To just want my cat to be fed how I choose?

[Flamesparrow]

First of all yes I'M lucky my mum feeds my cat when I'm away etc. but...

She is fed dry food. always has been. my mum ALWAYS insists. on buying and feeding her wet food because "he" (yes he) looks so miserable if she doesn't.

seriously. she is a happy content cat when i feed her normally. i know its petty but she'd go nuts if i changed the dogs food.

You know the answer to this. Pay for a cattery or wear it.

YANBU though.

Does said cat get all arsey with biscuits if she's had lovely juicy wet food for a few days? If not, I'd leave it.

Is she not a happy content cat if she is fed wet food? Does it make her fussy when you come back, or affect her pooing or something?

I can see that this feels like a criticism of your cat-looking-after (what's the word for parenting a pet?) but if the cat is normal afterwards then you've just been spared a week's worth of cat food money :)

I thought this was going to be the mother of all BF/FF threads.

I thought you were going to say he must only be fed smoked salmon and caviar or something, I was going to ask if you were Liz Jones in disguise.

As it is, YANBU but I don't think there's much you can or should really do about it, seeing as your mum is helping you out.

that is exactly it tril. i feel like she's saying i can't care for a cat!

YANBU think its probably a control thing on your mums part

i went away once for 2 days came home and found my mum had arranged the fridge shelves and different heights to what id put them at,what the hell was that all about i liked my fridge shelves as they were

Hahaha, my mum did this. My cat would eat the cheapest cat meat you could by, in fact he would eat anything. Now he only eats Felix.

Need to look at it the other way: she is a big softie who gets manipulated by cats. You are a sensible human being (who has a lot of practice at saying no to children).

Who cares as long as the cat is fed?

Actually, your Mum is doing your cat a favour. An entirely dry diet can result in renal problems. A cat needs a regular mix of wet and dry food.

I think wet food (wet? disgusting image there, can we not say tinned? )is made of donkeys and bum holes so your Mum is being unreasonable. Give the cat some nice fish.

Listenandlearn's fridge tale

Probably a wee bit unreasonable...

When I was young we had a cat, and she was massive. My dad put her on a diet and she just stayed huge, it was strange.

Then we got this note from the neighbours;

"Just to let you know we are going on holiday so won't be able to feed your cat anymore".

Seriously, she was huge! What were they doing feeding her in the first place? My dad was livid.

Just think of it as your cat's holiday too!

:o catinthehat

I don't get to choose what my cats eat either. They choose. They will randomly decide that Felix is the work of the devil and are Whiskers cats, and then randomly reverse the decision together, as though they've had a meeting and agreed it. Any holiday cat-feeders don't stand a chance.

Ex-H and I once had a cat who could open the fridge door and ate two trout and a chicken curry in a single night. Happily Ex got him in the divorce.

that's not true, Stuckinthemiddle.

You're not being unreasonable, Flame. however, my parents looked after my dog earlier in the summer. he slept in their bedroom despite happily sleeping in a pen when in my kitchen. Still, I was grateful they'd taken him on whist we were away so only jokingly complained about that and the fresh chicken they'd fed him :)

How often do you go away?

If it's very occassionally it may be that your cat pines for you and your mum feeding her wet food cheers her (the cat) up so I wouldn't worry about it.

If it's a regular arrangement and you really don't want your cat being fed wet food (I know I don't like it: it's stinky, attracts flies, revolting to wash the cat bowl etc, I would hate for my cats to develop a taste for wet food) you need to try to put your foot down, or find someone else to look after your cat for you.

U know Ur cat, hun.

Ur! Ur!

mutters and tears hair

Apologies, Tippy- of course I meant yr.

How embarrassing.

I'd be embarrassed. I'd be eaten up with shame.
Ur. I asks yer.

I've let you down, I've let myself down and I've let MN down.

Most of all, you've let the Entire English Speaking Population Of The World And Bits Of Space Down.

I do hope you're satisfied young lady.

Ha we just had a 2 week holiday and the cat sitter cost £140! So there you go. She does give the cat what we ask her to, and even watered the odd plant unprompted (so she bloody could at that price).

My cats let me know what and when to feed them. I don't have a choice - if I don't there are consequences. I am Pavlov's human.