Update: Egads...A Food Shortage!

Missing!

We cannot find cans of Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet Venison and Green Pea Formula anywhere!  I normally order from Chewy.com; it's on backorder.  I went to Premier Pet Supply in Beverly Hills, Michigan, and managed to snag their last case of 5.5 oz.  But they had no more (I choose NOT to buy all of the cans on the shelves, but maybe...)  I next drove to two box pet stores in the area, willing to pay their higher prices.  Zip at either.  They have all of the other flavors, but not the one that we feed Chuck and Angel.  Researched a couple of other online pet food websites: they are OUT!

For years, Ingrid King at Conscious Cat has been telling everyone to have more than one kind of cat food, just in case a shortage happens.  I've heard these words, but because we had worked so hard to find a food that Chuck didn't get constipated with, I ignored the advice.  Uh-oh!  We may have to work a new food into their diet NOW.  I've emailed the company, hoping for an estimated date of new batches of this food; we'll see if they answer.

And, we take Chuck to the veterinarian this evening, for an echocardiogram and check up.  We also need refills of all of his five meds.  Chuck's appetite has diminished recently, and we need that trend to turn around lickety split.  Maybe introducing a new food will get Chucky noming like a fiend again!  Maybe we'll make lemonade out of lifes lemons.

P.S. Sweetie and Patty O'Malley came running out of their shelter last night to greet me, in the blowing, freezing wind.  This morning, the sun is out and the air is calm, and they both appear to be in good shape.  Thank you all for your kind words about my annual 'my babies are outside in the cold!' freak out.

UPDATE: Per excellent comment suggestion by It's All About The Cats, I've just called Natural Balance.  Apparently, the venison is sourced from New Zealand, and the demand has outstripped the supply.  There is no clear estimate on when they will have this food available again.  Thank goodness we found that last case of 24 cans, because we will need to start mixing the old with the new VERY SLOWLY.  Sheppard's Alternative Animal Care gave me a list of their preferred holistic cat foods, and I'll find a couple that we will start working with.  Now, where did I put that list?

A Case of Insanity...For a Case, or Two...

So, the nearby pet supplies store had Chucky and Angel's food on sale...$.40 off a can! That's a GREAT SALE!  And now that I've switched Sweetie and Patty to the same brand of food, in the hopes that it helps Patty's scratchy skin problem, I need more cases of that food too.  The photo above does not show ALL of the cases of food that I purchased; there are at least five more inside at this point.  Yes, I went a bit crazy, and when that credit card bill hits the mailbox, I'm gonna be sick!  But I saved a ton of $$, and there is now enough canned cat food in our house to feed a whole army of cats.  40 cents a can...c'mon now!  Crazy like a fox...right?

Chucky doesn't seem to mind one bit...either that I'm crazy, or that he's got plenty of food for the long haul.  That's my boy!

Patty Update: Hard to tell if the new food is making a difference with Patty, since it's only been ten days.  However, he seems to be scratching less around his neck and head.  I last dosed him with die-flea-die stuff on September 9, so I must wait for 30 days (early October) before I try again, either with the same stuff or something else.  I have a plan C too, if I am able to remain patient.

Chuck Update: Neither Chuck nor Angel like the wheat litter; they ignore it.  This morning, I poured their favorite box half with wheat, and half with clumping clay.  When I got home this afternoon, only the 1/2 with clay was used!  Ha!  Takes skill to step around teeny, tiny grains of wheat litter, but my cats did it!  They are quite talented, wouldn't you say?  And no, I didn't snap a photo...you'll just have to take my word for it.