Because of where I am, postings will be up two hours later than their normal time, and I suspect they’ll be infrequent this week. But we’ll always have Paris. . . and Hili.
And Hili will always be hungry.
Hili: I have a question.
A: I’m listening.
Hili: Do you know I didn’t have my breakfast yet?
In Polish:
Hili: Mam pytanie.
Ja: Słucham.
Hili: Czy wiesz, że ja jeszcze nie jadłam śniadania?
Ah! I remember Słucham is what you say on the telephone!
What green eyes you have…! 🙂
Green with anger!
My cat Shirley has not had her breakfast either, and is glaring at me like Hili.
Why? She hasn’t eaten her nummy nummy chewy medicine tablet that she used to gobble up like a treat. No, she has decided it’s no longer something she will eat. I even tried rubbing it with gravy. Nope. WTF?
But I am adamant. No pill, no food. I can keep this up longer than her and I will: without the medicine, she will die sooner rather than later. She’s hyperthyroid and we’re hoping to maybe get her up to 5 lbs.
For crying out loud, she LOVED it. I will not be blackmailed.
Pill pockets. They are chewy little treats, and the pills slip inside them.
Thanks. I may try that.
She finally gave in at 2:00 in the afternoon and I immediately gave her some of her favorite stinky moist food. She is a creature of habit. If I can get her to associate the tuna-flavored half-pill with the sudden appearance of all the food she wants, then it might work long term.
I’m so sorry to hear of Shirley’s illness. It’s fucking heartbreaking, I know.
A few things worth considering:
First, “pilling” a cat isn’t actually anywhere near as scary as it sounds. Indeed, it’s the sort of thing that can be so quick and painless (for the cat, even if you’re emotionally traumatized) that it’s far and away the easiest solution. Get a vet to demonstrate with some placebo pills, ideally at home if Shirley doesn’t like travel.
(On a related note, if the time ever comes for her to need subcutaneous fluids, don’t even think of hesitating. Yes, you may well freak out, but Shirley will be just fine — and that’s what matters. Trust me; you can do it, and it’s no big deal, even if it seems incredibly scary to you.)
Next, see if there’s a compounding veterinary pharmacy anywhere in the vicinity. If so, they may be able to offer you a variety of forms for the medication, from different flavors of chewable stuff to liquids to pills to powders to mix into or sprinkle over her food to who-knows-what. Any large metropolitan area should have that kind of pharmacy, and some non-veterinary compounding pharmacies may be able to serve that market as well.
Last…do keep Shirley’s vet aware of developments such as this. It could just be that she’s being a stubborn cat…but it could also be something else that you’re not going to recognize, such as a toothache or a sinus infection or something else affecting her sense of smell. It might even be a reaction to the medicine, something that would indicate changing dosages or switching to something else. Chances are good it’s nothing in particular to worry about…but you pay the vet to do that kind of worrying for you, so why not get your money’s worth?
Best of luck to you both….
b&