Soothing Sweet Sammi's Sensitive Stomach

The last time I posted about my little Sammi girl's eating problems, I advised a plethora of things that I thought would help her keep down her food and not vomit so much each day. Among those suggestions were olive oil, a certain kind of Fancy Feast, etc. etc. Well, I've come up with something so much better and with lots less work involved.

For those who don't know, Sammi is my 14-year-old black pussy cat. She's a darling little thing with a sweet disposition. She loves me and I love her. She traveled many miles with my husband and I over the years and she's been my constant companion after his passing about 18 months ago.

Anyway, what's working for her -- and it's what I'm going to stick with -- is Science Diet for Sensitive Stomachs. Dry food, of course. Science Diet makes canned food, but not with such specifications. I put about 1/2 cup in her bowl when it's empty, choosing the small amount so the food is kept fresh, which she loves the most.

I also keep another bowl with Meow Mix Kitten Nibbles, which is there when she runs out of the Science Diet, mostly during the night. The reason for the Meow Mix is to somewhat ameliorate the problem she has with the runs from the Science Diet. It's a rather fat dry food, which is OK for her because she needs to put back on the weight she lost during all the trials about getting the right food for her. But it's the fat that I think might be causing the diarrhea. Now, if she'll just eat the Meow Mix from time to time, I believe the combo will work great. Little stubborn one she is, however, she typically holds out for her favorite, the Science Diet. She knows what she wants. For now, the runs aren't that bad for me to be concerned. And maybe her system will adapt to it -- I hope, I hope.

So, here we are. I love the fact that she loves the Science Diet. It's so much nicer having dry food available for her all the time -- and plenty of water, of course -- than trying to feed her several times a day with that messy, disgusting canned food. Even the Fancy Feast Elegant Medley variety, the least offensive of the lot, didn't work well because any food left in her dish turned hard almost immediately and then she wouldn't eat it. Not surprising, I guess.

With dry food available all the time, Sammi is so much happier because she can march in where her food bowls are anytime, night or day, and the food is there, unlike when she had to get me to attend to her each and every time with the canned type.

I hope the information I'm giving here will help others who have trouble getting their babies to eat and keep up their weight when their little tummies won't keep down food. She's looking so much better, she's really frisky, her coat is shiny, and she rests like she did before, taking long naps instead of the shorter catnaps. She's not constantly hungry and begging for food. More soothed, it seems.

I'll do anything for my little girl. It's just been quite a trip getting to what really works. The desire was there. Now the knowledge is there to match it.

Feeding the Beastie

Black princess cat Samantha, the sweetest and gentlest little feline, 14 years old, has been a puker for a long time. That and a cougher, seemingly choking up every other day or so. Late last year, after cleaning up after her maybe 4 times a day, I decided something had to change. 

I was giving her 2 or 3 hairball treats daily, but it appeared she was needing to get rid of hair more and more frequently. She's a shorthair, but she was licking herself frequently and ingesting a lot of hair. I think perhaps her guts were bothering her and she was licking a lot to relieve the stress in that area. Just a guess, but it's probably a better guess than that of a vet.

I looked for remedies online. After reading numerous posts, I put together my exclusive, magic formula: 

I feed her small amounts of canned food, usually a rounded teaspoonful, 6 or 7 times a day, making sure that I use a clean dish each time. Cats are finicky and as they age, they get even finickier. A clean dish is a must. You don't want to mix foods either. They get confused by that.

Also each time, I drizzle olive oil over the food, perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. I also discovered that extra virgin olive oil has too strong a taste for cats. The olive oil that says for sauteing and grilling is perfect. Pour it into an oil dispenser for ease of drizzling the olive oil onto the food. 

As for the food she eats, she's become a real fan of the type with gravy. In fact, she refuses to eat most other kinds, exception being Fancy Feast Turkey & Giblets, and Fancy Feast Aristocats Chicken. Sometimes she just eats the gravy and leaves the meat, which must be really foul. I believe the kind of meat put into pet food is disgusting and comes from who knows where on the animals. Even though I'm a vegetarian, I do feed her meats because cats can't survive in good health eating only grains and greens. 

I put a small amount of dry food in a bowl for her to have as she likes, although she no longer eats much of it because of all the canned food servings. I give her only the Blue brand for Indoor Cats, available at pet stores. That brand has meat as its first ingredient(s) where most dry cat foods have rice and other non-meat items as the first few ingredients. Cats aren't made for that.

In addition to the olive oil trick, I give Samantha the hairball treats each time I feed her, 2 treats one time, 1 the next, and so forth. The brand is Temptations and the foil packet says Hairball Control on it. These are carried alongside the canned cat food in any supermarkets. Along with the hairball treats, each time I also add 1 Whiskas dental treat (chicken flavor in foil packet), which is crunchy and she really likes it. It does nothing for her teeth, but it adds to her enjoyment.

Once a week, or sometimes every two weeks, I brush her with a soft brush, the type that's available at pet stores. Even though she's a shorthair, she does need to be brushed, but not daily. I've read where daily brushing a shorthair cat can cause them to stop grooming themselves. 

Fresh water is a must too. I keep a bowl of fresh water by her food dishes. And, crazy person that I am, I also keep a large mug of fresh water on the table behind my chair in the living room. She seems to drink most from that and I know she's getting enough water that way. Cats are notorious for not drinking enough. They don't get thirsty like dogs do.

Stopping her puking and coughing took some time, trying various remedies. It's not 100% effective because she has vomited once in the past 6 weeks. But I consider that a major success. Although every little cat is different, I believe this formula will work for any of them. The important thing is to watch and learn. They're telling us what they need, if only we'll pay attention.