Anybody got pets with odd food preferences?

[adam warlock]

one cat likes to have baby food on the hard cat food. (long story)

others likes to eat either cheese popcorn, potato chips (salt), popcorn (salt again), and prezels.



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[Traute]

When my daughter was small, she would feed our cat with tomato and cucumber slices from her plate. He ate everything she gave to him (but once I surprised her tasting a fly he had caught for her - yuck!!!!!!).

Traute

[Fljotsdale]

You are right about feeding animals food designed for human consumption, but sometimes - and with some foods - I think the animal probably knows what it needs. Though domestic animals have lost a lot of their natural instincts in this regard. Not all, though.
For instance, I think my cat's fondness for melon is not ONLY 'cos he likes the taste - which he clearly does - but 'cos he needs the water. He rarely drinks. I have seen him licking rain from grass, but he will not touch tap-water unless he is VERY VERY thirsty (English water is chlorinated).
Neither will he drink milk (except for a very little, very occasionally, if it is the remains in the bottom of a cereal bowl).
He loves butter, though (not that he gets GIVEN it! He aquires it by theft!)

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Smile! Life is too short for bitching!

Fljotsdale

[Epona]

Originally posted by Fljotsdale: He loves butter, though (not that he gets GIVEN it! He aquires it by theft!)

F, I don't know if this actually works as I've never had a cat, but I heard that if you need to give them pills a good way is to grind them up, mix it in butter and put it on their foot - they will then lick it to clean it off.
I don't know how true this is, it could be a great steaming pile of BS for all I know, but I would imagine it is hard to make sure they get a measured dose this way!
Can anyone verify this info (or otherwise) just out of interest?

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Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

Epona of The Laughing Hyenas

I have never tried that technique Epona.

When we were teenagers though and our cats would catch our winter colds, we would make a paste out of half an aspirin and wipe it on their nose.
They would immediately lick it off and their cold symptoms would disappear.

These days I take my pets to the vet and get them proper medications, usually dosed with a dropper...pills get put into the back of their throat and then their mouth gets held closed and their throats get lightly massaged, making them swallow. It is a trick the vet taught me and is much more effective than any other method I have ever seen as none of the medication gets lost and it only takes a few seconds.


Moni

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[This message has been edited by Moni (edited 05-19-2001).]

[Melusine]

Epona, my rabbit is very very sensitive to all kinds of food, and grass/lettuce stuff like that (green veggies) makes him very ill. He only gets fed special rabbit food and shiploads of hay/straw. Whenever he falls ill (weak digestive system, which is the reason he's on a diet) and needs medicine we rub some of it in his fur and he licks it off when he washes himself. So it works for me!

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Melusine, Archbabe of the Order of the Holy Flame and the Laughing Hyenas, &
Official Entertainer Elf of the BG2 Bar

Your voice is ambrosia