If you’ve ever asked the internet for pet advice, you already know how this story is going to go.
Poor Beans recently had dental surgery and had four teeth removed, which means she’s currently stuck on a two-week soft food diet while she heals. Anyone who owns a picky cat knows this can quickly turn into a full-time job. One minute they love a food, the next minute they stare at it like you served them a plate of hot garbage from the dumpster behind a gas station.
So naturally, I did what most exhausted pet parents do these days — I asked Instagram for suggestions.
Simple enough, right?
Wrong.
Apparently, according to some people online, I committed a terrible crime by feeding Beans grocery store wet food for a few days while trying to figure out what she would actually eat after surgery. You would have thought I announced I was feeding her rat poison and drywall scraps instead of trying to keep calories in a healing cat.
Here’s the thing people seem to forget about social media: real life exists outside of perfectly curated pet content. You can see the Instagram post here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYBNwzctRf8/?igsh=bXF0NGhsZGl1Zm5m
I didn’t have time to run to a specialty pet store this weekend. Between work, daycare life, kids, family responsibilities, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of a recovering cat, I grabbed a variety of wet foods from the grocery store hoping at least one would tempt Beans into eating. My goal wasn’t to create the world’s most elite feline tasting menu. My goal was to make sure my sore, grumpy, drugged-up tortie actually ate something.
And honestly? Fed is better than starving.
That doesn’t mean I don’t care about quality food. It means I’m a normal person doing the best I can during a busy week while caring for a pet recovering from surgery.
The internet can be wild sometimes. You ask for recommendations and suddenly you’re getting lectures, judgment, ingredient breakdowns, and dramatic warnings about foods your grandparents probably fed cats for 20 years straight.
What people didn’t see was:
Me sleeping beside Beans after surgery to monitor her.
Crushing myself with worry over her pain.
Giving her medication on schedule.
Keeping her away from hard crunchies.
Setting up pet stairs so she wouldn’t jump.
Watching her every move while she recovered.
Spending hundreds on dental work because I love her deeply.
But yes… apparently the biggest issue was the temporary grocery store pâté.
Thankfully, mixed in with the criticism were some genuinely kind and helpful people who actually answered the question I asked. I received suggestions for softer textures, gravy-heavy foods, senior formulas, mousse-style foods, and brands that worked well for other cats recovering from dental surgery. Those comments were incredibly helpful, and I’ll definitely be picking up some new options this weekend to see what Princess Beans approves of.
Because if there’s one thing cat owners know, it’s this:
Cats are tiny furry dictators with extremely strong opinions.
One day Beans loves chicken.
The next day chicken is offensive.
One texture is acceptable at 9 AM but disgusting by dinner.
And somehow the expensive food always gets rejected first.
At the end of the day, this experience reminded me of something important: social media can be amazing for support and recommendations, but it can also make people forget there’s a human being on the other side of the screen.
Most pet owners are trying their best. We love our animals like family. Sometimes life gets busy, sometimes plans don’t go perfectly, and sometimes the only available option for a few days is what’s on the shelf at the local grocery store.
And honestly? That’s okay.
Beans is healing, getting spoiled rotten, demanding endless cuddles, and slowly figuring out which soft foods meet her very high standards. Hopefully by this weekend we’ll have a few new favorites to add to the rotation… assuming Her Royal Tortieness approves.
Have you ever been judged online for something completely harmless? Or do you have a picky pet with ridiculous food standards? Tell me I’m not alone.
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