How does he do that?

[rikibeth]

My aged tuxedo kitty, Khaavren, has been showing every indication that he needs more fiber and moisture in his diet. Wet food alone didn't seem to be doing the job, so I started mixing in canned pumpkin.

I started doing it while I still had part of a case of Fancy Feast in the Gravy Lovers' style. Khaavren loves gravy, all right -- so much so that he licks up all the gravy and leaves the chunks. Even after I mixed it with the pumpkin, he seemed to be able to slurp up the gravy-pumpkin glop and leave the chunks.

So, I decided to try different textures of wet food, to see if it made a difference. Today was "Classic," the stuff that comes out all can-shaped. (I've got Grilled and Flaked to try after that.)

Broke it out of the can and divided it in half, into two custard cups. Mixed in a roughly equal amount of pumpkin. Broke it up and stirred it so it was a fairly even-textured mixture. Set it down. Khaavren attacked it eagerly. Polished off about half, as usual.

How in the hell did he manage to eat all of the pumpkin smoosh and leave mostly the meaty solids WHEN I MIXED IT INTO A SUSPENSION?

I wonder if it has something to do with the shape of the custard cup. After he finished, I went and stirred it up again, scraping things from the sides and bringing it to the center. He's gone back to have some more. I guess we'll see what happens now.

Seriously, though, how the hell does he separate it out like that?

Comments

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Probably the same way my old cat can eat all of the gooshy food and leave behind little fragments of his crushed pill.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I know, right?

(Except for the extra toes, Haiku looks SO MUCH like Khaavren.)

I'm lucky -- Khaavren thinks chicken flavor Pill Pockets are super-nummy treats, even with the pill hidden inside them, so I don't have to fret about that.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

Cats often have a hard time eating out of a bowl, something to do with the shape of the face/snout. If you put it on a flat plate or in a wider bowl he might have an easier time of it.

My cats love pumpkin, even the semi ferals will just lick it off a spoon. We've been giving it to Lily everyday for a few years now and the others try to steal it from her.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Hm. I'll try that with the flat plate idea.

Khaavren won't touch pumpkin plain, but mixed with wet food, he noms it right up.

[gows.livejournal.com]

Maybe he's got a special kitty baleen filter.

[gale_storm]

Huh. Interesting thought, that. Purrrrhaps you need to put the mix in a blender. :)

[getheren.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of one of Linda's dogs, who could approach a dish a large piece of cheese wrapped in bologna coated with chunky peanut butter with some irresistible au jus poured over all — and in seconds leave a perfectly clean dish with, neatly in the centre, the pill that had been inside the cheese inside the bologna inside the chunky peanut butter under the au jus.