The Year of the Cat

I don't care what year it actually is on the Chinese calendar, this is the Year of the Cat for us.

Here's the good news - Jasmine is doing much better. She had a rough night that first night back, but she's mostly back to her old self again now, thank goodness. And I think our experience dealing with Bub's recovery each week after chemo has been helpful in dealing with Jasmine. Instead of assuming she was going downhill and never coming back uphill, I just assumed that she'd be getting better gradually and we just needed to find the things she'd eat no matter what. I browsed the cat food aisle at the grocery store the other day, and then made my way to the baby food aisle. I'd heard that the turkey baby food was a hit with most cats, but Bub hadn't shown interest. I bought some to try with Jasmine, and also got some chicken sticks (like the ambiguously-named meat sticks shown in the picture) to try as well. I think they're repulsive, but I'm not the one who has to eat them, right?

(As an aside, every time I open a jar of cat food, I recoil from the smell and think, "Good god, we feed this to human children?!?" It smells so vile...)

At any rate, thankfully Jasmine seems to enjoy the chicken sticks - I chop them up really small so she doesn't have to chew them - and she even likes the turkey baby food occasionally. She's always been the pickiest eater, and that trend has (unfortunately) continued, but we'll just keep trying new and different foods. It's just a matter of trial and error, I've learned, and not worrying about "wasting" food if I open a can of something she doesn't end up liking. It's just about figuring out the new pattern for her eating schedule that's going to work for both her and us.

In other news, my dear boy Bub is at his chemo appointment now - I'm awaiting a call from the vet that I can go pick him up. It's the 3rd drug in the cycle, and one he hasn't had as yet, so I'm curious to see how he'll react to it. They give the animals a week off after receiving this particular drug, which also takes several hours to administer, so I'm guessing it'll take him awhile longer to bounce back than normal. But I'm ready - I've got a roast chicken from the grocery store in the fridge, and it's all his. Not all at once, mind you, but I'm calling it cat food - it's not for human consumption. I've got a big plate of cut up chicken pieces ready and waiting for him for when I bring him home today, too, poor guy.

So, yes - the Year of the Cat it is.