Conference misery::feline_v1

    I don't feed them people food too often, mostly for treats
    when we have their favorites on hand.  Charm already has
    gingivitas, so I watch what they eat.
    
    Charm seems to have the weird taste in the family.  She likes
    Potato chips, melba rounds, popcorn, ice cream, goldfish (the
    Pepperidge Farm kind ;-), but far and away the favorite is
    Doritos (original flavor only)!  I give them to her like 
    kitty treats - she begs for them.  My friends are amazed....
        
    Mips loves chili (chili does *not* love Mips!).
    
    Belle likes honey nut cheerios.
    
    Boogie eats spagetti.
    
    Dream only likes her crunchies, except of course when Mommy
    had some leftover turkey gravy and put it on the crunchies!
    Well, the queen was in gourmet heaven for 3 days!  I'd never
    seen her eat like that!  Then, by the fourth day, we were
    out of gravy.  You should have seen the look I got!  "Mother,
    something is missing....where's the gravy on my crunchies?
    Mother?!  MOTHER!!!  NO GRAVY?!!!!"  Goodness such a fuss
    I heard!  ;-)
    
    Niniane we affectionately call "Vaccuum Head".  She eats things
    off the carpet.  I don't know what - I vaccuum twice a week, but
    she walks around eating lint and stuff.  Nin always was a weird
    cat....

    
    Mary-Michael

	Re: .0

	This topic has been covered in 3 other notes: 79,190,579
	(there are a total of 107 replies to those 3 notes).  Have
	fun reading them!

	Karen

    Here's a new one....
    
    Stripees LOVES Raisins....I discovered this when I was making the
    Chocolate Orgasms that I gave the recipe for in another note.
    
    Crazy Cat!
    

    Sasha, the first of 18, loves spagetti sauce, french fries, and
    potato chips!  She will do anything to get some of any of the
    above.
    
    Now, on the other hand, Pashenka Shelton, seems to be turning
    into a chocolate freak - I can't eat an Oreo Cookie without
    him doing his best to snatch it from my hand or mouth!  
    
    KoKo LOVES chicken or turkey - only problem is when I toss a piece
    down on the floor to her, she sits on it, then looks around and
    wonders what happened to it.  You see, KoKo really should be wearing
    a yellow rain slicker and should be carrying a plastic lunch box,
    and standing on the corner waiting for the school bus that already
    went by!!  We think she isn't wrapped to tight !
    
    

    hmmmm.. Well Happy loves anything.. that is edible.. of course at 8 lbs
    14 oz.. the little chubbo.. as far as "People food goes.. it is
    Pizza from Dominos.. their version of the Bomb.. she will
    also eat cheese, roast beef, turkey.. and ice cream.. and anything
    else that happens to be available.. I d not encourage that.. but
    occasionally  we get  a treat.. HRH Pookie does not eat People
    food.. she is insulted should you offer it.. occassionally.. we 
    we will eat some cheese, or some vanilla ice cream..(Hagendaz,
    or Ben and Jerry's only.. NO others!!!!!!!..Precious , well
    she apparantly " likes bagels".. with cream cheese.. Right Cin.
    apparantly so does  HRH..  hmmmm
    Kate

    Tweetie just adores hard-boiled eggs. And silly me, I never learn! I 
    often cook a batch of hard boiled eggs in the morning while I'm having 
    breakfast, then leave them on the edge of the mat under the dish drainer 
    to cool off while I go upstairs to get ready for work. Then, when I come 
    back to the kitchen, I'll find Tweetie munching on the remains on an egg 
    --  she even eats the shell! The vet said it's not harmful for her to eat 
    the shell, fortunately. Tweetie has learned how to scoop an egg out of 
    the dish drainer now, so the eggs are not safe unless I put them out of 
    reach in the oven or out on the deck. 

    Toby will eat anything (and would eat *everything*, if I let him), but 
    one thing he considers a treat is popcorn. I make unsalted microwave 
    popcorn and sit on the living room couch to eat it. Toby will sit close 
    by and intently watch my hand go from bowl to mouth. I reward his 
    restraint with a piece now and then -- five handfuls for me, a piece 
    for him (*he* has to watch his weight!) and whatever other vultures are 
    lurking. 

    Toby also likes sunflower seeds. I discovered this when I left a bag of 
    human-consumption sunflower seeds on the kitchen table. Toby chewed
    through the plastic bag and ate half of them -- hulls and all -- and
    spilled the rest all over the floor. I scraped up the remaining seeds 
    and put them into a small plastic container and left it on the 
    kitchen counter. When Toby wanted a snack, he would sit on the bar 
    stool next to the counter and help himself.

    Cubby has enjoyed cantelope and its rind, the few times I've had it.
    Misty and Peanut have pretty much normal taste in food. 

    Toby and Peanut are real chow hounds. If I don't lock these two up at
    meal time they will eat their food and the other cats' food, too. I 
    have to feed Toby in the bathroom off the kitchen with the door shut. 
    I have to feed Peanut on the basement stairs with the door shut *and* 
    with a chair against the door! Somehow he learned how to climb onto the 
    wire shelves attached to the back of the door, jiggle the door handle 
    (it is a lever rather than a round knob), and then push the door open
    to let himself out. 

    Misty has the standard, delicate Siamese stomach and barfs a meal about
    once a week. Toby and Peanut fight over who gets to, uh, "clean up" 
    after her. 

    Linda

     
    
      My Cookie likes...what else?? Entenmans(sp?) Oatmeal Cookies.
    
      All four of my kitty-kids simply LOVE dog food...(Bil-Jac dry)
    
      Obviously, they all like milk, and they go absolutely NUTSO if the
    milk has some strawberry syrup in it..
    
    JM

    
    
    As with most kitties, all of mine love people food.  But the strangest
    one of all is the Nutra/System Flavor Crisps snacks.  These are
    nacho-flavored open-webbed wafer type things that taste good but
    melt in your mouth into nothing.  There *supposed* to satisfy my
    need for snacks while I'm on this diet.  First Muffin our dog found
    out about them and he begs for them.  Now Scooter the new kitty
    has tasted one.  I had put one down by the dogs food dish and she
    found it.  Next thing I now she is digging and searching all around
    the bowls looking for more!  Very strange!  I wish I liked them
    that much.
    
    Carole

    Kirby will eat anything in sight.  We certainly picked the right
    name with this one, as he inhales everything put in front of him!
    
    Kelsey is a picky boy.  He will tell you that the chosen menu is
    not to his liking, and make a pest of himself until a new can is
    opened.  He also hates to share his food, preferring his own plate
    on the counter, while everyone else eats on the floor.
    
    Murdock has to eat whatever you are eating and will jump up on
    the dining room table and stick his head in your plate, trying to
    sample each item.  His favorites are butter, cream cheese, and doritos
    with vegetable dip.  He also likes spaghetti with sauce, and tuna
    casserole.
    
    Nikki is a good kitty, grateful for being rescued from life as a
    stray, and eats whatever is opened for the day.  He is a pleasure
    to feed.
    
    T.K. has food allergies (we have just found this out now),
    and therefore we are experimenting to find the perfect food
    that won't aggravate his skin condition.
    
    No weird food for my guys, just weird habits!!
    
    
    --Roberta
    
    
    
    
    

    After reading the answers to this note I don't feel so bad.  I thought
    I had a real strange one on my hands.  All three of mine like people
    food - Gino the Siames has recently gotten hooked on turkey/chicken
    sausages (the spicy ones to boot).  We eat a lot of chicken so they
    always get hand outs of that and turkey too - not to mention shrimp
    - Pippin's favorite.
    
    But Stitch, well I was going to enter a note on this regarding his
    interest in vegetables.  He was bottle fed and was then turned on
    to a variety of foods by his foster mom which included a lot of
    veggies.  This cat will eat any vegetable in sight - loves asparagus
    and artichokes - the latest is red cabbage, shredded carrots, green
    beans, avacado, chinese food, certain fruits.  Last night he jumped
    on to the table and started eating raw pasta shells out of the box.
    He also eats potato chips, crackers and goes nuts for french bread.
    Let's not even talk about sushi.  
    
    I've seen my other two eat around the veggies in the kittie stew
    leaving the greens behind, especially the peas - he goes over and
    cleans up the leftovers.  He also loves pancakes and scrambled eggs
    on Sunday mornings.  Milk shakes and beer, of course, to wash all
    of this down.  My vet just shakes his head and I just stand there
    seeing it but sometimes not believing it.
    
    
    Giudi, Pippin, Gino and Stitch

    Our very first cat, Riley, who adopted us the day we moved into a
    rental in Junction City, Kansas(outside Ft. Riley), went absolutely 
    crazy over red chili and spaghetti.  He was white & gray and would sit
    around with this big red ring around his mouth after polishing off
    chili or spaghetti.
    
    Our current Peaches, loves honeydew melon.  He'll eat a bit of
    cantaloupe, but honeydew is his all-time favorite.
    
    Chuck, Jane, Doobie, Peaches and Cassandra(Cat Sandra)
    

    re 10.
    Pookie was not "feeling well " last spring and my Vet reccomended
    that I try to get her to eat  some veggies.. she seemed to like them
     well.. she did sometimes anyway.. so I used to make her a veggie
    platter to go along with her normal diet.. she liked the broccoli
     and carrots.. cucumbers sometimes.. ..
    Regard
    Kate

    Re:.9
    
    Roberta, I have been going through the food allergy thing for months
    with Joui.  Lick Your Chops makes a hypoallergenic cat food.  It
    is lamb and rice based.  It comes 24 to a case and I get it for
    about $16.20 a case.  I have to order it through the health food
    store, since none of the feed stores and pet stores carry it around
    here.  Also, the health food store owner is very sweet, and gives
    me a case discount.  He is very willing to special order this for
    me, one case at a time.
    
    Another thing you can do, cook for him yourself.  Lamb and rice
    is the prefered diet for cats with food allergies.  The easiest
    way is to have the butcher grind the lamb up for you, then you can
    cook it in the microwave.  I buy about a pound and a half at a time,
    cook it all, and store it in the fridge in a tupperware.  When it
    is time to feed her, I pull out a portion, and warm it in the microwave
    along with the rice.
    
    Or, you can buy lamb baby food, and mix that with rice.
    
    Most vets suggest feeding the cat nothing but lamb and rice for
    at least three weeks straight to be sure that the cat really has
    a food allergy.  If it is food allergy, the three weeks on lamb
    and rice should show a marked improvement in the skin condition.
    
    Jo

    Thank you for the information, Jo.  Dana called me at work today,
    and said that T.K. was getting worse.  The bald spot on his flank
    had spread halfway up his side, and was red, raw, tender, and oozing.
    I made an appt. with the vet, and left work early.  Dana met me
    there with T.K.  When the vet pulled him out of the carrier, he
    said he has rarely seen anything this bad, and the eczema was
    spreading rapidly to other areas of his body.  He looks and feels
    disgusting.  It is definitely an allergy, but to what, we don't
    know.  We're assuming it's a food allergy, as the vet checked him
    thoroughly for signs of fleas and flea dirt, and found nothing.
    He must have felt T.K. over for at least 15 minutes, and couldn't
    believe the awful condition of his skin.  T.K.'s primary food source
    was IAMS until November, when I was instructed to take him off it
    due to the fact that he's overweight.  I purchased IAMS light and
    he wouldn't eat it, and started eating canned food (various types)
    whiich he has never done before.  I noticed his skin was starting
    to feel dry and flakey, and all of a sudden he was missing big patches
    of fur!  Anyway, the vet gave him a shot of cortisone, and told
    me to immediately switch T.K. back to IAMS over the weekend and
    call him on Monday with a report.  He had to shave off extra fur
    around the eczema area, to prevent the weeping from spreading, and
    I have to wash the area twice a day and keep it dry.  The symptoms
    can be treated.... the most difficult part is finding the cause!
    
    I am going to see how things progress over the weekend, and ask
    the vet on Monday about the hypoallergenic lamb diet.  This might
    not even be food - related, since he goes outdoors.  There might
    be something outside that is causing him discomfort.  I think we
    have a long road ahead of us, and I hope we can discover exactly
    what is ailing poor T.K.
    
    Thanks for the tips.  Moderators, if you feel these notes would
    be better off in another topic, please feel free to move them.
    
    
    --Roberta
    

    Okay, talking about strange things that your cat eats? Peppers. Opus
    loves Peppers. I made a stir fry on Saturday night and she tormented me
    for an hour trying to get at the raw peppers--both red and green. She
    meowed, she jumped, she whined, she climbed--she was more frantic for
    peppers than she has ever been for even tuna.
    
    She also loves cucumber peels. She jumps up on the counter, pulls one
    peel out of the scrap bowl, drops it on the floor, eats it, and then
    starts again. 
    
    She's weird--but adorable.
    
    Michelle

    Benj will eat baked beans, but only if they're home baked.  The ones
    from the can don't interest him.  
    
    Actually, we've stopped giving them to him because it was no fun
    cleaning up the remains behind the rocker.  
    
    He will also eat corn, especially if it's on the cob.  Don't ask me how
    he did it, but he once got half a corn cob off the counter, carried it
    into the bath tub, and unkerneled it.  He sneaks all his forbidden food
    in there because he can hide behind the shower curtain and dine to his
    heart's delight.
    
    He also eats pea pods, green beans, capers, and water chestnuts.  The
    water chestnuts drive him almost as crazy as shrimp!

    
    
    	Well Duke eats anything!!  Anything except popcorn.  that's
    	the only thing we've found that he won't eat.  He's quite 
    	irritating at times.  I have to make sure that all my pots
    	have covers on them after our dinner is done cooking and
    	we're eating or Duke will dive right in.  And they all love
    	to lap our plates clean. (except for Chloe only because the
    	other cats are near her)  He goes absolutely bananas when I
    	open a can of tuna.  I have to put him in the cellar and close
    	the door; otherwise I'm putting him back on the floor every
    	5 seconds.
    
    	Sasha likes most people food but she isn't as much of a pig
    	as Duke is.  Her favorite is popcorn.  Especially Smartfood
    	popcorn.  She hears me open the bag and poof!  there she is!
    	Another favorite is potato chips and ice cream.
    
    	Brandi doesn't eat much people food.  Just helps to clean
    	our plates off.
    
    	Chloe eats mostly cat food unless we put goodies in the 
    	cat's dishes.  She's still really nervous and hibernates
    	most of the time.
    	
    	The other night Cary and I went out to eat and got prime
    	rib.  He didn't finish his so we brought it home to the 
    	cats.  Spoiled huh?
    
    	We had a foster kitten that liked coffee!!  She'd stick her
    	little nose in the cup and then lick the coffee off it.
    	And another foster kitty liked peas.
    
    	Our bird likes Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Rice Chex and Cracklin'
    	Oat Bran!
    
    
    

    Rusty will eat anything!!!! The funniest thing I can
    think of is Pickles!
    He will also eat brownies, crackers w/ cheese, mashed
    or french fried potatoes, diet coke, any meat or fish,
    (but only if cooked!), rice, ice cream, chocolate pudding,
    Pepper joins in on the pudding, etc.
    
    The purebreds are more finicky.  Only select hand fed pieces
    from my plate are good enough.
    
    But they ALL love beef jerky sticks for dogs!
    
    Lynne 

    Poor T.K.  Please let us know how things are going.  (Can a cat live
    on just lamb and rice exclusively if that's necessary over the long
    term, or does a vitamin suppliment have to be added?)  At least
    skin things clear up fairly rapidly once the cause is found.
    

    Joui lived off of plain lamb and rice for about 7 months.  Since
    cats are carnivores, they can exist on that type of diet, but it
    should only be done with a vet's supervision.  A lot of times, it
    is the added vitamins, preservatives, and colors and flavors in
    cat foods that cause the allergy.
    
    As far as medication goes, the vet will usually prescribe cortisone
    to help with the itching and inflammation.  Since cortisone is a
    steriod, it should not be used as a long term solution.  Other
    medications that can be given are antihistamines.  Currently, Joui
    is on 4 mg of Chlorephenarimine three times a day.  
    
    Another interesting tidbit.  Joui was diagnosed as being hypothyroid
    back in May.  For awhile, I thought that she might be having a reaction
    to the thyroid medication.  The vet said that if I took her off
    the medication, her allergy would get worse, not better.  I took
    her off, and she got much worse.  Seems that the thyroid plays an important
    role in keeping the delicate balance of the skin just right.  If
    T.K. shows any signs of being hypothyroid, maybe you should have
    him tested.  Joui's rashes never got as bad as what it sounds like
    you are going through with T.K. 
    
    Also, it will take a minimum of three weeks on lamb and rice before
    you can judge the results.
    
    I sympathize with you Roberta. 
    
    Jo

    What are the signs of hypothyroid?
    
    T.K.'s rash is still visible, but he hasn't been itching and flaking
    all weekend.  I'm sure the cortisone shot helped immensely, but
    the symptoms will be back soon enough.  At the show yesterday, I
    talked to the rep from "Lick Your Chops" and he gave me a can of
    the mutton and rice diet to try on T.K., who actually ate it.  I
    also bought a bag of the dry stuff too, which went over big.  He
    offered to sell me a case of the mutton and rice diet for $12.50,
    a good price, but I didn't want to purchase anything until I was
    certain T.K. would eat it.  I am hoping when I call the vet today,
    he will tell me where we go from here.  He hasn't suggested lamb
    and rice yet, he first wanted him back on Iams, his usual food,
    to see if that would help any.  If not, we will probably be instructed
    to feed solely lamb and rice.
    
    T.K.'s skin has always felt scaley, but we never noticed a rash
    and fur loss until he started eating what everyone else is eating.
    This is really a frustrating problem to say the least.
    

    My two cats are so finiky I have this fantasy I wish would come true. 
    I would like to take them to the grocery store and let them sit where
    the kiddies usually sit and point and meow at what they want - which is
    easier than buying one or two of every kind of cat food in the market
    and taking it home to them and having them turn their nose up at over
    1/2 of it.....  Anyway, the ferals like the unwanted stuff.......
    
    Gina
    

    I wish I knew how to move notes, but I guess the moderators can
    do that for us.  There is a note on Feline Allergies, we should
    discuss this there.
    
    Anyway, for Joui, the signs of Hypothyroid started out as Feline
    Endocrine Alopecia (or for the layman, hair loss :^D).  She lost
    the fur on her belly, lowe abdommen, and the inside of the back
    of her legs.  She also had dry, flaky skin.  I wanted to show her
    again, so I took her to the vet and asked her what was up.  She
    said that this could be a symptom of Hypothyroidism.  So, we did
    a blood test, and she showed up low on thyroid.  Then, we did another
    test, I think a TSH stimulation, and that completed the diagnosis.
    Joui was put on thyroid medication, Cytobin, and has been on it
    ever since.  Her fur has since grown back, other than when it is
    missing from her allergies.  I am almost certain her allergy is
    to mold and household dust mites.  It doesn't seem to be the least
    bit affected by the change in diet.  She is back on Iams, Science
    Diet Growth, etc, and is doing well now.  The worst of it was during
    the summer.  
    
    Lick Your Chops for $12.50 a case!!  What a deal!!  You should have
    gone for it.  You can always just feed it to everyone.  Also, the
    dry lamb and rice for cats isn't available out here.  They have
    a dry lamb and rice for dogs, but not cats.  Joui would have preferred
    that, she isn't fond of canned cat food.  Loves them crunchies.
    
    Are you anywhere near Penny Greene or Linda Sobek?  You should try
    and get a copy of the article on allergies that was in the premier
    issue of Pet Focus magazine.  I sent a copy to Linda, but I know
    that Penny has a copy too.
    
    Jo
    

    
    Zula eats just about anything but isn't interested in meat.   Weird.
    Chewy's favorite is chicken, turkey, hamburg, and popcorn.  Zula
    won't go near the meat.  He'll leave it.  I gave him my plate to
    finish with some chicken.  He left the chicken and attacked the
    baked potatoe peels.  Strange!  He ate them all.  The other day
    he grabbed a JoJo potatoe (big fried wedge) and ate the whole thing.
    His favorite is probably Cheese-its though.  If I turn away for
    a second he'll steel one right out of my hand.  He's kind of a pain
    in the butt when I am trying to eat.  Every morning he has to share
    my bagel with me.  Little beggar.   Chewy will just sit there patiently
    watching me until I give her a piece.  Don't hear a peep out of
    her.  Zula on the other hand climbs all over me.
    
    Pam

    
    	Pam,
    
    	Sounds like Zula and Duke could be related!! =)
    
    	JJ
    

    Oliver is another one who'll try anything once, and most probably
    like it and stick to it.
    One appetite we have TRIED desperately to cure is his love of flowers.
    Cut flowers - they must be in a vase, with water. He eats the petals.
    He won't touch flowers growing in the garden (at least, we're pretty
    sure he doesn't). He is especially partial to freesias (our last
    cat, Kayleigh, used to eat freesias when she got chance, too). Oliver,
    however, will eat petals from ANY cut flower.
    There are two reasons we don't let him indulge in his vices -
    firstly, although we buy flowers that we're sure aren't poisonous
    to cats, we're always worried he'll make himself ill; and secondly,
    I am a flower arranger, and quite often have flowers at home ready
    to make up displays at the Church - you can imagine the problems!!
                                                               
    He also loves pre-cooked spaghetti.

    
    Tigger and Callie just LOVE....BACON!  They'll run a mile for a
    piece!  They also like turkey but they'd blow that right off for
    a little piece of Canadian Bacon!
    /cj

    re: .27  This reply reminds me of Peaches absolute passion for bacon.
    When we buy a pound of bacon, we cut it in half, put each half in a
    freezer zip-loc and freeze one half.  I swear Peaches can be upstairs
    and hear me open the zip-loc and be yowling at my feet in about 10
    microseconds.  He doesn't understand why it take SOOOOO long to cook
    a piece of bacon. He never gets on the breakfast room table EXCEPT
    if we have bacon and then we have to put him on the floor no less than
    10 times in 5 minutes.  Peaches will eat loks of things, but bacon
    is his total weakness.
    
    Chuck
    

    I wonder if he would like those pseudo bacon bits that come "pre-cooked"
    in jars....
    

    Rocky likes tomato based soups, he begs to lick the bowl!  And of
    course milk, which he asks for, but only gets a little once in a
    while...:^)
    
    Susan & Rocky

    Melody also likes almost anything human, especially anything that
    is tomato based, but also chips, popcorn, crackers, any kind of
    cheese, any kind of potato, all meats (we taught her to pick a piece
    of hot dog up off the table with her paw and bring it over to her
    mouth without dropping it--admittedly, it only works occasionally),
    several vegtables, ice cream, bagels, donuts, etc, etc.  Actually,
    the only thing I can find that she won't eat so far is eggs.
    
    Melody also prefers canned food to dry but that's because it's easier
    for her to eat.  She is missing her 4 top front teeth due to
    suspected abuse in her prior life.
    
    Brittany and Missy eat a lot of the above as well but not everything.
    They love the Blue Seal Kat Krunchies that we changed them to a while
    ago.
    
    One thing I recently tried--Brittany seemed to have an upset tummy
    (or something) so, not having any kitty greens, I held out a piece of
    lettuce to her.  She loved it!  And, she loved pulling pieces off
    the large piece I held out.  "Hey, look...a great new game!"
    Hopefully, it helped her tummy too.
    
    Barbara

    The only truly strange food that any of my cats like is orange juice. 
    I frequently lay on the floor with my OJ and bagel on Saturday mornings
    to watch cartoons.  Dogger will come over and, if the glass is full
    enough, stick his nose in the glass and drink some of my orange
    juice.
    
    
    -Wendy-