1) It was so nice to read all of your lovely comments on my blog post from Tuesday. It feels good to know that I was missed during my blogging break and that everyone was happy to see my blog posts back in their feeds again! Words of affirmation is my love language after all, and you guys most definitely affirmed my place in this blogging world. <3 I’m glad to be back and it feels so good to have this regular writing routine back in my life.
2) This past weekend, my family got terrible news. My uncle, who had been declared cancer-free earlier this year after many rounds of chemo and radiation, learned that his cancer had returned. It has spread to his brain and, while he is undergoing radiation currently, his condition is now considered terminal. It is a shocking, devastating blow to our family, and all we can do is wrap him in love and hope that he outperforms his prognosis.
3) On September 1st, I decided I had waited long enough: It was time to decorate my apartment for fall. I can’t wait to decorate until it feels like fall because I live in Florida; fall doesn’t happen. But putting out all my pumpkins and fall signs definitely made me happier. Last year was the first time I decorated for fall, and I had quite the fun time last weekend finding even more decorations to add to my collection, like ghost succulents and new signs. It’s looking festive in here, and it makes me so happy!
4) At Eloise’s annual appointment in July, I discovered that she had lost a pound over the past year, putting her at a very svelte 7.8 lbs (compared to Lila’s 13.6!). My vet voiced concerns about her weight loss, but it was difficult for me to pinpoint what could be causing it. Add to the fact that Lila gained a pound this year, and I’m at a loss. Aren’t they eating the same amount? Maybe? They’ve been free feeders since I adopted them over four years ago. I give them a full cup of food, spread out between two bowls, and those bowls are never empty at the end of the day. So it’s not like Lila is overeating but Eloise could definitely be undereating.
So, I’ve added wet food to their food rotation. I didn’t want to do this because wet food is very expensive compared to dry food (especially the wet food the girls like; I tried giving them a cheaper type and they turned their noses up to it!), but I want Eloise to be well-fed! I give them one 5.5-ounce can spread between two bowls and they eat probably half of it daily (I leave it out for 2 hours in the morning, cover it and put it in the fridge, and then leave it out for a few hours in the evening). I also give them about a half-cup of dry food in the evening and they never eat all of it.
So, cat people: Is this normal? Do your cats chow down on all of their food at once? Is there something wrong with my cats that they DON’T? Should I be more worried than I am? Should I be feeding my cats other types of food (both their wet/dry foods are Blue Buffalo brand.) Heeeeelp.
5) This weekend should be a good one! I have a hair appointment this afternoon and I think I’m going to ask my stylist to take my color one shade darker. (I’m not going to do anything drastic with the cut, just a trim.) I have a writing date Saturday morning with Mikaela. And on Sunday, it’s the start of Football Sundays! I’ll be at my mom’s all day, watching the games with my mom, my brother, and my older nephew. I’m really looking forward to a full day of snuggling the dogs and watching football with the fam.
What are your weekend plans? Tell me all about the eating habits of your cat(s)!
First of all, I’m SO sorry about your uncle. That really is terrible news. Wishing him all the best.
Now, for the cats. Ha. We also free feed with dry food and give the cats wet food in the morning and evening. One cat is… well, I’ll call her “festively plump.” The other one is smaller, but definitely not skinny either. I really don’t feel like I’m overfeeding them. They share a small can of wet food per day (divided between the morning and evening) and the dry food, and don’t measure but I can’t imagine it’s more than a cup. Hmm, maybe I should start measuring that! Anyway, I have no experience with cats LOSING weight. Oh, and the cats don’t eat all their food at once- even the wet food (which they meow for when it gets close to breakfast or dinner) they’ll usually leave some in the bowl. I don’t know… cats are mysterious. I’ll be interested to see if anyone else has a helpful comment about this.
I’m very excited that you decorated for fall (me too!) and GO DOLPHINS!!!
“Festively plump” – I LOVE this. Made me laugh so hard.
So it feels like we are on a similar feeding schedule! Of course, after I wrote all this up, the cats started chowing down on the wet food and eating the whole portion daily. I need to re-weigh Ellie to see if she’s gained any weight over the past few weeks. She got a clean bill of health from her vet, so I don’t think there’s anything medically wrong, but it was odd for her to lose an entire pound over the past year. Thanks for weighing in on my dilemma!
What a friggin win for the Dolphins yesterday!! The last 2 minutes gave me a heart attack, but I survived.
I’m so so sorry about your uncle. Sending so much love your way. What horrible news.
You don’t need to worry about the cats. Not all pets are food motivated, and it sounds like Eli definitely isn’t. You are taking good care of them – nothing to feel bad about. And you will figure this out.
What makes you think Lila is not overeating the dry food (especially since she gained weight)? Do you keep an eye on them and they seem to be eating the same amount? I really doubt they are. I wonder if Eli is like Starbuck – if the other cats push her out of her food she is just like, eh, whatever (not saying Lila does that, but that Eli is whatever about food). So Starbuck gets a special meal for just her each night. Sigh. I wonder if you need to watch more closely for a bit, but it will be hard since they free feed.
Our cats do eat all their food at once because we’ve trained them to. You have trained your cats to free feed so they know they don’t need to and therefore don’t eat all their food at once! Again, nothing wrong with them, or you. We feed ours dry and wet (the wet is BFF brand, the dry is the fancy Purina). You don’t need to feed them other types of food (raw, ick, lol) unless YOU want to.
Our cats’ eating habits: dry food feeder goes off at 5:20 am and 3:50 pm. They get wet food around 6:30 and 6:00 pm. Starbuck gets another dry food meal before bed while the other cats get single pieces of dry food given to them like treats in a smaller amount.
Your weekend sounds fab! Can’t wait to see the new look! We have weekend plans to go to an air show!
I keep an eye on them when they’re eating, and Lila does not seem to be bullying Ellie when she’s eating. That’s why I have two bowls out for both dry and wet food – and they eat together quite nicely. The only reason why I don’t think Lila is overeating is due to how much dry food is left in the bowl at the end of the day – even if she was the only one eating, she would be eating just enough (maybe a little extra, but nothing massive) for herself. I do think Ellie is much less food-motivated than Lila (she will sometimes decide not to partake in treats).
This is helpful advice, though! I may start only giving them about an hour to eat their wet food so they know they better eat it before it goes away. Right now, they get about 2-2.5 hours and will nosh throughout the morning (they are grazers to their core!). But you’re right that they have been trained to graze and can be trained to eat on a schedule.
Oh no, I’m so sorry about your uncle. I’m so sick of cancer, that is really hard news to get.
I don’t know about feeding cats, I haven’t had a cat in decades (husband is VERY allergic), but unexplained weight loss can be a symptom of many things. Thyroid, cancer, etc. I think if I were you I might give Eloise a snack of wet food once a day, rather than giving them both more food. Just how much you think she might eat. My dad used to do this with his cat, and it was hard giving a treat to only one cat, but I think he took her into a separate room to do it.
We have plans to celebrate my FIL’s birthday with a nice Brunch on Sunday. I’m hoping to catch up on my blogging today, though I have some appointments…I’m really behind on my reading since I was on vacation.
Do you know what’s up with Elisabeth’s blog? I’m getting an error when I go there. Wondering if I missed something when I was gone.
The vet didn’t seem too concerned that there’s an underlying issue to Eloise’s weight loss – she’s still at a healthy weight and hasn’t had any changes to her energy levels, so I think it might just be an issue of not being food-motivated/eating enough. She has a follow-up appointment in January, so hopefully she’ll have gained some weight back by then! It’s so crazy to have the OPPOSITE problems with my cats: one needs to lose weight and one needs to gain it!
Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your uncle. What devastating news. I’ll be thinking of him and the rest of your family.
I think I’ve told this story before, but here goes. Zelda (now 12 yo) was just over 12 pounds when she had bladder stones. The vet made a snarky comment about how she had to use two layers of staples after surgery and I was so embarrassed that my kitty was fat-shamed. She now gets 1/3 cup of very watered-down wet food twice a day (it’s expensive bladder-stone preventing prescription food) and that costs about $1.80/day. As a “treat” she gets 10-15 pieces of very expensive bladder-stone preventing kibble after she finishes her wet food. She likes the kibble a LOT more than the wet food, but she won’t drink water out of a bowl or a fountain, so this is the only way we can keep her hydrated. That kibble costs about 25 cents/day (we buy a 8.5 bag that lasts roughly seven months), so feeding Zelda is $2/day, more or less. (This makes it sound like I’m such a penny pincher. I did not know these figures ahead of time. I just did the math right now.) Since the bladder-stone surgery and extensive follow-ups cost thousands of dollars, I guess this is a fair amount to care for a getting to be elderly cat.
We don’t free feed and never have because of reasons having to do with keeping vermin, particularly ants and mice, at bay. Also, although the dog has never shown interest in her food, it would make the dog very sick if she did eat it, so it’s best to just take it away after mealtime. We wash her bowl after every meal to help keep the cat’s chin acne in check.
It took us a lot of time to train her to eat the wet food. She hated it at first because we’d always given her dry food before (she used to get 1/8 cup of some fancypants kibble twice a day). She also is now just over eight pounds, so this diet has been effective for her. She’s also always hungry and eats within five minutes (and yowls for food for 1.5 hours before mealtimes, but that’s another story).
I’m concerned that the big cat is eating at least a portion of the little cat’s food and I’d be tempted to separate them when they’re eating and stop free feeding. I think that’s hard when you have two of them, though, and they’re used to grazing all day. I think I’d do it gradually. Give them each 1/4 cup wet food in the AM, remove it after an hour, then 45 minutes, then 30 minutes, etc. Maybe give them some kibble, although 1/2 cup for two AND wet food seems like a lot of calories. Have you counted how many calories they’re getting each day? We’ve always measured Zelda’s food, so we knew how many calories she was getting when she was fat (mean!) and now we know her current calories. Don’t forget to include any treats you might give them during the day in your calorie count. (Zelda gets a few pieces of boiled chicken once in a while, but otherwise gets zero treats. We’re strict cat owners.)
Apparently I have a lot of thoughts about cat food. Please email me if you want to dive deeper into this. I can’t imagine you want to, but I’m happy to try to help.
Thank you, Engie! This was super helpful.
I did a LOT of research into calories and currently, giving them 1/2 can of wet food + 1/4 cup of dry food is the exact calories they need. (They get treats, but it’s not enough to put them SUPER over their calorie range.) Obviously, Lila should be eating less because she needs to lose some weight so I really need to keep a closer eye on what they’re eating. I think the best case scenario, if I find that this new feeding schedule isn’t helping them lose/gain weight, is to start feeding them separately, which is going to be quite the task for me, but I’ll do it if I need to!
I like the schedule you’ve given me here, though! I do think I need to get better about removing the food so they are trained to know that food won’t be available 24/7 so they better eat it while it’s there. I think that might be the next thing I try.
Free feeding means they’ll happily graze because they know the food is always available. Until a couple of years ago every cat I owned was free fed. Then Sky got diagnosed with bladder crystals, needed a special food and a diet. Now they both get fed twice a day, a measured amount (esp for Sky who got put on the diet, but is now on a maintenance amount – separate foods btw, Sky’s is expensive so Sophie does not eat it), and clear their bowl at each feeding because they know the food is only down twice a day instead of available all day (that grazing was how food driven Sky got to 24lbs).
Some cats will eat more then others, especially if they graze. You can definitely change grazing cats to set food times — and they will LEARN those times. Mine tell me minutes before it’s time to feed them, ha.
I might try feeding them separately and seeing if Eloise eats more that way. Weight loss in cats can also be health issues but I’m assuming she got an all clear at the vet.
Yes, the vet wasn’t too concerned with her weight loss, but did tell me that she wants her to stay around 8-9 lbs. So that’s why I’m trying to make sure she’s eating enough. I think she’s just not very food-motivated, which is why she tends to eat less than Lila. But I think the key is training them to eat on a schedule.
I appreciate your input!
I’m so sorry about your uncle.
My neighbors put up Halloween decorations on Aug 31 and I am here for it. It’s fun!
That’s a really tough one to figure out about the cats. I’m sure that the bigger cat eats more but if there is always food leftover, then the smaller cat has access to food so that can’t be it…sigh, life would be a lot easier if the fur babies could tell us what’s up instead of us having to guess.
TGIF!
Yes, I really wish our fur babies could just TELL US what’s going on, rather than us have to guess and experiment with different things. Ha!
So sorry about your uncle. I am wishing you all strength and hope in these tough times.
I am not much of all fall decorator. But then Halloween is not a huge thing here in Germany. And I don’t feel ready for fall yet with 30 degree out.
I’ll be heading to my sister birthday brunch in a few minutes and after at night we are at a roof too party for a friend. Sunday will be for relaxing, some writing, sun bathing and puttering around the house.
I hear you! I didn’t decorate for fall until last year, and now I like how festive it makes my apartment. But since Halloween isn’t a big deal in Germany, it makes sense that you wouldn’t feel the urge to decorate!
I’m so sorry about your uncle. Cancer is…so hard and it impacts entire families so dramatically. I’m hoping for pain-free months, many happy memories and a miracle.
Love the new decor. Those succulent holders are ADORABLE!
Cancer is truly the worst, and it’s so hard to be with someone who is coming to terms with a terminal condition. It’s just so sad.
So very sorry about your uncle. Cancer is such an asshole of a disease. Wishing him and your family all the strength in the world.
Fall and Halloween is…. everything. We are all fall people here! New Jersey in early September is bloody HOT, then by the end it gets crisp and beautiful, and October is da BEST! It can be sunny with bright blue skies and leaves and fresh, cool air. Fall is my favorite time in NJ! Then, of course, January, February and March suck weather-wise but at least we have fall lol
Yes, this time of year is what you guys wait all season long for! In Florida, Jan-Mar give us AMAZING weather, so there are always trade-offs.
Cancer IS an asshole!
I’m so incredibly sorry to hear about your uncle. What devastating news.
I used to free feed my cats too but once Marley was diagnosed with diabetes I had to start timing food around insulin and limiting access. It was tough at first but now they both get their food at 7:30 and 7:30 and they eat it all in one sitting. I cut back a lot on their amounts (1/4 can of wet food and 2 tablespoons of dry food each). It’s a small enough amount for them to be full and also hungry for their next meal. If I notice them asking for food like hours before the next feeding I’ll give them a little bit more dry food at meal time. It’s been working well though!
Also! I feed them in separate rooms to make sure Marley eats all of his food and this has been a huge huge help in making sure he eats! Maybe try that?
Thanks so much for the helpful advice, Emilie! I haven’t tried feeding them separately because I’m not really seeing any bullying behavior, but it might be something to try next. Right now, I think I’m going to work on only leaving their food out for an hour to start and then slowly reducing that so they can be trained to eat when the food is there. Gotta break them of their grazing habit!
I am so sorry about your uncle’s relapse. Man, cancer is the worst. I just don’t have anything else to say about that 🙁 I hope he’ll be comfortable and surrounded by love however much time he has left. Many hugs.
Unfortunately, I have no advice on the pet front… and my sister (who has two cats) feeds on a schedule, so I don’t know if the free-feeding might be the culprit?
I love that you are decorating for fall. I am not there yet.
Thank you, friend. It’s been a devastating blow to our family, as we really thought he had beaten this after being declared cancer-free earlier this year.
I, too, think free-feeding is the culprit. I’ve got to get the girls on a schedule, argh!
I am so sorry about your uncle. How awful. Sending love across the miles.
Thank you, friend. <3
I am so sorry to hear about your uncle. What a crushing diagnosis. I am sending lots of love and hugs to you.
Our cat gets 1/4 cup of dry food twice/day. We had to give her wet food when she had dental surgery and she did not seem to like it. She puked a lot of it up! But she is prone to weight gain. She now lives with my MIL and I an not sure she sticks to our 1/4 cup twice a day practice (which the vet told us to do – she used to free range eat and we didn’t limit the amount in her bowl). She also gets more treats out there. So we will see how she does at her vet appt in October!
I bought the boys’ Halloween costumes on august 24th. Lol. So I am here for fall decorations on 9/1. I don’t have any fall decor so we don’t decorate but I am very ready for fall and cooler, more crisp temps!
Please don’t retire from blogging ever! I can’t bare to lose another blog friend! Did you know amber is back to blogging? She was encouraged to get back to it when she saw that I write most of my posts on my phone!!
Lisa, you don’t even KNOW how excited I got when I saw that Amber had commented on a blog post of mine and then the blog she linked in her comment WENT TO AN ACTUAL BLOG SHE’S UPDATING CURRENTLY. So, so excited she’s back! Thank you for making that happen, ha!
Stephany, I could have sworn I commented on this when you posted it but I cannot find a comment. I am so, so sorry about your uncle. I hope that you and your family have the support you need, and that you are finding bright moments in the difficulties.
I have no cats, as you know, so I am ill-equipped to comment. That said, I hope you figure out a non-$$$ solution.
Take care, my friend. <3
<3 Thank you, Anne. That means a lot!