I truly learn something every time one of y’all post something about my cats. When I was growing up, my sister had a Siamese cat. I still can’t believe our parents let her have a critter in the house. I shouldn’t think badly of them. They let me have a parakeet, in a cage, in my room, while my sister’s cat had the run of the house and spent her life trying to figure out how to eat my parakeet. The cat’s name was Michelob (if that tells you anything about the crazy girl my sister was) and my parakeet’s name was Pepper. A little family history you didn’t know. 🙂
Maybe Michelob’s attempt to eat Pepper is what turned me against cats but mostly, I want an animal that will listen when I say “No” or “Sit” or “Stay” and I do not want a hairy critter on my countertops or getting his tail on fire from the gas stove. Boots lives in my studio which is totally in a different building from the house. I spend most of my knitting time there. Cat lives on top of my car. When we move, Boots will become an inside the house cat. I’m not quite sure how that’s going to work. I figure we have two choices: (1) let him on the countertop or (2) use the kitchen for storage and not worry about a hair critter in the kitchen. I’m leaning towards #2.
Seriously, Boots has learned what “no” means and usually, he will just turn around and go the other way. Also, he knows that spray bottles have water in them and he does not like getting sprayed so I can pick up a spray bottle and when he sees it, he stops whatever he’s doing so I’m not real worried about him being in the house.
Here’s the point I was going to make . . someone commented that he might not like a change in cat food so this morning, I took two bowls and put 100 grams of cat food in each bowl – one is his old food he’s been eating for years; one is a new dry food – it’s Merrick’s raw infused or something like that. When Speck was having so many health problems, we tried about everything and he loved Merrick’s and it worked for him so we bought Merrick’s for Boots and a Hill Science Diet UTI/Hairball formula because he has had a UTI and he has had hairballs. I wanted to see which one he liked the best.
He sniffed both foods, then went to the new food and ate a good bit of it but never touched the food he’s been eating. He really likes the canned cat food but that’s going to be for special treats . . not for every day.
His skin still seems dry. I put a couple of drops of olive oil on about a tablespoon of canned food and give that to him first thing in the morning. Hoping that will make him shiny again and get rid of his “dandruff”.
Cilla says
Glad to hear he is eating. Merrick is a great food for cats and dogs. I use coconut oil on/in their food. I keep a jar for human consumption and a jar for pets and for skin cream for me. Isn’t pet hair a condiment?????
Heather Watts says
Have to weigh in here, having bred Burmese cats for over 30 years. Cats most definitely like different foods. Different brands of dry food, different types of tinned food, and fresh meat (must be fresh). We now only have 1 pet male Burmese and he has 4 different kinds of dry foods which I alternate each day. He has dry food in the morning and wet food in the evening. Also dandruff can be (but not necessarily) a sign of worms according to my vet. Try using a different brand e.g. one produced by Bayer
Nelle Coursey says
So glad to see this! Maybe he just needed a change!
Sharon says
When our cat has shown weight loss, we usually switch to canned kitten food in little servings to get her back on her feed. We have learned that she eats less in summer heat. We are in Phoenix, Az, which is much like your Texas summers.
dezertsuz says
I guess he’s made his preference known, but I would try it several times to be absolutely certain. I’m sure Cat will not be so picky and can eat whichever one is rejected.
Val says
I have had cats for over 30 years and none of them have gotten on counter tops. Maybe you will get lucky too.
vivoaks says
In all the years of having cats we never had cats that jumped on shelves. If they did, they learned very quickly that they weren’t allowed there, and they aren’t stupid… they stayed off!! I’m sure Boots will do just fine.
Rebecca in SoCal says
I haven’t had a problem with cats on kitchen counters, either. It’s been a very long time since introducing a cat to the household, but I think that if one ever did jump up, I had no problem sweeping it off onto the floor.
I remember a problem with one cat on the kitchen table, probably because the chairs provide a ladder. I remember trying putting sheet pans with water on the table, but that wasn’t good. I think we just got very careful to push the chairs all the way in. I also may have yelled sometimes.
Joyce says
Putting sticky tape or something like aluminum foil on a counter will sometimes stop a cat that likes counters. They don’t like the feel of tape or the foil (if it’s is somewhat crumpled) on their paws. Since the squirt gun works well for you, I would start with that. Glad to see Boots does like the different food. He is just proving you should not assume anything with a cat! LOL We once fed one of my cats a kibble that had 3 different flavors in the bag. There was one flavor he didn’t like, so when you looked in his bowl, everything would be gone except that one flavor. Crazy cat!
Mary E. Lines says
Linatone is a great food additive to improve the condition of a pet’s skin and coat. You just squirt the appropriate amount on their food.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=linatone&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3uboBRDCARIsAO2XcYDMqTbx6Y0nzH_6ktz1WpzjIv37vOrmL0HDCccK95vIlnl-Ues6DhkaAmDoEALw_wcB&hvadid=174256136371&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9033787&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t2&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11260033269633054803&hvtargid=kwd-271713013&hydadcr=25890_9636369&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_8x5j5mh1kb_e
Liz A. says
Fish oil is good for them and gives them some essential fatty oils. You can also get salmon oil for pets. It’s expensive but they love it and it’s better than olive oil for animals.
Sandi B says
We put coconut oil in our dog’s food. She tends to suffer from some skin ailments. The groomer had recommended we try it. We put it in her food tonight. She ate all of it (solid form), but left turkey, some liver treats, some sweet potato and much of her kibble. She’s a funny girl. I could string up the puppy mill breeder who caused her so many issues, though. She’s had to endure a lot. Poor baby…