Cleo is a lot better today. Still a bit agitated. Poop, thank God is
normal. I did give her some Petromalt yesterday.

Last year in August she lost another cagemate, David, and she chewed
a rug that was always in their carrier (which is their shelter when
outside in the pens). When I took away the rug, she didn't chew
anything else.

This time she started chewing the day after I brought Galen's carrier
home after he died at the vet. I think that night she'd smelled his
last smells because his carrier was near their night-time cage. I
believe she knew he had died or at least knew he was missing and
something was terribly wrong.

She ate on the surface cotton of a piece of bedding, and when I took
that away, she chewed on the other bedding, so I tried the paper.

She hated the whole change, as far as I can tell -- the paper and being
separated from Jonas. She'd been quietly gnawing away at the inside
fleece of a sleep sack, and when I took her away from it and tried to
comfort her, she bit me and also Abera. Almost as soon as soon as she
was on the paper, she grabbed a folded edge of the 10 or so sheets and
began yanking it around.

If everything was dark and quiet, she rested. But if I turned on the
light, or she heard me come near, she was up and at it again. Did not
want to be held or cuddled..... She has heavy cataracts, so is pretty
blind.

This morning she was much better. Did not bite us, and only fought the
paper a little. But did not want to be held. Abt an hour lataer I put
her in w Jonas and normal bedding, and she didn't chew. So I'm keeping
her in her normal environment but watching her closely.

So far, so good.

[Posted in FML 7465]