
Is she moving her bowels ok still? Sorry to be graphic...do you think she's impacted again?
Jordan
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
That's ok Kathy - you have no idea how graphic I had to be over that course of time!
She has had regular movements since her appetite came back...and even now that she's refusing to eat, she is still moving. Thankfully. I've been keeping a mental diary of her actions and the shape of her body (when her problem acts up, you can't see her 'waist' - she gets all bloated looking)...she still has her 'girly figure', so I don't think it's the same problem.
The thing with Lucy is that she is a brat - a spoiled, only child. I love her to pieces but this biting thing has GOT to stop!
Julybaby
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
Just be careful with the cat not eating. Cats, unlike dogs and people, will starve themselves to death. We had to switch my cat's food in November because she developed kidney problems. For a couple of months, we had to deal with her refusing to eat the food. Then she got really weak after a couple of days, so we had to give her regular food, which she ate. Now we mix up regular food and her diet food. Our other cat got sick and basically stopped eating and did die, though I don't think she literally starved herself to death. But it's a good sign that your cat is still active.
mishandgerard
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
please don't be alarmed, but our cat had lost some weight and was not eating well. we found out she was having kidney failure and there was nothing we could do. this does not sound the same. she became lethargic and did not even clean herself.
I would take her to the vet.
Jordan
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
Lucy lost the weight while at the vet for 8 days - neither vets (she saw 2) were alarmed that she lost weight b/c she wasn't eating (b/c she wasn't moving her bowels & was sick) and b/c they feel she can afford to lose weight. It freaked ME out that she lost 3 lbs...but they ran blood work and she's healthy otherwise...thank you both, though, for your concerns!
I added about 2 tbs of hard food to her moist food tonight and she gobbled it up. I think - with anyone who diets - that she's just not used to the lesser amount of food...but I need to stay strong and insist, I guess. Makes me feel like a meanie.
LizD
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Re: Situation with my Cat...
I know it's hard, but remember you are not a meanie. It is the best thing for your cat Don't worry your cat will still love you
