Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Checkers update part 1 (and dry food question)
I posted a few days about my parents' cats and my mom took Checkers today to the vet. His fecal test came back normal, but we're still waiting for results from the blood tests, and they are testing his liver, kidneys, etc.
My mom can't remember if he weighed 9 lbs or 14 lbs the last time she took him to the vet (big difference!!!) but he weighed 10.5 today. Considering that Sherlock weighs 9 lbs and he's a tiny little thing in comparison, I think it's most likely that Checkers weighed 14lbs last time. Since this was a new vet, she needs to check her records and get back to them on that. If he was 14 lbs (which I think is likely) they think he may have hyperthyroidism, especially since he's had softer stools than normal for a few months.
Thanks for pushing me to push her to get him checked.
I'll update when we get the rest of the news.
Here's the question: Her vet said that he recommends dry food only. My mom said that I said (and my vet said) that wet food is better as it's more like what they'd eat in nature. The vet says "people have opinions! My opinion is that dry food is best, exclusively." This makes me uncomfortable, but she wants to follow it. I've never read ANYTHING saying this. I've read that a combo of wet and dry is good, or to try for all wet, but I've never heard dry food only is the way to go. Is this as ridiculous as I think it is? Should I recommend that she gets another opinion?
She's been instructed to feed the fat cat 1/2 cup of dry food a day split between two meals and nothing else.
Re: Checkers update part 1 (and dry food question)
If it's a matter of whether or not it'll help Checkers's health, you could always try switching foods, or going half and half to start if you find out it'd be better for him after all. I haven't heard that one is better than the other, but I haven't asked either.
But he might not even eat it. Our cats will not eat wet food. I tried giving my cat wet before but she won't touch it, and hubby's cat used to eat wet food, but then he decided he didn't like it anymore so he switched to dry.
I don't know what's better or worse. I think it'd drive me nuts buying, storing, and opening the little cans all the time (unless there's a kind that comes dry that you mix with water?).
Good luck with the weight loss. Your grey cat looks just like my sister's cat, Chloe. She used to be fat but then we went our separate ways and her cat lost all of its excess weight! We are pretty sure she has a competition problem, and overeats if there are other cats around.
- Martin Luther King Jr.
This is exactly what I felt. From what she told me he said it was his preference, but no explanation as to why it was better. Sherlock (my kitty) is on mostly wet and will continue to be because of the urinary issue he's already had as a kitten.
My mom's cats have always eaten both so for the vet to recommend dry only is just so weird to me. And I agree, I've read that wet is better for weight loss. I think I'm going to recommend that she gets another opinion on the diet for the cats. If they will eat wet food and it's fairly typically agreed that it's a better option, I don't see any benefit in not giving it to them.
Life and Love at #16 | our married life blog