Saturday, January 15, 2011

Bobby has another guide-cat now

If you remember, I wrote about Bunny being Bobby's "seeing-eye" cat. 
http://www.myanimalcare.org/2010/12/bunny-guide-cat.html

Bobby is 14 years old, is almost blind and has developed quite a few eccentricities which we have been learning to deal with.  For example, his "cue" to eat is when I come home.  It doesn't matter if I come home five times a day.  Every time I come home, Bobby will bounce all over like a little puppy and rush to the kitchen to wait for food to be served.  He doesn't seem to remember when he had last eaten, so he relies on this "cue". 

Over the last few weeks, we noticed that Cow (Bunny's brother) has also become another guide-cat to Bobby...not to guide him around, but to make him eat! 

Cow guides Bobby to his food bowl for every meal.  We've noticed that if Cow is not around, no matter how hard we try, Bobby just refuses to eat.  He would wait until Cow comes, then together, they will share the food.  That seems to be the only way to make Bobby eat.  While he would go to the kitchen to wait for food, he will not eat until Cow comes and shares the food with him!

Take a look...

Bunny, the seeing-eye cat, is around to make sure everything is alright while Cow and Bobby shares the food.  Bunny merely looks on.

Bunny guides Bobby around the house and makes sure he doesn't bump into the furniture too often, but when it comes to eating, it's not Bunny's duty.  Cow takes over. 

Bobby will only eat if Cow eats with him.  If Cow is not around, he would sit at a distance and wait.  It's hard for us to understand this arrangement and exactly what is going on in Bobby's mind, but we're glad Cow can make him eat!

So, Bunny is Bobby's "seeing-eye" cat while Cow is Bobby's....."eating-mouth" cat?

Whatever it is, Bobby has two guide-cats now.  What more can a blind dog ask for?