Liver

Sake has been complaining to me that she is not happy with the canned food I have been offering the cats, lately.  This has been going on for a couple of weeks.  I try to buy the flavors that they seem to prefer.  Last Saturday, I could not find the Fancy Feast Liver and Chicken Grilled that they liked, so tried to substitute the Liver and Chicken Classic instead http://www.fancyfeast.com/?dcmp=knc-ff-goog-2010-ff&hbx_pk=fancy_feast&hbx_ou=50.  The grilled version has chunks, the classic version is a paté.  I should have known better:

Years ago, I used to cook chicken liver for Sake and Haiku, before I bought canned cat food. I started off chunking it for them, and they ate it. Then, I mashed it, more like a paté.  They did not like it that way.

Well, today, in addition to buying various flavors of grilled (chunked) Fancy Feast, I bought a tub of chicken livers and cooked them.  Both Sake and Haiku were on the kitchen counter, checking out the tub, before I started cooking it.  Sake complained and complained, while it was cooking, and finally got tired of complaining and slunk off. Haiku, who never tries to make her way to the stove from the counter, started that way, and had to be re-directed.

After the liver was cooked and cooled, I put three plates on the floor.  Sake immediately ate her plate.  Haiku ate at her plate, slowly, but did not finish it.  Taki sniffed, but did not eat liver.   Sake did not eat Taki's plate until I offered it to her.  After Haiku left her plate, Sake finished that.  I thought she would be sick and vomit, but it did not happen.

When I got in tonight, Sake wanted more to eat.  I warmed up the liver, and gave some to each kitty.  Sake chowed down. Haiku at more slowly. Taki was not interested.  I tried tuna for her, and she was not interested in that, either. I gave her some treats, and that was fine.

Actually, this is good. After being spayed, Take decided she needed to eat anytime any other cat ate, and she needed to eat what they ate.  She has actually become overweight because of this, although she started out in life developmentally behind. Since I returned from my vacation in May, she has decided that she does not have to eat because someone else does. .  She seems to be much discriminatory about what she  eats and when, instead of eating because someone else is. 

Sake has lost weight in the past year. When she went in for her check up in May, the veterinarian said it was good, as she had been a bit over weight. I appreciate that, but when I hold her and feel her bones and how light she is, I do worry about her.

Haiku has been historically underweight.  Her first home after she was weaned was in a family that struggled financially.  There was a dachshund in the home, who ate dry food. She did not always get dry cat food, but got dry dog food.  Dry cat food is higher in protein that dry dog food. 

Since living with me, she has not always been assertive about her food, and sometimes, let Sake drive her away from the feeding area.  So I set up a separate feeding area for her, and give her what she seems to prefer.

The liver thing has been interesting. Sake really likes the chopped chicken liver. As does Haiku.  But she is sated much before Sake is.  Taki could care less.