I know I'm not supposed to give MJ, or any cat for that matter, milk. But for the past week or so, that's all he'll consume. I've recently cut the milk with 1 part kitten milk replacer. I'm hoping it's better than nothing.
I've always heard that animals stop eating when they lose all will to live. Perhaps this is MJ's time.
I brought home my free El Pollo Loco chicken the other night. I put the food on the living room table and went to the kitchen to put some milk and food out for MJ. I was sadly thinking this routine may end soon.
As I was cleaning out his bowl, I heard some rustling in the living room. When I checked it out, MJ had his face in the styrofoam box gnawing on my chicken!! Since I wasn't going to eat the chicken he's already thoroughly licked and chewed, I removed the skin, cut the chicken into tiny bits and put it into his bowl. He licked his bowl clean that night.
As it turns out, MJ is just a crotchety old cat who's tired of eating cat food. I'm imagining he's thinking, "I've been a good companion to you for the past 15 years. I don't have too much longer to live. I think I've earned the right to eat whatever I want before I go. Don't be greedy. Give me the good stuff."
If MJ wants El Pollo Loco chicken and that's what he'll eat, that's what I'll give him. I know some pet lovers and vets who read this post are already cringing. But near the end of my life, I think I'd want to eat food that may not be necessarily good for me, but that I want to eat. How about you?
10 comments:
Oh, poor guy! One of my foster cats stopped eating and I had to take him to the vet for fluids twice. (The vet also gave him some medicine for an upset stomach, which smelled awful and made the cat appear to foam at the mouth.) But after a day or two, he started eating again and as far as I know is doing fine in his new permanent home.
But your cat is older so he understandably wants the good stuff! If he wants chicken, I say let him have it. The important thing is that he's eating.
If a cat changes its diet that drastically, it could be a sign of an underlying problem. One thing I know happens as they get older is that their teeth will sometimes have decay and need to be pulled. If this is the case, eating could be quite painful for him. It could very well be that he just doesn't like certain foods anymore, but I would make sure to check with the vet to ensure that his sudden change in appetite is not due to something else.
I don't know anything at all about cats, just wanted you to know this broke my heart...
Poor kitty.
He's lucky though- Chad and I got the El Pollo Loco chicken & it was pretty good!
I say let him eat whatever he wants. It's not going to kill him to eat kitty junk food at this point. I'm sorry you are having to face this. We're dog sitting my mom's two right now and they are 12 and 13, it's hard seeing them get old. They have bad arthritis, it breaks my heart. I hope you and MJ have more time together.
i don't have any pets and i've never owned a cat but i say if el pollo loca chicken is what he'll eat, give it to him. heck, i'd be sick and tired of eating the same thing for 15 years too. shtinky, it sounds like you have great taste in food so poor mj has been smelling the aroma of all that goodness, then going to his bowl eating, uhm, well, not what he probably expected after smelling your food;-).
My parents 13 year old cat stopped eating (and was throwing up and losing weight) and wound up having a thyroid problem and pancreatitis. He's better now but it may be worth checking out if he's otherwise acting fine.
It's pretty common for older cats to have thyroid issues though and fairly easy to treat, when I worked at an animal hospital we saw it all the time.
Good luck. I hope your kitty gets better and a little chicken certainly won't hurt :)
Towards the end of her life my grandmother lost her sense of smell and with it her appetite. I came to visit and brought some Long John Silver's Chicken Planks. My grandmother actually liked them After that, my grandfather would occasionally bring home chicken planks. At that point (age 90) they improved her quality of life and I don't think they cut it any shorter. Give your cat whatever he will eat.
Anonymous and Escape Brooklyn hit the nail right on the head.. If a kitty stops eating, there's always a reason why (dental disease, pancreatitis, and thyroid issues are usually at the top of the list). I work at a vet also (almost 4 years!) and it is VERY bad when a cat doesnt eat because their liver cannot handle it. To make a long story short, when a cat (or any other animal) doesn't eat, the body relies on its reserves to survive - meaning it starts "digesting" body fat. Most animals (especially humans and dogs) have a liver that is capable of sustaining this, however cats do not; their liver ends up acting like an oil-soaked sponge trying to soak up more oil (eventually becomes impossible). Anyway, letting MJ eat the chicken was probably the best thing you could have done for him! We tell people with older kitties who stop eating (for one reason or another) so just spoil them - they usually don't have long to live, so any side-effects from the "junk food" are considered negligible in the whole scheme of things.
I am a HUGE cat lover, so I really feel for you right now. My girl is only 2 right now and I am not looking forward to her aging at all lol but I know it's inevitable. The best thing you can do for your cat is to love him unconditionally and keep your vet in the loop.. they may be able to prescribe some treatments to enhance his quality of life, which in turn will make you feel so much better in knowing that MJ is happy!
That made me so sad..
My cats love Pollo Loco too.
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