Anybody want a slightly used cat?

[theodosia]

R. is supposed to take Yum Yum to see the vet tomorrow, she still isn't eating much of the special kidney food -- even for instance, when I came home tonight and she hadn't eaten all day, she merely sniffed at what I put down for her. (She's eating a little bit now.)

Did I mention here that she tucked in with a vengeance when my roommate offered her some "regular" cat food on Tuesday? So far as I know, she's only taken a tiny amount of the kidney food since then. Now, she's a 7 lb cat, so maybe she's not going to eat a whole lot anyway, but this is just not healthy.

Hopefully R can find her some other kind of renal failure cat food. Unfortunately it sounds like this vet (we have a new vet -- did I mention that the old one retired?) only has this one kind on hand. So we'll see on this front.

The other thing that I'm seriously considering is re-homing Chumley. He's not a bad cat AT ALL, but he's aggressive with Yum Yum. If she'd stick up for herself, like Muppet, he'd stay in his place, but every time she runs away and hides, which only encourages him to keep doing this, since it's great fun for him.

(Yes, I'm blaming the victim. Unfortunately, the victim is pretty sick at the moment and doesn't need more stress.)

Chumley got on fine with the other cats at the shelter we got him from -- when I adopted him, I spent a good long time observing him and the other cats interacting, on the theory that I'd be able to tell if he was a cat who got on with others, and it sure looked that way. SIGH.

I'm thinking that what I need to do is remove Chumley from the house for at least a short stretch. I do truly love the little guy, but Yum Yum is fragile enough as it is, and we have to destressify her. I'm going to call my Mom and find out if she can take him in for a month or so. She "boards" my aunt's cats all the time, so I know she could physically manage to handle one lone cat (who will adore her) while we see if we can get Yum Yum back from the brink. If that doesn't work, I'll either have to try to find a boarding situation for a month or two or else talk to the shelter people about re-homing him, as much as it would hurt.

Comments

[cindyamb.livejournal.com]

Oh Theodosia, I haven't commented, but I've been following along about Yum Yum. I hope you have luck finding her some food that is healthy for her.

How sad you have to send out Chumley. I'm sorry this all is going on. Take care.

[akite.livejournal.com]

I'll tell you where my mind is, I read your subject line as Anybody want a slightly used car? I was wondering what cars had to do with cats. ::g:: I thought maybe a cat had peed in your car. Oy, my brain.

[makaidiver.livejournal.com]

SEVEN pounds? holy cow, that is one tiny, tiny cat.

Oy. I feel for you. Your idea of boarding her with your mom sounds brilliant, if your mom will go for it.

[e-juliana.livejournal.com]

Massive vibes for Yum Yum, and I sincerely hope that Chumley's little vacation works out for all of you.

[ajinamoto.livejournal.com]

How old is Yum Yum?

Tweeter had kidney problems but would eat the special dry kidney formula that I bought from the vet, it's made by Science Diet. My cats don't eat canned food, I hate the smell.

Even in her final days Tweeter ate like she was starving. I used to give Kiki and her deli turkey. That's really because Tweeter was 19 and spoiling her was not going to be a problem.

In the end she weighed 3 pounds, going from 7 pounds in February and 5 in June.

If Yum Yum is eating regular cat food like that, she's being stubborn (of course you know this), but I know you can't wait her out like you would a healthy cat whose food you switched.

Hugs to you and Yum Yum.

[gchick.livejournal.com]

Is there any place in your house where you can set up a safe space for Yum Yum that Chumley can't get to? For instance, LUCY has access to the laundry room and the dogs don't, thanks to the miracle of baby gates. Obviously, it's a lot harder to block out cats than big dogs, but given how very tiny Yum Yum is, can you rig an opening to somewhere that's just big enough for her to squeeze through, while he can't?