The Ravenous Appetite Of Mr Pussy
I have rarely had an uninterrupted night’s sleep recently. Although characteristically a mild and sedentary personality by day, my old cat – Mr Pussy – transforms at night into an insistent creature of voracious appetite, waking me from my slumber to demand I feed him with a nocturnal snack. I tried shutting the bedroom door but he screamed so long and so loud, he woke up the neighbours. I have no choice but to take the path of least resistance and fill up his dish, if I am to have any sleep at all.
Mr Pussy is fourteen years old and I did fear that there could be some sinister emerging affliction which might provoke this rapacious conduct. Old cats can be susceptible to thyroid problems, I read, and the symptoms including ravenous hunger and volatile behaviour. So – reluctantly – I took him to the veterinary surgeon last week for expensive blood tests which might discover any underlying problems, and came back with a test tube to collect a urine sample.
Just six months ago, Mr Pussy had serious dental work to remove several rotten teeth which led him to forsake the biscuits that, like an eighteenth century mariner, have been his staple diet until this year. Consequently, he has discovered a whole new appetite and has no scruple about asserting his right as a member of the household to participate in every meal, preferring human food to anything produced for cats. No longer able to hunt for prey, nowadays he eats kitchen scraps supplemented with raw meat and sardines.
When I returned home from the vet and released Mr Pussy from his basket, the challenge of obtaining a feline urine sample dawned. Dutifully I tipped the non-absorbent granules I had been supplied into a litter tray and locked the cat flap, on the principle that once Mr Pussy did his business, I could syringe it up into the test tube. Yet this was not be, instead he paced around with increasing anxiety, taking no interest in the litter tray and seeking a likely location as a last resort for when the pressure grew too much.
Tactfully, Mr Pussy chose the corner of the bedroom where the shoes are lined up as the smelliest spot in the house where his misdemeanour might be least noticed and, after enduring his vocal frustration for several hours, I was delighted when he squatted down beside my boots to relieve himself on the floor. “That’s very professional,” gasped the receptionist at the veterinary surgery when I delivered the test tube promptly, suggesting that I was perhaps not alone in my struggle with this particular task.
Once I had accommodated to the painful realisation that Mr Pussy’s recent nocturnal behaviour might signal the commencement of his terminal decline, I received the call from the vet to inform me that all the tests revealed he was in exceptionally good health for a cat of his age. He was a little underweight, I was told. The dry biscuits he had forsaken were high protein and Mr Pussy is a large cat, so he needs to eat a significantly higher volume of other food to compensate.
The explanation was unavoidably simple. Mr Pussy woke me in the night because he had a ravenous appetite and I fed him too little. Now I leave him a generous late supper before I take to my bed and, thankfully, nocturnal dramas have relented. We can all sleep peacefully in this corner of Spitalfields again.
You may also like to read
Well I’m very glad to hear that. Hooray for Mr. Pussy who I’m sure has fans all over the world.
I’m glad it was nothing serious. Hugs to Mr. P.
So pleased to hear that Mr Pussy is in fine health and that he now has you well trained 🙂 We had a twin for him and I miss him to this day.
I’m so glad Mr. Pussy is well. Long live you both!
Good for Mr Pussy! Sleep well, both of you! Valerie
I so sympathise with this.
My 8 year old tabby had the same set of tests 2 months ago. She took 22 hours to go anywhere and I got quite concerned. Glad all is well.
“Sir” wakes us up with demands to be let in to the top of the bed for a properly warm nesting experience.
But, that’s a lilac-point Birman for you, so there ….
What a splendid cat Mr.Pussy is. Long may he roam.
I have noticed that when cats survive to a great age (20 years old or so, including my own late, lamented friend) they are invariably this type of black cat. This breed seems to have a longevity gene so Mr Pussy should have many, many productive years of feline life left ahead of him, luckily for all of us.
So glad Mr Pussy was given a clean bill of health. Long may he wave.
I have so much empathy with Mr Pussy! You can’t sleep at all when you are hungry … 🙂
Love & Peace
ACHIM
Hilarious account but what good news. As a pet owner myself, I know one thing for sure, animals are never wrong, if they insist on something there is always a reason. My lurcher wouldn’t settle at night until we made him a bed fit for a princess with a sensitivity to peas!
Glad to hear Mr Pussy is so well.
Veterinary bills, we had a rabbit, always made me very thankful for the NHS!
So glad to read that Mr. Pussy is thriving–and quieter!
Gentle Author–could you please tell us about the splendid needlepoint ‘blanket’ Mr. Pussy rests upon? Lovely!
Good news all round then, Mr Pussy is fighting fit and the Gentle Author can get a good night’s sleep again. We sympathise with this story very much as we had to collect a urine sample from our late gorgeous Napoleon, my son followed him around the garden with a container and was successful, our lady vet simply couldn’t believe it!!
Good news that the old chap’s not got any ‘issues’…
I had a similar ‘try to catch a sample of cat wee’ mission myself a couple of years back, not nearly as straight forward as non-cat people may think !
So glad Mr Pussy is OK. 🙂 x
So pleased to read a post about the dear Mr P…and also glad to read that he is fit and well! Long may he remain so! Let’s hope he puts on a bit of weight and keeps his protein levels up so you can both sleep happily.
A wonderful feline and my favourite GA posts. So pleased his nocturnal demands were simply down to hunger!
Ahh. For oh so many reasons this touched me to tears.
How wonderful a thing that Mr Pussy is in fine fettle! I can almost hear the 1000’s of Spitalfields Life readers breathe an audible sigh of relief.
All the best Mr Pussy and TGA. And wishing you both a peaceful nights sleep. zzzzzzzzz
I love reading about your cat! Those stories are always right up my alley, as they say, because I have four cats. I’m happy there is nothing wrong with Mr. Pussy except for being very hungry. What a relief that must be for both of you!
Your friend from the U.S.
Candy
god bless you and keep you, mr. p.