At twelve weeks, Digby weighed less than two pounds. His sister, Hattie, weighed three. But you don’t take a scale to the breeder’s home, and most of us trust that a vet’s seal of approval of a kitten’s health is reliable.
So against my better judgment, we brought the small-headed bony Digby home along with Hattie. Digby doesn’t really look much like a Ragdoll, but my husband had fallen in love with the little boy.
“I don’t know how it’s possible, but I think Digby’s actually shrinking,” I told my husband. Despite being a demanding and voracious eater, he looked smaller every day, being fed at least double the recommended daily amount.
He was half the size of his sister. We were feeding them good quality grain-free wet food and even providing dry food to help put weight on this sweet boy. He ate with gusto until he stopped. Then, out of the blue, he just stopped eating.
Digby hid between two chairs and slept when his usual spot would be snuggled up in my lap. His hair was thin and coarse compared to Hattie’s thick, luxurious coat.
Most commercial cat foods contain ingredients that aren’t useful to cats, and potatoes are often used as a replacement for grains in those foods. Hattie’s system doesn’t like potatoes, so the search was on for another alternative.