One can a day · Sanmu Memoir 004

Sanmu has one can of food every day, costing about five yuan. I remember this, and so does Sanmu. At four or five in the morning, if I am awake, I often hear meowing: a reminder of today's serving.

Buying food for the cat was not always this straightforward, though.

On the whole, Sanmu is not particularly fussy. Treat tubes and canned food are usually welcome, especially the cans. The food I eat does not attract the same curiosity; Sanmu rarely comes over to join in. After getting a cat, I found that a good thing. At least I did not have to keep worrying about it eating something it should not.

What really left me uncertain was the dry food eaten every day.

Sometimes I bought a large bag, opened it, and watched Sanmu eat a few mouthfuls. I thought, perhaps I had chosen the right one this time. But when I poured it out the next day, it was no longer so welcome. I do not know whether it was fresher just after opening or whether there was another reason. The food was from the same bag, but yesterday's few mouthfuls could not guarantee that Sanmu would still like it today.

Trial packs were the same. Eating a small packet happily did not mean Sanmu would keep eating it once I bought a large bag. Over the years, quite a lot of dry food has gone to waste. That was what made me most uncertain: even after seeing the cat eat it, I still could not confidently buy a big bag. A few mouthfuls today could not promise every meal to come.

When Sanmu was little, I heard that it was best to introduce different foods rather than let a cat recognize only one. In those years, I changed the dry food roughly once a year. Looking back, I never really tested whether that advice was right for Sanmu. Some advice sounds very reasonable, but I cannot be sure whether it comes from experience or from sellers hoping you will buy a little more.

With your first cat, you naturally hope someone will tell you the answers. What to buy, how to feed it: just tell me what to do. But once you actually live together, you discover that something another household's cat eats happily still needs trying again in your own. They may all be cats, but their tastes are not necessarily the same.

Later, in 2020, Sanmu had a urinary blockage. After that, getting more water into the cat became something I cared about very much. Sanmu did not like drinking much, and I did not want another problem. Canned food has more moisture than dry food, and Sanmu enjoyed it. That was how one can a day became a fixed habit.

The dry food has also stayed largely the same over the past few years: a Royal Canin prescription food for urinary issues. One can each day, alongside dry food, is an arrangement Sanmu accepts, with a fairly good appetite. At this age, I do not much want to keep going through the upheaval of choosing different foods.

Six years have passed since that blockage, without the same problem recurring. More moisture may have helped, though of course I cannot credit all of that to one can of food. I have simply watched how Sanmu has been doing over the years and kept an arrangement that works for this cat.

Some friends do not often feed their cats canned food. Cost may be part of it, or they may have their own habits. I think every household has its circumstances. Sanmu had a urinary blockage and does not drink much, so I am willing to keep that daily can. In the end, it is a choice based on Sanmu's situation.

I used to buy a bag of food hoping I had finally chosen correctly. Now that both the dry food and the cans are settled, I care more about whether Sanmu is willing to eat and how the appetite is. Seeing the food still enjoyed feels good. Over time, many of the questions I originally wanted to settle have acquired a specific subject: will this cat eat this food? Does this particular care suit this cat? What I can share is simply the process of coming to know Sanmu, little by little.

Of course, Sanmu still gives that daily can plenty of thought.

Over the past few years, I have often woken at four or five in the morning. Sanmu meows around that time too. I cannot say whether the cat naturally wakes early or has gradually become familiar with my schedule. As I remember it, if I am still asleep, the meowing does not usually wake me.

Being awake does not mean I want to get up straight away. If I ignore Sanmu, a few meows come after a while, then a few more. This can go on intermittently for perhaps half an hour. If I still have not got up, Sanmu jumps onto the bed, lies down, and goes back to sleep beside me.

Perhaps all that meowing is tiring, I sometimes think. A moment ago, there was one call after another. A little later, the cat is already lying on the bed asleep beside me. The can is still unopened, but I have gained a cat at my side. A morning that began with food on Sanmu's mind has acquired a little extra time sleeping together.

The daily can will still be opened. Sometimes, it can just wait a little longer.