She did start urinating again yesterday. Twice, and it was not concentrated. Second time was a lot. So I believe she is no longer dehydrated, unless it takes longer to reverse than just the appearance of normal volume would imply. I tracked the intake so I know what went in. I didnâÂÂt get the lab reports. I saw them and had things explained to me, but was too disconcerted to ask for them to bring home. Normally I would have. I have to call today to get the results for her Phenobarbital levels. She had lost a pound since her annual checkup in March 2013â¦so dose likely needs adjusting. It was cut back a year ago, as she had lost weight then too (she was originally overweightâ¦now she looks smaller but not thin). They had no explanation for the dehydration. But for the last few weeks sheâÂÂs been in sort of a Twilight Zone, sleeping 95% of the time. ThatâÂÂs been coming on for a while, just sleeping greater and greater amounts of the time. If I put her in one place, she stays there, until I move her again. The only independent movements have been to get to the litter box, which is only half the time. I donâÂÂt think she wakes up enough to think sheâÂÂs thirsty. I have to stimulate her for a while to wake her up enough to eat, and to drink from the bottle, now. The food is Science Diet A / D âÂÂCritical careâ . Even I think it smells good. It stays soft, even straight from the refrigerator. She is lapping it rather than biting it and picking it up. She is 14 ý. I have polled my friends with cats, and it seems like many have cats who live longer, but her health issues may be compromising her health to the point where that is impossible for her. My last cat died of kidney failure at 10, so Shadow is the longest lived cat I have had. If you call this a life. As long as she responds to me and purrs I figure she is not miserable or in pain.

I am not really answering your subject question (sorry), but regarding buying pet food on a budget, I have found that buying in bulk online to be a tremendous money saver. Often websites will offer free shipping if you purchase over a certain dollar amount (usually $50 or $60), and the internet prices are lower than at stores, and you won't pay sales tax. I feed my cats both canned and dry food. I buy 2 cases of canned food (24 cans/case) and 3 4-lb. bags at a time. Although for dry food, I don't like to buy the bigger bags than 4 lbs., cause they'll get stale before they are finished. I am then set for months. While you may feel $50 or $60 is a lot, do the math on what a similar amount would cost at a brick-and-mortar store, and you'll see the savings. Since you will then be set for months, it's a time saver. Another advantage is that it would be shipped to your door, and since you don't have a car, that would make life easier for you. Foods like the the pouched Whiskas you mention are very expensive. You are paying for all that packaging, and there's an awful lot of dressing and filler, but not much meat. Your cat will need to eat more of it to meet nutritional needs. If you're on a budget, that is a poor choice. As to giving cats people food, I feel that any meat or fresh fish is great. Cats are carnivores, and should be eating meat. My vet feels that the astounding increase in cat diabetes in the last 30 years (diabetes was very rare in cats before that) is due to the large percentage of carbs in packaged cat food, and carbs is an unnatural diet for cats. I have a 16-year-old cat in great health, and my other cat lived to 17; they both had fresh meat added to their food their whole lives, so I can attest that it seems to be good for them. So, e.g. whenever I am making hamburger, chicken, or as you say, extra turkey, I give some to my cats. I just put it on a little plate, and they gobble it down; it's heaven for them. If your cat is unfamiliar with fresh cooked meat, it make take a few tries, and some wasted food, for him to enjoy it. Eventually, he'll "get it". If the meat is still warm, it'll be very much more attractive to him.

I agree with what Stir Fryi says. I put the wet food down, and usually my cats eat a bit, then do something else, then eat some more. I have been doing that for more than 17 years (one of my cats passed recently at 17, and my other is still going strong at 17, so my methods seem to work, plus I now have 2 new kittens). Cats have an acute sensitive sense of smell, which is what helps them survive in the wild. If the food has gone bad by even a microbe, they won't eat it. Often, due to my schedule, I've left the wet food bowl out all day. When I come home, the leftover crusty icky food is untouched. No big deal. Over time you get a sense of the amount to put in the bowl, so that the leftover is kept to a minimum. Sweetchastity, I wouldn't fret or go crazy worrying about when to pick up the wet food bowl. We all have busy schedules, and believe me, the cats can survive if you don't pick up the bowl every 30 minutes, or run a strict schedule of feeding. I've seen barn cats kill 3 or 4 mice at a time, eat one, and then leave the rest lined up in a methodical row, to be eaten later when the cats feel like it. BTW, I am not much a fan of the New Natural Cat book that Runsnwalken quotes. Just because I think it has been the source of a lot of angst in cat owners! While it has some very good advice, it's also overboard on making people worry about their cats.

How prepared are you for even a small "disaster"? If not, why not? I think one has to weigh the definition and potential disasters you could face together with the impact of them. I'm not a "prepper". I prefer to think I'm a "common senser". I just can't get myself to scare myself into laying in years upon years worth of dehydrated food, hundreds of rolls of toilet paper, and an arsenal of weapons to protect the toilet paper when the SHTF. That said, I'm also pragmatic and living in a northern state an occasional snow or ice storm is a very real possibility and then tack on some severe cold weather. Living in a city, the likelihood of getting so snowbound that we could not get out in an emergency isn't a top danger, but the reality is that a heavy storm makes it worthwhile to stay home in bad weather. My latter years of working enabled me to be able to adjust my schedule most of the time so I could stay home in bad weather and ride out the storm. I've always kept some food in the house for such a need, plus having it means I don't have to run to the store every couple days. I do not like shopping. I go to a store, get what I want and get out asap most of the time. I still comparison shop, etc, but I don't make a hobby out of shopping. I used to keep a fairly well-stocked pantry with canned and dry goods but with health issues that has expired. I am now using the freezer more as my food storage and try to keep a week or so covered with refrigerated and dry and freezer supplements it. It's not so much for emergencies but for convenience. And the convenience would pay off in an emergency. Especially during the winter, but even in the summer I try to keep some gas in the vehicle, at least 1/3 of a tank and I keep a couple 2 gallon cans of gas for the mower so that could be used if a need should arise. The second major impact or "disaster" if you so desire, is a power outage. During and following a big storm many years back my power was out for 7 or 8 days. Now that would have an impact on my preparedness but at the time, it really didn't too much. I used what I could from the frig and freezer right away but after a couple days I just went to a sandwich shop or deli and picked up the days food. Some meals were simple and basic, sausage, cheese, crackers, etc. The streets were made passable quite quickly. Water service was not interrupted. I used my vehicle to charge the computer and cell phone and as I recall the landline wasn't affected. I had a battery TV and radio for entertainment too and I used up my cache of batteries during this time period. I do keep battery lights and flashlights around. More than most. I don't lay in food supplies in fear of getting laid off or something as do some. For me, that comes under money management. And some people tout keeping cash handy in case of disaster but many if not most make the mistake of thinking everyone will have and will be willing to make change for them. I keep some money around and I keep small bills for tipping on deliveries, etc. Many also make the mistake of thinking they can buy anything in a disaster if they have cash. Many stores will close in a power outage, their fuel dispensers won't work and the registers won't work either. In the event of a chemical disaster or something and I can get out of town, I do have places planned where I could go for cover. I don't keep a "go bag" but grab a couple changes of clothes isn't a big deal. Meds are kept together and grab a couple other things, I could leave.