Well, I've come to accept that I have a "developmentally challenged"
furkid . . . . . I love her just the same but boy oh boy I'm wearing out!
 
Does anyone have any suggestions for a furkid that will ONLY eat soup if
it's warmed and put in front of her (instead of seeking it out and eating
it cold) AND who will only drink clean water from the bathtub, after I've
showered ? ? ? ?  I'm chocking this up as either a true mental disability
or a prior serious abuse situation - what other explanations are left? ?
 
Would you please take a moment to read through my post and let me know
what you would recommend - I'd really appreciate it!
 
In all seriousness, I've always been very concerned with Phoebe, my 6.5
yr.  "special" furkid with adrenal problems and insulinoma - primarily at
her inability or unwillingness (don't know which) to eat any food on her
own, despite that when she DOES eat she IS hungry.  What I also cannot
seem to understand is why she's not wanting to eat (even when she's on
Prednisolone and Diazoxide, since the Pred is supposed to stimulate the
appetite and has a melatonin implant, which I've also been told sometimes
acts as an appetite stimulant as well) ? ? ? ?
 
As I've mentioned before, I began her on soup shortly after I adopted her
last October because she came with Purina Kitten Chow and wouldn't eat
anything else AT ALL (including 'healthy' kibble).  She was very scrawny
and needed meat on her bones - hence the reason I even began the soup in
the first place but it was only supposed to be for a temporary time,
until she got some weight on and maintained it.  So is she just TERRIBLY
spoiled and it's my own fault?
 
We're at the point where I'm having to go home on my lunch hours EVERY
day for the past 4 months to feed her 1-2 Tablespoons of soup for lunch
because she makes no attempt to seek out the food and eat it on her own
throughout the day, even when I leave it in absolutely PLAIN SIGHT and
where she has to trip on it to get out of the cage (she has free roam of
my master bedroom).  Nor does she eat any soup throughout the night, when
I'm sleeping for 7-8 hrs.  Now my life totally revolves around Phoebe's
feeding schedule, which means I can't be gone anywhere for longer than 8
hrs.  or I'm worried that her blood sugar level will drop to low and
she'll have a seizure.
 
Yes, I've tried on several occasions for days at a time to only feed her
1-2 Tablespoons of her food in the a.m.  (when she gets her meds) and
then NOT go home at lunch but leave soup out for her in her cage and
when I get home after 9-10 hrs.  of being gone, the soup has NEVER been
touched!!!  But as soon as I pick her up and put her in front of the
shallow dish, she begins grunting that she's hungry and then starts
lapping up the soup.
 
Just a few days ago, I watched her literally pace back and forth in front
of the soup dish for almost 10 min (but I refused to help her find the
food), then she even stuck her nose in it but did not eat any, and ONLY
when I rubbed the outside of the dish with the soup did she then begin
eating - as if she couldn't figure out what was in the dish ? ? ? ?
 
I know it's not good on her for me to try to starve her in an attempt to
get her to seek out the food on her own because of her insulinoma but
it's obvious she just won't eat on her own, even after 10+ hrs.  But what
else can I do to break the habit of her expecting me to bring the food to
her instead of her going to it?
 
Now it IS possible that the melatonin implant and her age could be
slowing down her metabolism to the point where she only needs the 2
Tablespoons of soup each in the a.m.  and p.m.  (when I get home) because
she sleeps so much . . . .  If this be the case, am I unnecessarily
worrying about her not eating mid-day and should I just let her eat when
she chooses to and whatever amount she wants of the soup?  What about the
danger of her blood sugar level dropping too low because she's got no
food in her? ? ?
 
And here's another "quirk" - I have NEVER seen her drink water out of the
water bottle in her cage or the shallow dish right below it.  Instead she
only drinks water by going to the bathtub, climbing over the edge (with
the help of the bath mat that I lay over the side), and then drinks the
clean shower water residue.
 
So now what ? ? ? ?  She doesn't use the litter box either - just goes
wherever she chooses, even right next to her sleeping blanket in her
cage, which is only 6 inches away from the litter box!  (What happened
to "ferrets usually don't poop near their bedding")?  Too late to bother
breaking that bad habit!
 
HELP!  :-I
Jennifer and the 3 Amigos  :-)
[Posted in FML issue 4933]