cat food diary: goodbye to cat food diary

cat food diary: goodbye to cat food diary: I haven't written in so long because Cosmo died, at 19 years of age. One of the symptoms of his decline was his loss of appetite. First he...

goodbye to cat food diary

I haven't written in so long because Cosmo died, at 19 years of age.  One of the symptoms of his decline was his loss of appetite.  First he stopped eating, then he stopped drinking.  I tried all his favorite foods, but he didn't even lick them.  Chicken, fish, canned tuna, etc.  Now I don't have a cat, since my landlord doesn't permit him.  I'd been hiding him for four years.  It just didn't seem right to take him to the humane society after so much friendship.  But now I must end my cat friendship days.  Hopefully not forever.
Goodbye to Cosmo, and goodbye to the cat food diary.

cat food diary: 221 Kinds of Cat Food for Spot

cat food diary: 221 Kinds of Cat Food for Spot: "So I learned more about Data's cat Spot's food preferences. Data doted on her so much that he developed '221 different feline supplements ..."

221 Kinds of Cat Food for Spot

So I learned more about Data's  cat Spot's food preferences.  Data doted on her so much that he developed "221 different feline supplements to satisfy Spot's dietary requirements" (http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Spot)  One of them, 25, was "a synthesized blend of meat products and chocolate" (http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Feline_supplement_25)  This picture does not make it look very appetizing.

cat food diary: A cat named spot

cat food diary: A cat named spot: "A character in the 'Star Trek' television show, Data, has a cat named Spot. I don't know what kind of cat food he eats."

A cat named spot

A character in the "Star Trek" television show, Data, has a cat named Spot.  I don't know what kind of cat food he eats.

Ellen and Cat Food

Here is Ellen encouraging people to buy shelter stamps (and to buy her pet food)

Here is a link to an article about her launch of her pet food:  http://www.catchannel.com/news/ellen-degeneres-to-launch-cat-food.aspx

ellen and cat food

here's a link to a feature on Ellen De Generes' launch of her cat food brand, including an actual joke:  See if you can find it:  http://www.catchannel.com/news/ellen-degeneres-to-launch-cat-food.aspx

cat food diary: Spot's Stew? For Cats?

cat food diary: Spot's Stew? For Cats?: "So it seems that Ellen DeGeneres has this pet food company. It's called 'Halo' and it has a sub brand called 'Spot's Stew' which sounds l..."

Spot's Stew? For Cats?

So it seems that Ellen DeGeneres has this pet food company.  It's called "Halo"  and it has a sub  brand called "Spot's Stew" which sounds like it's for dogs, but it in turn has a sub brand for cats.  This brand, which is not available at marina pet store, appeared in the recently opened petco, which I've spoken of earlier.  The two flavors Cosmo tasted were "Wholesome Lamb Recipe"  and "Wholesome Chicken Recipe."  I think wholesome implies no byproducts, and no smelliness.  Of course, Cosmo likes smelliness, preferably offalish.  In both cases, the first ingredient is the one that gives the flavor its name.  

There is an addition of beef in both flavors, lower down on the ingredient list, beef liver in the case of the lamb flavor.  Then there are those things that delight buyers of organic or "natural" cat food:  okra, pumpkin, squash, and peas.    These vegetables remind me of the time I gave a younger cosmo a can of vegetarian cat food.  It was enough to make a cat laugh (and turn away from his dish).  

The food was not too smelly, and both flavors looked like firm tuna salad.  But, oddly enough, Cosmo took a few bites of it.  Spot's Stew?  Not so bad, Ellen.

cat food diary: Petco for Cosmo

cat food diary: Petco for Cosmo: "This is a photo of a Petco in Texas, but it could just as easily be one in Kaneohe, like the one that just opened in July here. I went ther..."

Petco for Cosmo

This is a photo of a Petco in Texas, but it could just as easily be one in Kaneohe, like the one that just opened in July here.  I went there in search of bargains for Cosmo on catfood, cat treats, litter and the like.  I found one bargain, for the Fancy Feast brand.  I buy it for anywhere from 80 cents to 1.09, but I found it on special for 56 cents.  I also found a brand that Cosmo had not tried.  The friendly sales clerk signed me up for a discount card, giving me a keychain version with the dog-and cat logo.  They registered Cosmo's name in their data base, and said they would be emailing him discounts on cat products.  As his agent, I have as yet received no offers or discounts.

On a second visit, I bought a 24 pack of Cosmo's three favorite Fancy Feast flavors:  Classic Beef, Liver and Chicken.  At first he seemed moderately enthusiastic about them, then spurned them, then came back to them, then totally rejected them, wouldn't even touch them.  This is one of the feeding problems I found when I had small children--as soon as you get a good price on something they like and buy in bulk, they go off it.  And cats, like small children, when they  replace a favorite with another favorite, do not just keep the old favorite in the repertoire, they go off the old one entirely.    

I have the same lack of enthusiasm for this big box store as I do for others (Costco, Sam's Club).  At least this one does not require a membership fee.  Most of the things in the store I don't need.  The cat litter offerings do not meet my needs.  You cannot just buy a cheap bag of litter.  You either get luxury bags of technologically advanced litter types made out of velvet and satin (at least so I judge by the prices) or you buy the store brand in bulk at a not particularly attractive price.  Since this store is right near Long's I might stop by and check the fancy feast prices when I'm going longingly to longs in search of the cheap cat litter that they had for awhile for 1.99 a bag (normal prices from 3.99 to 5.00+)  Long's (actually CVS but keeping the name long's to fool longs customers) also has stopped carrying the "Filet Mignon" Whiskas flavor that was the only flavor Cosmo liked in that brand.  (I blogged about it earlier)  Perhaps someone else has a cat who loved that flavor, and bought up all the cans of it.  If things run true to form, the cat has probably gone off it.  Petco is full of things I have no interest in:  It sounds like they have train sets for fish, but my hearing is notoriously bad.  Also there is a dog grooming section.  I don't know if they have a cat grooming section, but I have never gotten Cosmo a lion cut or anything.  You can get little outfits and costumes for your dog, and buy dry food in sacks as big as your house.  

Not the miracle Cosmo and I had hoped for.

cat food diary: Rise and Shine: Kit Kat Klock

cat food diary: Rise and Shine: Kit Kat Klock: "Cosmo is such a good alarm clock that I have not had one for many years. Even when my daughter had to take a very early flight last summer,..."

Rise and Shine: Kit Kat Klock

Cosmo is such a good alarm clock that I have not had one for many years.  Even when my daughter had to take a very early flight last summer, we were both awake before her cell phone went off.  In the early days, he was like one of those old fashioned clocks with a tinny alarm that seems to jump around the floor until you squelch it.  He added the efficient tooth and claw feature that permitted of no snooze control.  Now it is all subtlety and patience.  He sleeps most of the night at the foot of the bed or on a nearby chair.  Then as five o clock approaches he moves to the area behind my back, so I cannot get up without waking him.  If five o clock (often more like 4:45) comes without my getting up and opening that refrigerator, he stares at me, bats a sheathed paw or two, maybe a gentle prodding mew.  Then, once the fancy feast has been administered, he's back to bed or has settled down for a snooze on the couch or a bask on the sunniest spot of the table near the window.  I am usually unable to get back to sleep once I have performed a feeding, so I am up for the day.  We are told that prime time for a cat is the crepuscular hours of evening or morning, the twilight of vampires and hunters.  Crepuscular Cosmo...

cat food diary: Tuna Party!.

cat food diary: Tuna Party!.: "So I decided it was time for a tuna party. I got a can of coral tuna and a loaf of bread. I already had Nalo Greens from here on Oahu, som..."

Tuna Party!.

So I decided it was time for a tuna party.  I got a can of coral tuna and a loaf of bread.  I already had Nalo Greens from here on Oahu, some mayonnaise, relish, and dill.    I gave a little under half to the cat (all of the brine and some pieces, then mixed the tuna salad for my sandwich in the can.  Cosmo, as I've said before, likes to feel like he's eating the same thing as I am, so it was a very sociable meal.  I have heard that canned people tuna is not too good for aging felines, so this was just an occasional special treat.

cat food diary: Hand-Fed Cosmo

cat food diary: Hand-Fed Cosmo: "When Cosmo was younger, I wouldn't even have hand fed him through a chain-link fence, as shown here with a tiger. I tended to throw the tre..."

Hand-Fed Cosmo

When Cosmo was younger, I wouldn't even have hand fed him through a chain-link fence, as shown here with a tiger.  I tended to throw the treats or food down on the ground or put them in his food bowl.  Gradually, with the boredom of an indoor cat (or the mellowing of age) we have trained each other to hand feed.  I have trained him not to bite my fingers if he wants the food, and he has trained me to socially interact while feeding him.  As seen with the Lol cat cheeseburger experiment, he sometimes prefers food given by hand, and sometimes will only take it that way.  It's like how he permitted me to give him a "pet wipe" bath today while he was sitting on my lap.  Perhaps it really is "soothing," as the package says.  I must constantly revisit my operating assumption that all advertising is a false product of the evil capitalist running DOG lackeys.

Gravlax Greetings

I returned from a trip to Oregon to see my son graduate to find that Cosmo had survived a steady diet of catfood, administered by my upstairs neighbor, but was happy to share some gravlax as a celebration of our reunion.  I also changed the cat box, cleaned up the empty cans which the neighbor had left, I suppose to show me that she had used the ones I left, etc.  A person who lives alone with a cat has many pleasures, including shared catnaps and meowfests, and I have regained them happily.  For the cat, the pleasures of sharing space with a human seem to be catbox maintenance, warm body proximity, and food more or less on demand.  There may be some joy in having an audience for purring and meowfests, but this may be anthropomorphism on my part.

Lox at the Cosmo Deli

Cosmo is fond of lox.  He likes the tender consistency, and the ease in biting, an important factor for a 19-year old cat whose teeth are not as sharp as they once were.  It's very rich, so he doesn't eat more than three or four small, thin pieces of it.  He refuses the fourth or fifth piece politely and then goes off and takes a nap.  

To the Tune of "The Dreidel Song"

Cat food, cat food, cat food
I made you out of fish
And when it's nice and stinky
I'll put it in your dish

Cosmo's Taste Test--Weruva, Natural Balance, or Culinary Creation

So I know you're all impatient to find out--Did Cosmo prefer the cleverly-named Weruva Paw-lickin Chicken, or one of Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance brands, such as Venison and Green Pea, Duck and Green Pea, Chicken and Liver Paté or the only one that comes in a RED CAN, Culinary Creations Roasted Beef Dinner?

Yes, you guessed right--he clearly preferred the cat food in the RED CAN.  He might also have enjoyed the dense texture, the large amount of beef and liver it contains, as well as the extreme stinkiness of it.  or the fact that it is made in Australia.
                      
                         His second choice was the Chicken and Liver Paté.  Perhaps he knows that Dick Van Patten, a star of the television show, "Eight is not Enough," really loves cats.  He just doesn't know enough to put his food into RED CANS.  Dick Van Patten's company is really proud of its Snake Food as well.  Dick has a rescued feral cat he calls AC for Abandoned Cat.  I've never watched a single episode of Eight is not Enough, nor am I likely to, but I can't dislike a man who likes cats and worries about whether snakes get enough to eat.

                         Cosmo was not taken in by the cute name of the Weruva offering, nor by the obsession with peas by the other two Natural Balance offerings.

             If you want to read more about Dick Van Patten, he's interviewed in the September 2006 issue of Pet Press.

gobble gobble gobble

Cats and poultry--quite a lot to be said about the issue.  Cosmo and turkey--an important association.  The burger shown is a turkey burger from Teddy's better burgers in Kailua, which Cosmo disdained, perhaps due to the "secret sauce, " which I found to be better kept a secret.  Cosmo has been quite a fan of home made turkey burgers, and I might do some pan fried ones this weekend (my oven is currently not functional).  

On the other hand, the cat responds well to a good roast turkey plate, with no interest in the potatoes gravy or steamed vegetables.  Likes turkey "Whiskas," though not as much as filet mignon whiskas, and to a lesser degree enjoys fancy feast turkey and giblets "classic."  (Classic seems to mean "Paté")  He largely disdains the friskies turkey flavor, which was once a favorite.  

This weekend, we are focussing on chicken cat foods, with a new flavor from Marina foods, which I picked up when I got a new brand of Pet wipes.

Fish Tacos okay by Cosmo

So Cosmo was definitely happy I went back to Serg's Mexican Kitchen in Manoa after the last meeting of my Andean class.  This time I chose the Fish Tacos, opting for two of them without beans and rice, and taking the grilled rather than breaded option.  I waited on a bench made from two surfboards advertising a brand of beer and people watched.  A woman who was eating with her small son (he had quesadillas) said to me, "You're a long way from Windward," and I realized that she was a former student.  I had forgotten how long it takes a small child to consume a small quantity of food.  It's a wonder we have a childhood obesity epidemic.  I listened to the northern mexican style music until my tacos arrived, opting for a mild avocado salsa for myself (Cosmo is not too fond of salsa)
When I got home, Cosmo was immediately energized by the smell of grilled fish, and eagerly consumed all I offered, prompting me with an impatient paw when I did not deliver fish fast enough.  I enjoyed the soft corn tortilla and the spicy cabbage salad and as much of the fish as Cosmo allowed me.  Though I won't be going into Manoa much in future and I'm dealing with reduced income during the summer, if I get a windfall I can go to the Waimanalo stand.  Or make my own fish tacos!

Plate Lunch Cosmo

In Kailua author Chip Hughes' novel Kula he mentions Ken's In and Out Plate Lunch place.  Being a suggestible sort, I headed out to Waimanalo and got a Grilled Mahi Mini Plate.  Cosmo was quite interested in the fish, and had several bite sized pieces.  No interest in the mac salad or rice, however.    Kula is the tale of The Surfing Detective's search for a missing Golden Retriever.  There are also three feline characters to somewhat relieve the overwhelming dogginess of the narrative.  It was nice to revisit Waimanalo.  I had not been there since Veronica had a community service gig shovelling horse poop for a stable that ran a horseback riding program for disabled and mentally challenged children.  I enjoyed looking at the horses, the Hawaiian separatist encampment, the people selling cold coconuts and Jackson Chamelons.  Cosmo enjoyed the mahimahi, so everyone was happy.

cat food diary: meatloaf/cat

cat food diary: meatloaf/cat: "So many catfoods look like meatloaf that I thought I'd try Cosmo on some real meatloaf. Since I'm in a busy period of my work year, I didn'..."

cat food diary: Cosmo en Vera Cruz (Mahimahi en Cosmo)

cat food diary: Cosmo en Vera Cruz (Mahimahi en Cosmo): "So Cosmo and I took a culinary trip to Veracruz, when we shared an order of Mahimahi Veracruzano, from Serg's Mexican food stand in Manoa n..."

Cosmo en Vera Cruz (Mahimahi en Cosmo)

So Cosmo and I took a culinary trip to Veracruz, when we shared an order of Mahimahi Veracruzano, from Serg's Mexican food stand in Manoa near the university.  I was celebrating the last meeting of my Andean class.  A more logical choice for this would have been the peruvian favorite, Ceviche, which was on the menu, or Fish Tacos, which made me think of "Pishtakos" or Peruvian Fat Vampires, who steal people's fat, but then I thought of that and I didn't want to eat anything reminding me of it.  So Mahi Veracruzano it was, with a tie both to Mexico and to Hawaii.
When I gave the fish to Cosmo, I removed the rather spicy tomato and chile based sauce, which also contained green olives.  He enjoyed the small white morsels, which were easy to eat, with that wonderful fish taste but without oilyness (neither of us likes oily).  He did reach a saturation point and went back to whiskas filet mignon.  He says that the next time I go to Vera Cruz  (Cortez's first Mexican beach head) I should stash him in my carry-on.

meatloaf/cat

So many catfoods look like meatloaf that I thought I'd try Cosmo on some real meatloaf.  Since I'm in a busy period of my work year, I didn't feel up to making one (and having all those meatloaf leftovers).  I went to my local Food Land and bought a single serving of "Chef Made" meatloaf from the deli.  The chef had opted for something between the gravy based loaf and the tomato sauce loaf.  It had a reddish, brownish sauce with a few caramelized onions and a stray mushroom.  At first Cosmo was quite enthusiastic about it.  It had a firm texture, a messy sauce and an indeterminate meat smell.  Then he abruptly stopped liking it, though he sat by an offered morsel for awhile as if waiting for something better to fall from the sky.  Then he went off to eat some low-grade Friskies Turkey and Giblets that I'd picked up at the liquor store for fifty cents (lower grade than Fancy Feast at least).  It looked almost identical to the meatloaf minus sauce, onions and token mushroom.  A qualified success.  Some of you may recognize the Kliban cartoon from the distant past.  Now LOL cats talk about meatloaf cats as well.

Yorkies, Lamb and liver stew

So though Cosmo still appreciates fancy lamb cat food, with its grayish paté texture, he is not enthusiastic about "Nature's variety" Homestyle Lamb and Liver Stew, a new flavor and brand which has appeared at the local pet food store.  Perhaps it's the alarming variety of ingredients:  Nature's Variety canned cat food contains fresh quality meats, fruits, vegetables, and chelated minerals for better nutirent absorption. This hearty stew contains all natural lamb, chicken, spinach and red peppers enhanced with added vitamins and minerals More details...

Protein Source: Lamb

Carb Source: Potatoes

Life Stage: All Life Stages

Special Needs: Gluten-free

I don't think he really cares whether it's gluten free.  Spinach and red peppers seem a bit  excessive.

As I waited to purchase the cat food, I watched a woman with a tiny Yorkie on her shoulder buy giant bags of foods that vastly outweighed the diminutive canine.  The store owner said that the owner of the bicycle store next door had a Yorkie that seemed even smaller than the shoulder-riding one.  The lady seemed disappointed that the bicycle store was closed, either because she wanted to prove that the dog was not in fact smaller than hers, or wanted to be relieved that there was in the world a hamster-sized dog when hers was only guinea-pig- sized small.

Ceviche Cosmo

So I was making ceviche for my andean literature class, and despite having avoided giving him raw fish in the past, and despite his not particularly liking it (he rejected the tuna in the sushi I bought for the class when we were discussing Fujimori) I tried him on the ceviche of ono and marlin which I had marinated in lime and lemon juice.  He liked it.  He continued liking the leftover fish which I brought home from the class.  Then this morning he didn't like it.  When I cooked it, he liked it again.  So I believe Cosmo is a little bit peruvian.

Cosmo Had a Little Lamb

Yes, Cosmo had a little Instinct Lamb cat food, more than a little.  This food has a gray color, but a fairly firm paté texture.  And if you are what you eat, he might look something like the cat above, only older, and with a lot more black in his fur, and cuter, and he wouldn't let me put something like this on his head...

Deer Cosmo: Instinct Venison

Cats might chase deer, as this picture shows.  This morning, after racing through a can of Weruva 9 liver,

Cosmo wolfed up some Instinct Venison.

More lives (and liver) for Cosmo

So, since Cosmo had gotten bored with Safeway priority foods, despite their odorousness, and had vomited after eating them, and since they seemed rather adulterated, I decided to counterbalance with 

a rather unsmelly rather unadulterated flavor with a cute name and relatively few ingredients.  The description is also cute.  And any advertising ploy that seems to promise 8 additional lives for Cosmo AND misspells "palate" has my attention.  Although its texture made this formula hard to eat, Cosmo gamely attempted, requesting top-ups when the dregs of the food became plastered against the sides of his dish.

Here's the online spiel

Your cat will enjoy every bite of this boneless, skinless, white breast meat chicken, with chunks of chicken liver in a delicious gravy. Enough to entice every pallet . . . and who knows, your cat might just gain eight more lives! Did we mention the chicken is antibiotic free, hormone free and free range chicken breast? (GRAIN FREE)

---

Important Information

Ingredients
Chicken (Boneless, Skinless, White Breast Meat), Water Sufficient For Processing Balance, Chicken Liver, Thickening Agent (Tapioca Starch and/or Potato Flour and/or Xanthan Gum), Sunflower Seed Oil, Taurine, Complete Vitamins and Minerals

Priority Vomiting

So Cosmo doesn't mind these Priority cat foods available from Safeway nationwide.  He even will eat the kind that looks like worms and contains cheese globs, a texture which he usually disdains.  I think he likes them because they smell really bad, always a plus.  They also cause him to vomit, which he doesn't mind but I do.  Vomiting is sometimes a first sign of a contaminated food.  Of course he vomits up free range organic grain free never recalled high priced cat foods too.  He's an equal opportunity vomiter.  While I was writing this, he got on my lap and put his paw on the delete button, so this is in effect a second draft.  

maui tacos okay with cats

The maui fish taco has cabbage drizzled with a creamy sauce, laid on a soft tortilla, with a side of rice and beans.  The cat doesn't care about that.  What the cat likes about the taco is that it contains grilled fish.

He will eat it.

The Chicken Sausage Experiment

So it's not much of an experiment.  You sauté some chicken/herb sausage roundels with maui onions, you mix them in with various colored (pink, purple, yellow) new potatoes and spinach, and then, as you're tipping the potatoes into the sautéed sausage, you kind of just let a piece of sausage fall into a bed of whiskas filet mignon cat food in the cat's food bowl.  Then you  step back and see if he'll find it among the forests of cat food.  I imagine you can guess the results.

Cosmo Can Has Cheeseburger--lol

A cat, a cheeseburger, a cat food dish.  After the adventure with Fancy Feast cheese delight cat food, I decided to try an experiment to test out Cosmo's feelings about cheese, burgers, buns, delight, and to find out if he was a lol cat. I purchased two small dollar mcdonald's cheeseburgers (I know I've lost all the localtarian vegan people here), took a piece of one of the burgers and put it in cosmo's dish.  He showed no interest in it, even with the bun and any pickle or ketchup removed.  Then, figuring he did not like it and that he was not a lol cat, I sat down to eat the remaining burger.  Cosmo's whole demeanor changed, and somehow he conveyed to me that he was eager for a morsel.  He took several, even taking them to the floor to eat them.  The overall burger consumption was not excessive, and he did come to a point when he did not ask for any more.  He never touched the burger portion in his bowl.  I think here he did recognize that there were trace elements of beef in the mcdonald's confection, and easiness of consumption and companiableness were a factor in his preference for the burger when in the possession of human attendant.  Also a feeling that he had forcibly wrested it from his hooman.  Yes, Cosmo is, after all, a lol cat, but on his own terms.

Fancy Feast does not delight with cheddar

 

Fancy Feast seems to think cats are delighted by cheese.  Cheddar, to be exact.  Well, not Cosmo.  I fed it to him when he was quite hungry and he only licked at it.  Then, I tested this response by feeding him whiskas and he scarfed up that "filet mignon."  The Delights series is 99 cents, as is the Whiskas brand at the supermarket  (ten cents less at Longs).  The consistency seems to be at fault again:

I suppose we're trying for a "pulled pork" look, with the ever popular "little globs of cheese" look to make it even more palatable.  He's not buying it (and neither am I!)  Among the ingredients listed are "cheese (for cheddar cheese flavor)."  Blessed are the cheesemakers for cats!

Salmon goes on the favorites list

So you scrape the tomato and onion topping off the italian baked salmon that they sell on Fridays at the Kailua Times Supermarket.  You put it down in the cat's food dish.  When you next look at the food dish, all the fish is gone, without the mess which often comes after flaky fishy food.  If you put more down, you will get the same result.  If you put fancy feast salmon feast down, it will be eaten, albeit with less enthusiasm.  Then, when you are not paying attention, a purring cat will appear on your lap.  Try this experiment yourself:  all you need is a food dish, a cat, and some salmon.

Polynesian barbeque for pussycats

Cosmo, allowing me to sleep until a "grass matinée" 6 am was quite hungry, and scarfed this one right up.  It has some solidity, not being as flaky as in the above photo, some gel for binding.  The marketing is bizarre, not having anything to do with what appeals to cats.  However, it wasn't too pricey for this class of cat food (1.10), and it did the trick (post poned my journey to restock whiskas for a day).  It reminds me of when I was testing out baby foods on my two kids in Puerto Rico and Hawaii.  "Beans and Rice" available in both places, and poi being quite popular with Veronica, who was a slender and voracious baby.  There was some effort at appealing to the parents' desire for organic foods, but no "Marbella Paella" or "Mideast Feast".  Yet one hears of Indian infants being weaned onto curry, mexican babies to arroz con frijoles, etc., so why are our babes so nurtured in finickiness?  Our cats even more?  I guess it's just conspicuous consumption

Fish and Chips and Cosmo

If the fried skin is taken off, Cosmo will gladly eat the white Pilchard or whatever it is inside a piece of Fried Fish.  He will even take a bite of "chip" before he discovers his mistake.  But don't complicate the issue by dipping or slathering with malt vinegar or tartar sauce.  Just the fish, please!

spinach soufflé for cats? A fancy feast?

No.  He will show some interest, because his nose can detect that it contains cheese and skim, and it has a hold together type of texture.  He will sniff it all over, but not even taste it.  Spinach?  Nutmeg?  Don't make him laugh!

Al Gato no le Gustan los Cheetos, aún con Gorgojos (weevils)

Real Cheese Flavored Puffs, from CVS

It is not a great surprise that Cosmo did not eat even one of these.  He could smell at least a bit of cheese flavor and took one and brought it to the floor to kill it.  But when he licked it he immediately walked away.  Perhaps he would have liked it better if it had weevils in it, as some bags of this brand are said to do.  He's even less enthusiastic about pretzels, though he has been known to eat an entire tortilla chip.

Not too appetizing Fancy Feast Appetizer

Fancy Feast White Meat Chicken & Shredded Beef Appetizer in a Delicate Broth

As might be expected, Cosmo does not go for this.  The Broth is too Delicate for him: he likes it stinky, or shall we say pungent?  The texture is hard to bite at and flakes apart.  I suppose they call it an appetizer not because a cat has any expectation that waiters with white linen towels over their arms will hover around him taking away the plates after each course but because this product does not contain minerals or vitamins or the all important taurine.  "This product is intended for supplemental feeding only..."  And I don't know how he would have felt about it when he was younger, but when given a teaspoon in his food dish (not on a glazed plate with a gold line running through it, not with a napkin tied around his pretty little neck) he licked at it briefly, came back once to check it out, then came to me meowing questioningly (or who can tell, maybe he was calling for a  solid 24 k dish).  Overpriced, embarrassingly advertised to appeal to the kinkiest of old cat ladies or gentlemen ("Romance your cat's tastebuds")  1.47 a container for 2 oz.  as opposed to 79 or 89 cents for 3.5 oz of whiskas filet mignon or whatever.  While it didn't captivate his palate (another advertising poem) this seemed as much for it being hard to eat due  to its tendency to flake apart as for any perceived excessive delicacy.  Not likely to buy again.

Cosmo and I Appreciate Scampi

If you give Cosmo a piece of garlic shrimp, he will eat it.  He will look around for more. He would eat it till he vomited, especially if you've left the tail on.   He will point pointedly with his nose at the container of shrimp at the bottom of the refrigerator.  If you eat some, he will stare at you and bat at the bowl.  If I give Cosmo garlic shrimp, I will wish I had kept it all for myself.

Here's a simple garlic shrimp recipe:

This recipe for shrimp is made with lots of garlic, butter, lemon juice, and fresh parsley.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 to 6 medium cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt, to taste

Preparation:

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat until butter stops foaming, about 30 to 45 seconds. Add the shrimp and garlic and sauté over medium heat, turning frequently until the shrimp just turn pink, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the parsley, lemon juice, and salt; stir well. Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately, with rice or a salad.
Serves 4.
From: http://southernfood.about.com/od/shrimprecipes/r/bln37.htm

A Cat Will Eat Pork Adobo

In the interests of advanced cat food preference research, I purchased a small portion of pork adobo from a local plate lunch place.  I gave a piece to the cat.  He had a little trouble picking up the small morsel in his mouth, but when he finally succeeded in ingesting it, he did not ask for more.  Results inconclusive.  He may not have liked the vinegar smell.  Here is a standard recipe for the filipino delicacy:

Pork Adobo Ingredients:

1 kilo pork; cut into 2-inch pieces
1 head garlic; pounded
1/2 small onion; chopped
4 dried bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon peppercorns
6 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup rice water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional add-on)
Cooking oil

Pork Adobo Cooking Instructions:

Marinate pork in soy sauce, garlic, and peppercorns for 30 minutes.
Sauté onion, then drop the marinated pork and bay leaves. Continue sauteing until liquid has evaporated and meat starts to render fat. Pour the marinade including the bits of garlic and a cup of rice water. Continue boiling in medium fire until pork becomes tender. Pour vinegar and simmer until little sauce is left.
Another easy way of doing it is to combine the pork, vinegar, garlic, water, soy sauce, bay leaves, peppercorns, and other seasonings of your choice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium fire, and then cook until a thick sauce is formed. Serve hot!
from:  http://www.myfilipinorecipes.com/meat/

pro-active health pâté with country style turkey and giblets

So I got Cosmo some of this IAMS stuff in one of his preferred textures, "pâté," and one of his preferred flavors, turkey and giblets.  The "Country-style" of the advertising language seems to refer to the fact that the first two ingredients of this "turkey" flavor are "poultry broth" and "chicken."  Or maybe that's the "proactive health" aspect of it.   Cosmo, harried by sirens due to our (thankfully undisastrous) tsunami alert, was content to eat this, leaving a little at each sitting, but was quite happy to go back to whiskas, his favorite, and left none in the bowl.  We're kind of catnapping through the day, since we stayed up late due to the rumored arrival of tsunami waves at 3 am.  Thankfully, we're safe, with a good supply of whiskas as well as people food.

Treats, Amuse-Gueules, Temptations

You or  I would not perhaps eat anything called "Skin and Coat" Temptations.  But neither of us are cats.  Cosmo sometimes likes this sort of thing, and since he will not eat dry food any more, I get them for him.  He follows the same flavor preferences in treats as he does in canned food:  beef, turkey and chicken.  I don't think these are very high in nutrition, despite their boast of vitamins, minerals and oils.  The picture on the cover reminds me of a neighbor I knew on Maui who would take her long haired cat out each week and bathe him.  Then she would blow dry him.  She had been doing this since his kittenhood, and he didn't seem to mind it.  

I have tried more nutritious treats from the Marina Pet Supplies store, with no particular success.  They weren't too crunchy.  They were protein rich.  Cosmo didn't go for them.  Therefore they were not treats, but something else. 

Bob, my dear departed tabby, used to go for small silvery dried sardines.  I also knew a French painter who painted paintings in coffee and glued these same sardines onto his canvasses.  He was artist in residence for awhile living in the building where I currently teach at Windward Community College before it was converted to a classroom and offices, Hale A'o or the White House.  It was once the home of the director of the mental hospital that still shares the grounds with WCC.  

chicken soup for cosmo's soul

So I spent a whole day without posting anything, because that was a day that began with vomiting and other "outside the box" behavior.  I figure that no one but the hard core crazy cat ladies and gentlemen

would want to hear about it. 

        In new developments, Cosmo seems to be losing interest in Whiskas, now that I've stocked up on it.  

This will not come as a shock to ccl & gs.  I shared a bit of chicken from a home made soup, placing it 

on one of those cards that come in magazines.  It was not a fish soup as in the above picture.  Cosmo, who once was a dedicated fishophile, has moved away from our friends under the water, perhaps influenced by rumors of kidney damage caused by seafood and fish in cats of advanced age.  What will be the next cat food trend?  I'm sure Cosmo will let me know!

Filet Mignon and cats

Here are two helpful guides to knowing your filet mignon (cute little boneless cut of meat).  The first one tells you how to recognize it if it appears on your plate, garnished with flowers (or in your catfood dish,
without garnishes).  The second one shows you what part of the cow it comes from.  It would be very hard for the cat to get to the little green tenderloin part of the cow.  So these Whiskas people have helped cats out by putting filet mignon in their cat food.  What nice people.  (What would the cat do with a flower anyway?  Put it behind his ear?)

Catfood song, by King Crimson

Here we have a catfood song from the past.  After King Alaskan Crab, King Crimson.

Seared Ahi--what it is and isn't

This is what seared ahi tuna looks like.  It is not what "Whiskas" seared ahi in meaty juices looks like.  Despite the enticing menu description language, intended to "entice" cat owners, this flavor looks much like the other flavors ("filet mignon,"  "King Alaskan Crab") and has much the same texture:  brown, with an aspic-ish gel encasing it.  Perhaps the fish ones are a little pinker, the beef and turkey ones a little browner.  But it's a question of hue rather than color.  Nonetheless, this type of food hearkens back to the 

now defunct Sheba brand which was a favorite of Cosmo's in the early millennium.  And if Cosmo likes it, that's what's important.

No rabbit, please

 
So when Cosmo turned up his nose at the two buck rabbit (buck rabbit?) Instinct cat food, I decided to buy a few containers of "Whiskas" and back off on free range pumpkin and pea Peking Ducken organic high price food for awhile.  Not that he isn't worth it, but if he won't eat it what's the point?  it's only attracting insect interest (even with  a moat of dish detergent around it)  So back to smelly brown gel enhanced "in meaty juices" food.  Classic amorphous paté.  He approves of this.

only available by prescription?

Well, despite the prescription diet's designation of this for obese or diabetic cats, his highness consented to lick at it.  In the meantime we discovered a fact that will amaze every cat lover:  a cat will eat still warm fresh white meat roast chicken!  The m/d prescription diet says it requires a prescription from a vet, but I was able to purchase it at the local vet w/o any questions asked.  Let the record show that cosmo is neither obese nor diabetic.  The vet says he is "just right."  principal ingredients in this one are pork fat, pork liver, and soy protein.  there's a little corn starch too.  Tends to break apart a little too much for cosmo's liking.  He's vigorous today:  jumping up on the sink, chairs, table.  No vomiting--yet.  (paws  crossed)

best feline friends--tuna and chicken chuckles

I've been veering away from fish flavored foods (f.f.f.s?) since Cosmo has himself veered away from liking them, but this one has some chicken, so I thought it might pass muster.  And it did more or less, perhaps because it had more of the firm texture he likes.  Or maybe he likes the cute picture??  though it seems marketed toward female humans....  He is reminding me by a slight pawing of the ankles that if he is to be my muse and accompany me in my insomniac musings, he'll need a snack...  He still is responding to this mixture, with tuna, water and chicken as the first three ingredients.  It advertises itself as "natural" and made in a human food factory.  No grain.  I'm trying not to be swayed by marketing bullshit, but all the little pictures and pawprints and things appeal to my inner crazy cat lady.

pumpkin in cat food?

Cosmo showed mild interest in this flavor, which calls itself "Steak Frites."  It isn't the consistency he likes, but evidently the peas and suchlike didn't entirely put him off.  The description of it is a bit chichi for my taste:For all you French lovers out there . . . even the finickiest of cats don't turn their nose up at this all beef treat . . . mixed with hearty potatoes, tomatoes and green peas . . . chez magnifique! (GRAIN FREE)

And here are the ingredients

---

Beef, Water Sufficient For Processing Balance, Pumpkin, Tomato, Green Pea, Potato Starch, Sunflower Seed Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3), Ferrous Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Folic Acid

It even advertises itself as having a more desirable consistency than paté, which is precisely

the consistency he prefers, particularly if it has that aspic thing going on.  Not sure I'd get this again...