Update for Princess Bubblegum

Update for Princess Bubblegum

Greetings, Princess Bubblegum Sponsors!

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful spring weather.

Princess Bubblegum has moved from an apartment to a house. Graciously, she allowed us to move with her. She very generously even allowed the dog and the other cats to accompany us.

Everyone is mostly settled. There are still some hisses and minor squabbles, but for the most part peace prevails. Princess Bubblegum was growling at the other cats for the first week, but she has since calmed down.

We are still trying to figure out our routines, and where is the best place for everyone to eat in harmony. Our dog Marcy has her food and water downstairs. The cats like to come down and wait by — or on — the dog stand to get some water. Marcy usually finishes her food within two seconds of feeding time, so there are no issues of cats getting dog food. The cats’ water and food is all upstairs, which Marcy cannot get to. Mariska is not sure if she wants to eat downstairs or upstairs. Sometimes we feed her on the kitchen counter, sometimes upstairs near the other cats.

Princess Bubblegum is the only cat who has not ventured downstairs. She is allowed to do so, but she has not made that decision yet. It is probably better for royalty to stay upstairs until the peons have proven that the downstairs is safe.

We used to feed the princess in a carrier. We would give her the food with the phosphate binder (aluminum hydroxide) and her pancreatic enzymes (creon), and she would eat it all. Then she would venture around the place until she got to other cats’ food, which she would also enjoy. As long as she has the creon in her system, she can eat what she wants.

But she has been a bit pickier recently with her food. She was eating around the creon, then going to eat the other cats’ food. The creon is in the form of little granules that are sprinkled on top of the food. The creon should not be mixed in well, because there is a coating on the granules that masks the bitterness of the enzymes. We used to sprinkle the creon on top of food, and Princess Bubblegum would eat it with no problems. Now, she is eating around it. We decided to gently fold a bit of food over the creon, hoping she would eat that. So far, that seems to be working out.

Whenever you have a routine that you think is going well with cats, they eventually educate you that no, you silly human, you’re wrong. Minor challenges are okay. Minor challenges are something we can handle. Princess Bubblegum, please don’t throw any big challenges at us!

At our old apartment, Princess Bubblegum loved to sleep on this one green cat bed. In our new house, I put it in the hallway, and the princess has claimed the bed again. She is there most of the day and night!  That’s just one indication that our move went well. Everyone is adjusting and seems happy. Everyone is eating (mostly).

One upcoming big change is our next “forever foster” cat. There is a kitty at Tabby’s Place that has been diagnosed with EPI, the same disease Princess Bubblegum has. Tune in next month to meet our new forever foster! (Maybe at that point, Princess Bubblegum will be asking us not to throw any big challenges at her.)

Meanwhile, thank you for sponsoring sweet Princess Bubblegum and allowing us and Tabby’s Place to provide the best care possible with a loving home. We are truly grateful for your support. Together we can all provide an amazing life for an amazing cat.

Your correspondent,
Jess