Dear Cat

[skhill]

Dear girl cat,
I'm really sorry that the dry food bowl went empty over the night. But did you really have to let me know about it at 4:18 am? Couldn't it have waited until I got up at 5?

Dear boy cat,
Congratulations! After a decade of hard work, you've finally got me trained. Proof: when I was washing dishes last night and you came up and yowled at me, I stopped what I was doing and gave you a kitty treat. Didn't even think about it, just responded to your stimulus in the way you desired. Good job!

[marni]

dear miss ike,

do you have any idea how hard it is to warp a loom when you are loving on me and wandering through the warp? I love you dearly but you make it a bit difficult.

PS I have to admit that your 2 AM hair stylings are getting pretty wild but digging the claws in to immobilize me is a bit too much.

marni

[skhill]

Dear cats

The National Weather Service really should put y'all on the payroll. When the tornado warning siren went off yesterday, I knew there was no reason to be worried, because you were all hanging out in the living room with me. If there were any real danger, you'd have been taking cover in the bathroom closet. Sure enough, you were right-- the warning was canceled in just 5 minutes.

[bmccasland]

Dear cats

The National Weather Service really should put y'all on the payroll. When the tornado warning siren went off yesterday, I knew there was no reason to be worried, because you were all hanging out in the living room with me. If there were any real danger, you'd have been taking cover in the bathroom closet. Sure enough, you were right-- the warning was canceled in just 5 minutes.

Glad you didn't get hit by yesterday's tornadoes! It missed my uncle's house by 2 blocks. Let's hear it for "weather cats."

Reminds me of when I rode out a hurricane and realized that all my furry beasts were under the bed, together.

[bmccasland]

Dear Chloe,
The carnations in the vase are mine, I say MINE, to enjoy. They are not your new toys. If you really want to decorate with flowers, maybe I should hire you out to the florist across the street.

[Roadtrip]

Dear Mister Kitty,

I thank you for sharing your catch with me, I already have enough, tho thanks to you l will forever lo twice now when your playing with your you mice.

Signed,
The evil one who took your prize

[lph]

Dear Cat,

I'm very happy to see you're back to being Queen of The Universe, nonchalant mistress of all you survey, and snotty guardian of the entire block. But do you have to be such a drama queen? Your loyal and loving servants get quite worried when you spend an entire day looking unhappy and upset, just because you had to go through the ordeal of coming home again.

I know you had a fine and spoiled time spending three days at my in-laws, and you're obviously at home here, and the car drive between takes all of twenty minutes, so what IS all the moping about? I was ready to take you to the vet, until I remembered you're a flaming hypochondriac.

[bmccasland]

LPH - did you bribe Her Highness with some nice tasty salmon or herring? Perchance her welcome home dinner wasn't up to royal standings?

[lph]

Fawf, salmon is for other cats. She liked a little snack of goats cheese (her morning usual, and the only thing she will sit up on her hind feet for) but otherwise she was ignoring her food, starting, and running around like a worried kitten. Very strange!

[marni]

try some duck- it usually melts the bipolar cats pissy moods.

good for dogs also.

marni

[winddance]

Dear Orion,

Like many of your species, you are lactose intolerant. STAY AWAY FROM THE YOGURT. And what kind of cat drinks CHAI?

I do not wish to see any of these back on the floor in 30 minutes.

Now please eat your nice wet food instead of staring at it wishing it were drenched in dairy products.

Love,
Your favorite cushion and singing partner

[Bethany1]

Dear Bandit,

I'm sorry you have a UTI. The vet took care of you today so maybe it's good thing you peed all over my cycling clothes so I'd notice something was wrong. It still took four washings to get it all out so I'm not happy. Vet said your bladder is the size of a grapefruit. I feel so bad.


Dear Vet,

Are you sure you aren't getting paid to push prescription cat food? Or is it your only source of income besides what you charge for visits? Not sure I buy into this idea as you want me to feed my cat a couple of cans a day.


I know there was a discussion about canned vs dry, but how do you afford canned cat food when it's .75 to 1.50 a can and you need several a day?

[Biciclista]

Bethany, you don't have to buy that kind of cat food. But you do need to wean cat off dry food. Or he will continue to have problems. I feed my cats raw meat and canned cat food now for their health and comfort.

[indysteel]

Bethany, you don't have to buy that kind of cat food. But you do need to wean cat off dry food. Or he will continue to have problems. I feed my cats raw meat and canned cat food now for their health and comfort.

+1. There are some past threads on this subject that are worth reading. I also found this chart to be helpful. When we switched to canned foods, I bought a variety of brands and flavors, primarly focusing on the carb and protein content (I look for low carb and high protein). As you can see from the chart, some of the brands we tend to think of as premium (like Science Diet and Hills, which is what vets often push) do not offer a good carb/protein ratio. So, while they are better than dry food in terms of moisture content, they are still less than ideal.

For better or for worse, one of my cats had a distinct adversion to some of the premiums brands of canned food. He mostly prefers Friskies. There are some varieties of Friskies that offer a good carb/protein ratio, so that's what he gets. We also have additional water bowls out now than we once had, and he seems to be drinking more from them. So far, so good. He hasn't had any additonal urinary issues since we made the switch.

My point in sharing that is that if Friskies or another cheaper brand fits your budget better, then look into what flavors or varieties are best for your cat and go from there. Also do what you can to encourage more water consumption by putting out multiple water bowls and/or using a water fountain. My cats didn't care for the latter, but they show a marked preference for the water dishes that are in private areas away from where they are served food. You can also add a bit of water to the canned food to make a bit of a gravy. Every little bit of extra water you get into them helps.

In the end and IME, treating chronic UTIs and/or kidney disease ends up costing more--financially and emotionally--than dry food. I lost a cat to chronic kidney failure, after feeding her a dry diet her whole life. I wish I could go back and undo that.

[Biciclista]

In the end and IME, treating chronic UTIs and/or kidney disease ends up costing more--financially and emotionally--than dry food. I lost a cat to chronic kidney failure, after feeding her a dry diet her whole life. I wish I could go back and undo that.

wow, what an angle. no kidding. and watching your cat be in pain ... horrible