Expert: Norman Auspitz - 12/7/2011

Question
I adopted a shy cat from a shelter in September. The shelter said she was 1 1/2 and my vet said she was a year old. Her ear is 'clipped' which  my vet told me is what they do to feral cats when they are fixed. She was very shy and timid and it took a bit for her to come out of her shell, and when she did she was wonderful. She is very well behaved, well mannered, never jumped on furniture or counters, never scratched anything except for her scratching post. I couldn't believe that she had been an outdoor cat she is so well behaved. We had a set routine of when I wake I feed her (slightly more than a 1/4 of a cup) and we pet/play. After I get home from work I feed her the same amount and we pet/play for a bit. Over the last few weeks though her behavior has started to change. Now she is immediately devouring her food when I set it out, as opposed to before when she ate is slowly at her leisure. At times I even have to move her head out of the way so I can put food in the bowl. Sometimes I fear she will get sick because she is eating is so quickly, so I have to almost drag her away from her bowl to give her a 'breather'. The vet had recommended 3/4 cup of food a day so I'm not underfeeding her. She has also become increasingly needy, to the point where she is waking me up at night by continuously nudging my face. Until this week she has always always slept on my bed at my feet (never coming above my knees).
I'm just concerned about the sudden changes in behavior. Thanks for your time and anything you have to offer!

Answer
Claire,

Most sudden behavioral changes can be tracked to medical issues or a change in the environment..  So, the first order of business is to have a vet check.  I would also have the vet chedk the thyroids and her hormone levels.

With all due respect to the Trap, Test, Netuer/Spay, Vaccinate, Release programs, I have known of instances where the spay job was rather "quick", and, sometimes, the vet did not get "everything" removed. In this case, the female may still be hormonal and can come into season. In addition, if someone in the household is using some kind of hormne based cream and the female licks it, she can also become hormonal. There are many other possible explanations for her behavior, so a vet check is necessary.

If there has been a new addition to the household (4 l4gged or 2 legged), this may also explain these behaviors (but I tend to doubt it).

Please let me know what you find out.

Best regards... Norm.