Trouble in Kitty City

[susandennis]

When Zoey first got here, she landed on the very top of the cabinet in the living room where she felt safe.  So, that's where I put her food bowl.  And I keep it filled with dry food.  (I quit giving Betty dried food when she kept throwing it up all over the house.)

I feed also feed Zoey a little canned food on the kitchen counter when I feed Betty.

And that has worked out fine for all these weeks (2.5 months!).  Until 20 minutes ago.

Betty got up to Zoey's dry food.  I sprayed her face with water and it took like 5 sprays to get her down.  10 minutes later, she's back.  Again with the water spray. Again she mostly ignored it!!  Meanwhile Zoey was freakin out.

So...  Betty got dried food.  if she still can't tolerate it, I'm not sure what I'll do.

I'm sure she'll throw up what she's eating now because she's vacuuming it up like she'll never see another kibble in her life.  I'll give her a couple of days .

Sigh.  She's been so good. No throwing up at all or just clear liquid once in a while.  I knew it was too good to last.  

Comments

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

I was told that one wants to spay a jet of water at the cat, and not at the face - the flank is fine - and that you don't want the cat to know you're doing it. The theory I'd heard was "cats don't feel like bad cats; they feel 'why is this normally friendly person being such a jerk today?'"

But the jet (like a stream from a spray bottle, or a water pistol shot) just feels unpleasant, and it's operant conditioning - "whenever I get up there, something unpleasant happens." Soon they get the feeling that some invisible cat-god is smiting them when they do this, and decide to stop.

(Feel free to ignore the weirdo you met on the internet, as always :-) .)