Shortly after I moved to New Orleans, Jezebel, my escape-artist cat, snuck out of the house one evening. Prior to the five weeks she spent exploring the great outdoors, Jezebel had become rather plump. Multiple veterinarians told me she needed to lose weight because heavy-set female cats were particularly susceptible to developing Fatty Liver Disease as they aged. I changed her food to Science Diet Light and reduced the portions. Jezebel's weight, however, continued to go in the opposite direction.
All was good until I found Jezebel after her five-week escapade. Initially, she seemed perfectly fine. But, for precautionary purposes, I took her to the vet the next day to make sure everything was okay. Bloodwork revealed liver abnormalities. Evidently, the shortage of food while outdoors had indeed caused Jezebel to develop Fatty Liver Disease.
Because the disease is reversible, I spent more money than I make in a month to restore her health. For six weeks she was forced to consume meals via a tube. Finally, her condition improved and she returned home, roughly eight pounds lighter than when she escaped.
Once again, the vet gave me stern instructions: watch her weight. For the first few months, Jezebel continued to look rather unhealthy (see image below). She was lethargic and ate on her own, but not too much.
In the last few months Jezebel finally turned the corner, and once again I had a sweet and sassy cat on my hands. But when she started to gain all of her weight back, of course, this over-protective mother began to worry. I reduced her food portions and tried all of the tactics that failed in the past. Yet, Jezebel continued to return to her old form.
Finally, one day, the mystery was solved. I observed her not only eating from Jacques's bowl, but also cleverly opening the food container to help herself to a free buffet of Science Diet Light. To open my old food container one simply lifted the handle. Jezebel and Jackson both figured out how to undo the latch with their respective noses and then used their heads to lift and hold the container open in order to chomp away.
Last week, while at Petsmart, I purchased two new food containers. The latch on the new containers must be pulled down, rather than up, to access the food. I'm sure in time either Jackson or Jezebel will figure out a way outsmart me again. But, thus far, the only image I've been able to capture is Jackson sitting next to the pile of unaccessible food, looking perplexed.
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