Expert: Ali - 1/30/2012

Question
QUESTION: I have a 10 year old cat that I rescued from the humane society 5 years ago. 3 years ago I brought in 2 brother kittens and they all got along fine. I also rescued other cats that I did not keep, but doing that I ended up with a bad flea problem. The 3 cats now have  fleas and I'm treating them for it. for a little while I had them in the basement just until the fleas were a little bit more controlled. I let them up 2 weeks ago and everything was fine. Then a couple of days ago my brother brought over my 9 month old nephew and after they left my older cat started grolwing and hissing pretty badly at the other 2 cats. All my cats are fixed and haven't had problems in the past. What is causing her to act like this and will it go away?

ANSWER: Jen,

I think I'd like to know a bit more about the situation before I form an opinion and give any information or advice... If I understand you correctly the cats were living in the basement while you dealt with a flea infestation, they've been treated and are now allowed full run of the house. There are a few things that I'm left wondering about...

- I'm wondering whether the visit from your brother and baby nephew somehow stressed your older kitty - have your cats met the baby prior to this incident?

- How exactly did things play out while your brother and the baby were over? Were there changes in the kitty's routine that led up to this visit or happened during this visit?

- Did the baby spend time playing with/bugging the cats, in particular the kitty who has suddenly begun hissing at the other cats?

- When was the last time that your kitty was evaluated by your family veterinarian as far as her medical status goes? (ie: blood tests, urine screening, full physical check up)

- Were the cats being treated for fleas with over the counter products or products available by prescription from your family veterinarian? (this does make a difference because there have been serious issues in recent years with toxicity in over the counter flea products where cats are concerned)

- Is your group of kitties used to the comings and goings of family and the noise, disruption to their routines and increase in activity that these visits bring?

- Were your other two kitties handled quite a bit by your visitors while the older kitty hid or stayed out of reach?

Hopefully the answers to these questions will help me to gain a fuller understanding of this situation so that I can be of more help to you and your kitties. I look forward to hearing the answers to these questions and I'm glad to help with any questions or concerns that you might have.

Kind regards,

Ali

-

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for getting back to me right away. The flea problem has not gone away, but it's getting better. I use prescription medication for the fleas and it's helping alot. It is not the first time my baby nephew has seen the cat, but he was trying to pet her and my other cats. She's not a cuddly cat but she didn't run away from the baby when he tried petting her. This behaviour is so out of the blue and I wonder if it's old age kicking in. Nothing's changed and all of my cats act the same when people come and go. They're nervous at first but then slowly make their way into wherever everyone is. She was evaluated 5 years ago when I got her from the humane society. I have a 6 year old daughter who mauls the 2 brothers to death and the older cat likes to rub up on her and be pet. She's very loud and the cats are fine with it. If my daughter is to loud they'll just leave the room. The older cat just in't a snuggly cat so she doesn't get as much attention as the other 2 but she like it that way. She wants you to give her a couple of pets and then leave her alone. I hope this helps. Email me back whenever you have some time. Thank you

Answer
Jen,

My first suggestion would be to have your kitty evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible to determine whether there are any underlying medical issues. Five years is a long time to go without a check up! A lot can change in that time. If your kitty isn't feeling well there's a good chance that she's kind of cranky - after all when we aren't feeling well we definitely aren't at our best!

Once medical issues are ruled out we can then look at behavioural causes of your kitty's sudden hissing and grumbling. I hope that this information helps.

Kind regards,

Ali