The Raw Deal – The Boycott!

I opened a new jar of Duck yesterday (as a compensation gesture for Ginger), so I had to finish the jar as soon as possible, which, I am sure, is no problem at all, given how much Ginger loves Duck.

But I also wanted to transition some of the other cats to Duck, if at all that is possible.

Bunny eats Duck – this is confirmed, so that’s really good.

Pole and Cleo are iffy cases – off and on.

Cow, Tabs, Heidi and Indy won’t touch Duck.

But I did not know just how much Heidi and Indy would protest until today….

Heidi refused to even come into the kitchen because I was serving Duck to Ginger. She decided to boycott food totally.

As for Indy, I was just trying my luck. I had prepared his 70+30 breakfast and I just put a tiny bit of Duck beside the Cubgrub Chicken. The whole idea is just to get him acquainted with the smell.

What did Indy do?

He came, he sniffed and rejected the entire bowl of food and went off the window sill.

Ok, fine. So I waited until Tabs and Ginger had finished their respective breakfast (Heidi was still on boycott mode) and it was time to feed the Cow Clan.

Now, this was tricky – should I give Pole and Cleo some Duck? What if they don’t eat it? I sure hate to waste good food, you know.

Anyway, Bunny was a sure-fire case, so I gave him a dollop of Duck – no problems there.

Cow had his Cubgrub Chicken with just a teeny weeny bit of Duck (remnants from the spoon) – he looked up at me, saying, “What is this??”  And refused to eat it.

Okay, okay, hang on, Primal sprinkles to the rescue. I think that might work….hang on, Cow. Please….

I tried my luck with Cleo – gave her Duck. YES! She ate it! Yes!

Pole – hmm…..I put a teaspoon of Duck in her bowl. Nope. She walked away.

Hello, Pole, you just ate Duck last night, remember?

You see, this is the trouble when you give them a choice. They will start calling the shots.

And yet, protein rotation is highly recommended, so I must at least try.

Anyway, it ended with Pole getting a fresh bowl of pure Chicken and Cow, after having added his favourite Primal sprinkles, ate up his food too (with that teeny weeny bit of hint of Duck in it).

Phew…now, that’s done.

Indy came to ask for food and I re-offered his same bowl.

Nope. He walked away.

So I transferred his 70-30 into a fresh bowl minus the tiny bit of Duck and re-offered.

Nope. He also walked away. There must be still a bit of hint of Duck, I suppose. Maybe the gravy got mixed up a little.

Finally….

…after coaxing him a few more times, he relented and started eating. But…he just ate the 70% Fillet+Heart and left the Cubgrub Chicken.

Oh dear…does it mean I would have to transition him back to Cubgrub Chicken again?

I suspect the gravy got mixed a little and the Cubgrub Chicken has a hint of Duck in it.

Really, Indy?

Bunny wouldn’t mind more of Duck, actually.

One cat’s meat is another cat’s poison, as the saying goes.

And what about Heidi, the tough nut?

Well, Heidi was clearly hungry, so she came back to the kitchen to wait. I offered some Cubgrub Chicken.

Nope.

Okay, then raw fillet. I know she likes this.

I could also have adopted the “eat or starve” technique here, but I just wanted to ensure everyone had some food before I left for work. Moreover, it’s a transition project and it won’t be fair to do the “eat or starve” when it involves a new protein.

Yes, raw fillet is fine. I will eat that. 

Note to self: To transition Heidi back to Cubgrub Chicken later today, if at all possible.

I know Indy did not have enough because he only ate 70% of his meal. True enough, he came to the kitchen window sill to ask for more food.

To play it safe, I gave him raw fillet, which he happily devoured, then I took a chance an added a wee bit of Cubgrub Chicken.

He ate that!!

Good, good….

Tabs wanted raw fillet too. So she had some as well. Of course Ginger demanded for some as well, so he had some too.

Breakfast went topsy-turvy today, all because of the Duck-transition!!

After everyone had eaten, it was time for their supplements/medication. Breakfast is always a very busy time.

Cow, Bunny, Indy and Ginger – Orozyme (toothpaste)
Indy – Boulardii, Steroids, Vetri DMG
Bunny – Ophtal (for his eyes)
Pole – Methimazole (for her hyperthyroidism)

Pole would need a subcut later today too.

Tabs doing sentry duty on the cushions to ensure Ginger won’t climb up the piano to spray on them.

Bunny: Why don’t you eat Duck, Indy? I love it!

Indy: It’s not food. Don’t simply trust humans, Bunny. We got to look out for ourselves. 

Cleo: Who says Duck is not food? I ate it. I’m still alive, am I not? 

Cow: I tried, but I just don’t like it. 

That’s perfectly okay, Cow. No worries.

Source: https://myanimalcare.org/2019/11/21/the-raw-deal-the-boycott..

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