“You can’t out-stubborn a cat.” — Robert Heinlein

March greetings to you, and to all Buddy’s buddies.

The facts were puzzling, and more than a little frightening. Buddy had lost 3 pounds over the past month, and he had elevated liver values. Buddy wasn’t a fat cat in the first place, so losing that much weight in such a short time was concerning to everyone at Tabby’s Place.

Tests followed. Abdominal ultrasound revealed an area of suspicious brightness — was it a mass? Could it be lymphoma?

No. The area was checked via a fine needle aspirate, and there was no sign of cancer.

With that ruled out, the vet team focused on the elevated liver values. They were seeing signs of hepatic lipidosis (“fatty liver disease”), which was a big red flag that Buddy wasn’t eating. Why would he do that?

The pieces started to fall into place. Recently, the cats in Suite FIV had been switched to a new diet, one of which Buddy plainly did not approve. There was no talking or reasoning with him, either. This cat literally wasn’t having any of it.

The vet team could see they would not out-stubborn this determined little cat, so they did what they had to do.

They caved.

Sure, Buddy was treated with supportive care, IV antibiotics, anti-nausea medication, and an appetite stimulant. But oh yes, no doubt about it, he also got the food he wanted.

And that’s all it took. Buddy is back to eating well, his liver value is returning to normal, and his weight has stabilized. Just the same, the vet team plans to weigh Buddy twice a week until they’re confident he’s over this crisis.

Actually, I think I understand where he’s coming from; if my wife were to start serving me nothing but, for example, kale/spinach/tofu/vinegar smoothies, regardless of how healthy they might be, and even if the vinegar contained “the mother”, I’d say “Nuh-uh. Hard pass.”

So now that everyone knows who’s boss, life will go on for Buddy, as it has since his arrival at Tabby’s Place 4 years ago this month. He’s content and satisfied, thanks to the care he receives, and that care is directly related to you and your generous support. Thank you and have a great month!