AboutAli Expertise I cannot offer medical advice, after all, I am not a veterinarian! I can help you introduce your resident cat to your new feline friend. I can offer suggestions on dealing with common behavioral issues. If you are wondering how to choose the best food to feed your feline friend I would recommend that you do your own research. Things aren't always as they seem when it comes to the pet food industry, and doing your own research allows you to be sure you are providing the best nutrition possible your cat. I can help you understand your cat's basic needs so that you can meet them. Cats must have interaction and stimulation. Being able to train your cat means finding out what motivates them. Cats all vary in personality, energy level and intelligence just as people do. An intelligent, high energy cat with a mischievous personality must be kept occupied or they will make their own fun even if you aren't fond of their choice of entertainment. I have fostered several cats and kittens. I have experience in dealing with some special needs cats including helping to regain the trust of abused and abandoned cats. I have rescued a number of strays and I can offer tips on how to trap, neuter, vaccinate and release cats in feral colonies and rehabilitate strays to find them loving forever homes. Currently I own 3 cats ranging in age from 3 to 9 years of age. My oldest cat has ongoing kidney issues so I`m willing to offer limited suggestions on this topic. For behavioral issues that I lack experience in I am willing to consult the staff at my family veterinary clinic, however I am unable to provide medical advice so if you have a cat that is ill/injured my advice is always the same: get prompt medical treatment administered by a qualified vet.
Experience I have fostered feral and stray cats, rehabilitated and homed the cats that most people recommended euthanasia for. I am the proud pet guardian of three wonderful cats. I am willing to make an effort to do the research and ask questions because I care enough to find solutions to behavioral problems rather than giving up.
Question QUESTION: We got maggie as a kitten, whichwe always have with all the others. But she has never calmed down, she runs away all the time, and acts like we are abusive! We have three other cats and they are all sociable. Maggie loves the male cat but hates the females if they mess with her. She does need to be fixed, but I do not think that that is the reason. I have never had a cat like her before, and I have had many.
We also have Tora, who is very moody. She needs to be fixed as well, but loves us to death. She has eye goopies and sneezes a lot. I know I need to go to the vet, I just want to know if there is anything I can do.
ANSWER: Rachel,
It is important to realize that just like people all cats have different personalities. It's quite possible that Maggie is just naturally flighty and shy. Just as not all people are comfortable with every situation, not every cat is social. You can attempt to stack the deck by socializing a cat or kitten to the point that they aren't uncomfortable with new situations, sudden movements or loud noises. Maggie may be a more submissive cat than you have owned in the past. As a cat owner it is difficult to obtain an accurate history on any cat or kitten that you bring into your home. There are many possible reasons for Maggie to be more fearful and shy than you are used to. It's possible that Maggie may have been yelled at or handled roughly by young children in her first home. It's also possible that Maggie may have been traumatized her by an accident like being stepped on or shut in a door prior living with you. Different cats respond differently to these circumstances. If Maggie lived in a house with small children or people who spoke loudly or yelled at each other it's possible that she feels intimidated by loud noise or people who are new to her environment. Regardless of what her past holds or what her phobias are it is possible to at least take the edge off of her shyness. Patience is a valuable tool when working with a cat that is on the timid side. Prior to starting to work with Maggie in an effort to change the fearful behavior I recommend that you take time to see what normal behavior is in all of your cats and how they interact with each other. I normally write out a list of things that a fearful cat reacts to. You may find some of the answers that you are looking for within a week or so of observing the way that Maggie interacts with the other cats and her environment. If your cats are fed meals rather than free choice it would be wise to take some time and watch their behavior. If she is being bullied that may explain her anxiety. It is a good idea to realize that no matter how much you work with Maggie you will never be able to prevent her from being fearful. With a bit of time and patience you can change the Maggie's reactions to her fear and anxiety. It is important to realize that working through these issues will not be an overnight cure.
Before you start off any work with Maggie I would suggest that she be seen by your family vet and examined thoroughly including blood and urine panels to rule out the possibility that a medical problem may be causing or contributing to the behavior that you have seen. Once you have ruled out any medical causes for Maggie's anxiety you can start to work with her. It isn't uncommon for cats who were initially improperly introduced to resident cats within a household to develop behavioral issues ranging from fighting to becoming very timid. In my opinion it is worth taking some time to reintroduce Maggie to your household. You may notice a substantial shift in her demeanor once she is separated from the group. It is quite possible that if Maggie was introduced to your resident cats as a kitten by just placing her onto the floor and letting her have the run of the house the older cats may ganged up on her to communicate her position within the household hierarchy.
Cats have long memories, but they do live in the here and now most of the time. The most important thing is that you don't become angry or frustrated with Maggie, cats sense emotions and she may think that there is a reason to be fearful. Your best bet is to be relaxed, calm, patient, gentle and firm with any interaction that you have with Maggie while you are working on her fears. Go into the situation with a clear head and always end any exercise on a positive note. It would be best to remove the possibility that another cat in the household is bullying Maggie and adding to any natural submissive tenancies. I would suggest that you separate Maggie from the other cats and provide her with food, water, a bed, a litter box and toys. You may notice that Maggie becomes less reactive when the other cats can't pick on her and she feels less threatened by loud noises and visitors to your home. It is very important to make sure that Maggie has all of the regular kitty amenities. It is important to spend time with Maggie several times daily and that you work consistently with her fearful reactions. You may be very surprised at what can be accomplished in a reasonably short period of time. I have found that the most effective way to work with a timid or submissive cat is to be patient and consistent. I don't recommend that you go into the rehabilitation process with expectations, every cat is different and some progress faster than others. It is important to celebrate the small victories and not allow any times that Maggie's behavior plateaus or regresses to frustrate you. When you are trying to modify fearful or shy tenancies it is always best to allow the cat to come to you. You may see a substantial improvement in Maggie's behavior once she is isolated from her more dominant "siblings". When you start working with Maggie it is important to keep a few things in mind. It's okay for her to hide under a bed or somewhere dimly lit and quiet where she feels safe.
In my experience avoiding direct eye contact, being quiet, patient and maintaining non-threatening body language generally works well with fearful, anxious and even feral cats. It is normal for cats to be curious especially when they are peeking out from their hiding place and they realize that you are ignoring them. I have found that making yourself smaller and less intimidating by sitting or laying down on the floor and doing a quiet activity such as reading, crocheting, or doing crossword puzzles makes cats from varied situations feel safer. For instance, have you ever noticed that when people visit your home the cats are more likely to go and hang out on the lap of the person who is allergic to them rather than the cat lover? The reason for this is that the person who isn't fond of having cats on or beside them actually attracts them by ignoring them. On the other hand the cat lover gives direct eye contact and some even go to the cat and pet them. Cats prefer to go and sit with someone or get attention on their own terms. In other words the best way to win a cat over is by ignoring her and allowing her to come investigate you on her own terms. The same principal applies to a cat who is submissive, fearful or anxious. I understand that it will be difficult for you to put Maggie on ignore, but it actually serves a couple of purposes. By allowing Maggie to come to you on her own terms and being the first to seek out affection and attention she will become more confident over time. I have found that rehabilitating cats who are anxious varies in terms of the time that it takes. Using things that keep you distracted while you wait for Maggie to come and touch you allows you to take your focus off of the amount of time that has passed.
The old cliche about curiosity killing the cat is somewhat true. Because cats are very territorial any changes in their environment will be noticed and eventually Maggie will have to check the new approach out. Some cats will approach you a number of times before they touch you, on the flip side some cats will take two or three weeks in severe cases to get within arm's reach. When Maggie finally gets comfortable enough to start rubbing against you it would be best to avoid petting her. By allowing Maggie to rub her face on you she is marking you with her scent and essentially communicating that she accepts you as part of her territory. Scent marking isn't something that a super anxious cat does, it is a sign that Maggie feels more comfortable and that she accepts you. I have found that the best way to reinforce the behaviors that you are looking for by using special treats that your cats wouldn't normally get such as cooked chicken, fish or beef. Cats are very smart and once they understand the connection between the treat and the behavior things will progress rapidly.
Cats have a great sense of hearing (unless they are deaf of course). Since there are so many loud noises in day to day life especially in urban areas it may be worth trying to desensitize Maggie to loud noises such as thunder, a car backfiring. Sounds that prompt typically prompt Maggie to slink off and find a good hiding spot will be the most effective. Some pet stores sell desensitization CDs, but the ones that I have found are geared towards dogs. I have found it simpler, cheaper and more effective to record loud noises that increase anxiety in Maggie and burn your own CD. The best way to help Maggie to become less reactive to loud noises it is important that you start by the CD very quietly. Over time Maggie will become more comfortable with each volume level. You will want to slowly increase the volume and amount of time that Maggie is exposed to the sound CD daily which will help Maggie to cope with loud noises.
With plenty of patience and a commitment to work with Maggie for approximately 3 months she should show substantial improvement. I haven't seen the extent of the levels of fear and anxiety that Maggie has so I can't offer anything more than a worst case scenario in terms of how long this process will take. I would recommend that you work on desensitizing Maggie in a quiet spot in the house. It's okay to allow Maggie to run and hide so that she feels safe. It isn't a good idea to pay attention to Maggie if she is acting fearful because you may actually be reinforcing behaviors that you don't want to see from Maggie. It's best to ignore the behaviors that you don't want and use treats and praise to reward desirable behaviors, but be sure that you don't yell at Maggie or spank her. Cats that have been swatted or yelled at because they have misbehaved rarely understand why. In my experience cats typically associate human beings with fear. If you are patient and consistent with Maggie things will turn around, it will take time but it is well worth every minute in my opinion. On average cats that I have fostered tend to take a reasonably short period of time to turn around in these situations. Since Maggie has a history of reacting to things that frighten her by running away it is wise to make sure that she has access to places to hide and food, water, litter, etc are placed in different locations throughout the house which will minimize Maggie's chances for being bullied. It wouldn't be a bad idea to place food, water close to Maggie's normal hiding spot and put a litter box close by as well but not closer than about 10 feet away from the food. I usually recommend that you try having one set of food and water bowls as well as litter boxes per cat plus one in multiple cat households. Be sure that you don't have food and water dishes too close to litter boxes as this can result in litter box avoidance because cats don't like to eat where they eliminate.
Cats live in a structured hierarchy which allows the more dominant cats to eat first, play first and even get attention from their humans before the submissive members of the household. The top cat in your household will enforce his position by wrestling with the less dominant cats in your home. If you have one food dish or litter box that all of the cats share the more dominant cats have been known to bully more submissive cats in order to maintain their status. People tend not to think in terms of hierarchy, for many people meals,toys and treats are dispensed without considering a cat's place within the household. In a situation like this it is important that the more dominant cats are prevented from bullying Maggie. The best way to do this is to give food, treats and toys to the cats from the most dominant to the more submissive cats. This will help to prevent territorial disputes that the cats will get into to reinforce their position within the family. I would suggest that you try feeding Maggie separately from the more dominant cats so that she gets enough to eat.
I have found that cats who are timid can sometimes be uncomfortable with the prospect of using the litter box. If you are using the standard open litter pans it may be a good idea to consider purchasing a covered box for Maggie so there is only one entrance so that she can feel safer using the toilet knowing that she can't be ambushed by the other cats.
If Maggie is still anxious then it may be worth trying a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences that works quite well to settle cats who are anxious down. I would recommend a dosage of about 10 drops in fresh water each morning. To be sure that Maggie is getting the Rescue Remedy you can choose to dilute it with water in an oral syringe and give it directly to her. Rescue Remedy by itself isn't something that I would recommend that you give because it is suspended in grape alcohol which cats aren't particularly fond of. You can usually find Rescue Remedy in natural health/health food stores. It is very safe and is used by some vets worldwide to treat anxiety or even shock in addition to or instead of conventional treatments. If Maggie's anxiety doesn't improve it may be worthwhile to talk with your family vet about other options to help Maggie be less uncomfortable. There are medications that your vet can prescribe for Maggie. It is important that you realize that the medications prescribed are often small doses of human anti-anxiety/anti-depressant medications and using them is not without risk or side effects. Your vet can also refer Maggie to an animal behaviorist who may have more suggestions on how to change her anxiety levels.
As for Tora, it's possible that her moodiness is simply a personality trait. Since you didn't provide information about the vaccine status of the cats I am concerned about the sneezing and gooey eyes that you mentioned. It is not uncommon for a cat to sneeze from time to time, but you mentioned that this happens a lot. It is quite possible that the sneezing is due to an upper respiratory infection. If your cats haven't been properly vaccinated there is a chance that the upper respiratory symptoms and eye discharge could be from a simple viral or bacterial infection, but there is the potential that something as serious as distemper is going on. I would recommend that you isolate Tora in a room by herself (with food, water, litter, toys and a bed of course) so that the other cats can be protected if her infection is contagious. I am also concerned that the discharge that you describe from Tora's eyes could be conjunctivitis (an eye infection) which is highly contagious and can be passed between cats and people. A good precaution is to be sure to wash your hands in between cleaning the goo from Tora's eyes. I would also recommend that you wash your hands between touching Tora and the other cats to try and prevent the infection from spreading. It is possible that the symptoms you mention are nothing serious, but it is best to always assume the worst until you are told otherwise by a qualified vet.
Spaying and neutering is a very important aspect of routine medical care which prevents common behavioral issues that can mean that cats are admitted to shelter systems or euthanised for behavioral reasons. In addition to the behavioral issues spaying and neutering prevents medical issues like cancers or infections of the ovaries, uterus, testicles, prostate and mammary glands. Because cats are very territorial they can be quite competitive which can lead to fighting between cats in a household and result in serious injury and expensive vet bills. One of the most common behavioral issues that vets and shelters typically see in cats who haven't been spayed or neutered and result in tens of thousands of cats being euthanised yearly is using urine and/or feces to mark their territory. Another unpleasant behavior that is frequently seen in cats who haven't been altered is howling and caterwauling from female cats to advertise their availability to mate and fighting and caterwauling in the males for the right to mate with the female cats..
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QUESTION: Maggie was a kitten we got from an old couple. They were very friendly and quiet. As for picking her up, I can't. She will not let me get that close unless I sneak up on her. She lets me get closer than anyone else but she is very aware of where I am at all times, and she hates the kids and my fiance but all the cats do, I do not blame them. I can talk to Maggie when is meowing. She does not like the others, though they do play at night, and I think it is because they are all female. I just got foofy fixed because she was marking her teritory everywhere. But Maggie loves Ruffus, our male cat, he is fixed and has a laid back almost sleepy personality. They all love him. So any thing that I could do to even attempt to catch Maggie to give her those drops or go to the vet would be greatly appreciated. It is so bad I think a tranquilizer would be appropriate, not seriously but that bad. Maggie has started to come out more since we moved, and loves to play with the lazer, but when the females run into each other they hiss and smack. I stop them any time I see it. But Maggie used to sit with me at the old house and it has taken her a long time to come around but she has always been shy. I feel bad for her, she rarely comes out of the basement.
Answer Rachel,
The drops of Rescue Remedy are safe to put in fresh water daily in the water bowl where Maggie will be sure to get some throughout the day. Rescue Remedy is very safe and wont negatively affect Maggie or your other cats. I would suggest that you try this prior to trying tranquilizers or anti-anxiety/anti-depressant medications available by prescription as these treatments require you to be able to handle your cat and administer medication to her daily.
It is also worth mentioning that the move may have created some extra anxiety since you mention that you have recently moved. I wouldnt rule out the possibility that Maggie was exposed to loud children in her previous home simply because her previous owners were elderly. Grandchildren and other young relatives may have been regular visitors. Sadly the fact that Maggies previous owners were elderly doesnt rule out the possibility that she may have been slapped or swatted for misbehaving.
The best suggestion that I have to get Maggie comfortable with being handled is to use positive reinforcement to reward her for coming out of her shell. A a special treat like meat and broth baby foods (or meat that you have pureed and cooked) can also act as a powerful motivation to seek out attention as well as allowing you to touch and handle her. It is much cheaper to pureed your own meats and freeze them in small portion sizes using an ice cube tray. Once the meat cubes are frozen you can remove them from the ice cube tray and store them in a ziploc bag. It is important that you dont push Maggie too quickly. Using Rescue Remedy may help to alleviate her serious anxiety levels. Patience is key in situations like this. I would still recommend that you try getting down to Maggies level and allowing her to come to you. Once Maggie comes to you it is important to reward her. Rewarding a fearful cat for coming to you is a good start towards using positive reinforcement to reward Maggie for allowing you to handle her....You may want to ask your vet for a referral to an animal behaviorist that is able to actually watch Maggies behavior and help you to set up a program to modify her behavior using positive reinforcement. I wouldnt recommend that you allow anyone to say that Maggie is a hopeless case or that euthanasia is the only treatment option. I have personal experience working with shy, abused, stray and feral cats. If you are patient and you dont rush things you will be surprised at what you can accomplish with Maggie...Rehabilitating Maggie may take several months of working with her for an hour or two a day....The Rescue Remedy should help to get things started. I hope that this information helps. If you have any further questions, concerns or you would simply like to send an update or photo my way, please dont hesitate to contact me again.
