thank you for your reply, and no, your advice was not harsh. we apologize for not getting back to you sooner but have been absorbed with Frida's care and other greatly pressing needs of everyday life. anyhow, she has picked up her appetite, she is stronger and her coat is approaching a normal sheen.

following this original post, we did not wait for a reply but went and took her to the vet the day after. the vet said that her weight, demeanor and body shape were all normal. her impression was that her troubles were more behavioral due to stress from food competition with the sister and that we should give them a holistic additive to both of their food bowls to put them at ease. this worked for almost a week and then the two of them both rejected all wet food entirely with the calming drops added. once, removed, they'd eat.

we purchased a bitter apple spray and applied it to the exposed pipes and insulation, which greatly helped to keep her off. we weren't too sure about this happening due to nutrient digestion problems as you had speculated because her stool was always normal and she always ate dry food. the licking came always when she felt that it was futile to continue eating when sister was pushing her away.

we noticed that Frida does eat s-l-o-w-l-y and is choosey about wet food. a method of feeding her exclusively from the can w/ fork or spoon works. after a while sister Nina's jealousy comes into play and after spell, they both get their 1/2 to 3/4 can per meal. ironically, there are little to no issues or drama with dry food. we do not want to go exclusively to a dry diet for them because of the health benefits of the wet food (we're feeding Eagle Pack; they both reject Wellness kitten formula). when we are out for extended hours during the day, they'll have nothing but dry. when they get the rare Iams kitten wet formula, there is little trouble but we really don't want to feed them with the quality of food containing artificial and low grade ingredients. please let us know if you think of another method.

so thank you so much for your firm insight and assistance with our problem. so long as Frida is taking her food in her inimitable way, continues to stay off the metal and also maintains her growth within range, we'll stay optimistic and keep you posted should another crisis arise.

have a great rest-of-the-weekend, PHMadameAlto.

--claudiayjeff

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