#Middlebury #Cat
DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I have two cats – one very fat, and the other way too thin. Star, my fat cat, was adopted a year before Comet, my skinny cat. You can probably guess that Star is the confident one, and in fact he bullies Comet a bit. And skinny little Comet is very shy – he won’t let anyone except me pet him, and hides when anyone comes to visit. The trouble is, Comet is not gaining weight. I think Star is stealing his food, but Comet won’t eat unless Star is eating next to him. Any suggestions? – Worried Cat Mama in Oak Park, Illinois
DEAR CAT MAMA: It can be tough to change a cat’s eating habits. Still, give it a try. Feed Comet as usual, next to Star, but observe them closely to see if your bigger cat is indeed taking Comet’s food.
Next, bring Comet into a separate room from Star and see if he will eat if you are sitting next to him. A friend of mine who was experiencing a similar problem with her cats did this and had a lot of success. The only drawback is that her cat now insists that she sit next to him and pet him while he’s eating!
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also suggest that you take Comet to the vet for a checkup, just to make sure that he doesn’t have any underlying health issues that could be preventing him from gaining weight. The vet also may suggest a different food for Comet in the short term to make sure he’s getting plenty of nutrients.
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