At 8.28am this morning, the magic happened!
Kelly finally ate by herself, but this happened only after a round of force feeding.
Yummy kibble or yummy canned food, Kelly? Take your pick, please.
Answer: Neither.
She just sniffed at both and decided she would not eat. So I carried her out of the carrier and force fed her. I am reminded by what a very senior vet showed me a long time ago. This was during Vixey’s time (aeons ago). He showed me how to force feed her, and he said this, “Who has time to wait? Just force feed,” and proceeded to force feed Vixey. This idea is a divided one, though, as some vets do not believe in force feeding because it’s stressful for the animal. I guess it all boils down to the specific situation and needs. For Kelly, I think she is just stressed because it’s a new environment for her. Moreover, she’s so unbelievably easy to force feed too. I could open her mouth and stuff in the tuna flakes. She would chew and swallow. The fact that she chews and swallows probably means she wants to eat.
I also remember another senior vet telling me that cats can starve to death due to fear of other cats around them. They will not eat because they are simply too afraid to do so.
I did go down to the guardhouse to speak with the guard later. He said perhaps I could return Kelly to the guardhouse and he will look after her. He also agreed that “mungkin tak biasa dengan tempat baru”. He’s right. If the weather is hot and dry, perhaps this is a good idea too. After all, the vet said his incisions are so small to cater for strays who are returned to the colony immediately after being neutered.
Immediately after force feeding, Kelly started eating all by herself!
I took videos so that I know how much and how long she ate. Two rounds – not too bad.
Later, when I spoke with the guard, I asked what food he gives Kelly and he showed me a packet of SmartHeart kibble which he bought. If Kelly still had not eaten by herself, my plan would be to ferry Kelly back to the guardhouse in the carrier and let the guard feed her on her table (where she always eats). Another option would be to take some kibble from the guard if she’s being choosy over her food.
But now that she’s eaten on her own, all these options aren’t necessary.
Next, to get her to pee and poop.
I got the three Blondies locked up in the room and released Kelly from the cage.
When she scratched on the dirt, I got my hopes high, but the magic of peeing did not happen. This bushy part is somewhat like her favourite spot at the guardhouse, but of course cats don’t go by visual images, they go by smell and there’s no way I could mimic the smell of her faavourite bush at the guardhouse. The only way is to take her back to the guardhouse.
Samantha is totally okay with Kelly walking around. There is no territorial behaviour at all.
It must be colourism at work, eh?
Kelly finally went back to the cage without urinating and defecating.
I might send her back to the guardhouse this afternoon so that she will feel more comfortable. This is important for her recovery.
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