Back in 2007, we moved to Montana from West Virginia and not too long after settling in, we got a couple of cats, Pandora and Thor. Now, they're not brother and sister, but grew up together as kittens and were very close. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, we had to move back to WV, and naturally took the cats with us.
Fast forward to 2013. We'd bought a home a year prior, and got the kitties all settled in. Everything was going beautifully. In December, we adopted a little kitten (Apollo) from the shelter. Other than aggravating Pandora a bit, he fit in fine. Thor was such a chill cat, he really didn't care who was in the house, as long as they pet him.
A couple of months later, Thor got very sick. He was a bit overweight and had stopped eating. We knew he wasn't feeling well, and it turned out he had Feline Hepatic Lipidosis (liver disease). If treated early, it can be cured, and Thor's numbers were improving. However, in April of 2014 it was just too much for his body and he passed away.
Needless to say, we were devastated. But I think Pandora is permanently scarred from his loss. Because of his disease and the way we had to feed him (through a tube), we had to keep him separated from the other cats. So he was downstairs in our family room for several months, getting regular feedings around the clock and lots of companionship. But because Pandora never saw him, I think she feels like either we got rid of him, or we did something to cause him to die, because her behavior has been just crazy in the months since we lost Thor.
For example, we have 3 litter boxes. Cleaned every day. But she will pee on cushions, blankets, anything soft. We took her to the vet and she doesn't have any medical problems. I don't know if she's doing that because she's angry about the loss of Thor, or because she thinks we replaced him with Apollo, or what the problem is. I've got some Feliway that I can spray but I don't know what good it will do.
I want to help her, but every time I try to get near her, she usually runs. I think she feels like "she's next" and I would NEVER do anything to hurt her or any of my pets. I love them all so much, but I really think she has been traumatized.
What can I do to help her poor soul?
Fast forward to 2013. We'd bought a home a year prior, and got the kitties all settled in. Everything was going beautifully. In December, we adopted a little kitten (Apollo) from the shelter. Other than aggravating Pandora a bit, he fit in fine. Thor was such a chill cat, he really didn't care who was in the house, as long as they pet him.
A couple of months later, Thor got very sick. He was a bit overweight and had stopped eating. We knew he wasn't feeling well, and it turned out he had Feline Hepatic Lipidosis (liver disease). If treated early, it can be cured, and Thor's numbers were improving. However, in April of 2014 it was just too much for his body and he passed away.
Needless to say, we were devastated. But I think Pandora is permanently scarred from his loss. Because of his disease and the way we had to feed him (through a tube), we had to keep him separated from the other cats. So he was downstairs in our family room for several months, getting regular feedings around the clock and lots of companionship. But because Pandora never saw him, I think she feels like either we got rid of him, or we did something to cause him to die, because her behavior has been just crazy in the months since we lost Thor.
For example, we have 3 litter boxes. Cleaned every day. But she will pee on cushions, blankets, anything soft. We took her to the vet and she doesn't have any medical problems. I don't know if she's doing that because she's angry about the loss of Thor, or because she thinks we replaced him with Apollo, or what the problem is. I've got some Feliway that I can spray but I don't know what good it will do.
I want to help her, but every time I try to get near her, she usually runs. I think she feels like "she's next" and I would NEVER do anything to hurt her or any of my pets. I love them all so much, but I really think she has been traumatized.
What can I do to help her poor soul?