Herding Cats at Home - April 2005

Q: My 2-year-old, long haired, red tabby, lost his brother last fall. I think he may have observed the incident, because he began pulling his hair out, literally.

Naturally, I took him to the vet. He has been given shots and steroids to help him stop itching and chewing. (No fleas!) Also, he now receives much more attention. Diet and allergies were considered by the vet, but felt he was properly nourished. Next will be the allergy testing, but we really feel it is stress.

Have you ever heard of this? Is there anything we can do without RX in his regimen? Do you think another kitten would help?

A: Losing a companion cat can, indeed, cause cats to grieve, and their grief quite often takes the form of behaviors like obsessive-compulsive over-grooming. As you surmise, this is a stress reaction. Having observed the "incident" would not in itself have triggered the stress; simply the absence of his companion would be plenty to set off a stress-grief reaction.

A new companion might be a good idea. If you want to go this route, I suggest a pair of kittens, of opposite genders. Two kittens will have the same energy level and will play together and amuse and entertain each other, while also providing a (hopefully) welcome diversion for your older cat, but without putting him under too much extra stress. A single kitten might pester him too much - more than he's ready for. Because your cat is accustomed to feline companionship, and clearly enjoyed it, this might be just the prescription he needs.

I also suggest you ask your veterinarian about putting your cat on a short course of an anxiety-reducing drug. There are safe, effective and inexpensive drugs that are used widely in cats, and very successfully, for stress reduction in a variety of situations. I've used such drugs for my own cats, very successfully. Often, a short course of an anxiety-reducing medication lets a cat get "over the hump" and feel better about whatever's bothering him, so he can return to his old, calmer self.

Although you might be wary about using behavior-modification medications for your cat, I've found that they're sometimes the quickest way to help a cat get over a temporary behavioral glitch of some kind -- and easiest on the cat, too. My goal is always to return a cat to health and happiness in the quickest manner possible, and these drugs are sometimes just the ticket.

Q: I have four house cats, indoors all the time because this neighborhood has about feral and outdoor 30 cats being fed by the lady across the street.

One of my spayed female cats periodically pees on the bed. The room where I feed the cats has a twin bed in it and also two litter boxes. There is a third litter box in another bedroom. Sometimes she pees on the bed every day or so, then she may go several weeks without doing it. I've tried spraying the bed with Feliway, keeping plastic over the bed, even putting aluminum foil across the bed... she pees on top of any or all of that! She also on occasion will pee on one of the beds in the other bedrooms.

One night recently we had house guests... so I slept in the twin bed. She slept beside me most of the night, then about 6AM she walked across my pillow and promptly peed all over my head!!! Now my daughter suggests euthanasia....

Before we moved here (a year ago), we lived out in the country and the cats were outside cats, They slept, ate, and had a litter box in a heated garage. Usually this cat stayed across the road in an old barn, even in cold weather, coming "home" about every other day to eat. (I'm sure she had plenty of mice at the barn). She loves to be brushed and would sit for an hour as long as you keep brushing. Apparently she's trying to tell me something... but our location is just not good for letting her out or building her a place outdoors.

A: I think your cat is, indeed, trying to tell you something - but I suspect that it has nothing to do with wanting to go outdoors. She may be suffering from a low-grade bladder infection, kidney problem, or other elimination-related distress (such as plugged anal sacs) that flares up from time to time. By urinating in such conspicuous locations - and especially by urinating on your head! - she's trying to make extremely sure that you pay attention and do something to help her feel better. (A cat peeing on my head would certainly get MY attention.) I also suspect she took this very extreme step because you haven't shown signs of "hearing her message" yet.

Bladder and related types of distress can be very uncomfortable, painful and frustrating for cats, who are naturally very tidy animals. Please schedule a visit to the veterinarian as quickly as possible to have her thoroughly checked over. Be sure to tell the vet all the urination-related behavior you've observed, and how long it's been going on. Ask the vet to be sure to check her kidney function, bladder, urine and anal sacs.

In the meantime, adding one or more additional litter boxes would be a wise move. With four cats, you should have at least 5 boxes, preferably in at least two different locations. Make sure the boxes are big enough, too. Many commercial "litter boxes" are much to small for adult cats. Instead, get some plastic storage bins (brands include "Rubbermaid" and "Sterilite") - the bigger the better. Get some with high sides (12 inches or so) and some with lover sides (5 inches or so).