June 3, 2000
Raising the Food

Friskies still rules. She'll eat this with a minimum of persuasion. Sometimes I have to stick the fork under her nose to get her started, but once started she laps up every last morsel — and is usually ready for more.

I went out and bought a case this afternoon, along with some other canned food for variety. My husband was afraid that buying a case might be premature, but she's eaten almost a whole can today!

We've also raised her food. According to the reading I've been doing, raising the food helps in a couple of ways:

It's easier and more comfortable for her to eat when she doesn't have to crouch down.

It's easier to digest her food when it's raised — which in turn means hopefully she'll eat more.

Cleo seems to have a tiny bit more energy today, no doubt from the food. She's even been using the litter box again, altho instead of actually getting into it, she crouches on the edges, so that her scrawny butt actually hangs over the side. Still, it's better than her peeing on the carpet. I did get the second litter box, but it's just too small for her, so I'm still on the lookout for a bigger one which doesn't have deep sides.

Cleo has always enjoyed stretching, and I used to stretch her, too. I get her under her front legs and just pull as she stretched. She loved it, but I've been afraid to do it since she's gotten arthritic and weak. I still won't do it, but she was laying on the floor, and I came over and just touched her under the front leg and she stretched out.

She still doesn't lay on me as much as she used to. She used to love to lay in my lap as I worked on the computer, much to my annoyance. Now she comes and she'll sit by my chair, but she rarely lays in my lap. I don't think it's because it's hard for her to jump up, because when I pick her up and put her on my lap, she jumps off immediately. Or perhaps that's just Cleo being a cat — since I didn't jump up, I'm not going to stay.

The wonder food seemed to lose its appeal at dinner. Cleo wouldn't touch her food. I wasn't too worried this time, since she actually ate an entire can throughout the day, something unheard of this past week! I came back later, and finally coaxed her to eat what I'd set out by putting a little bit fresh on a fork and leading her over to the food.

I hope that she continues to eat this food tomorrow.

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