Do you believe cats mirror your emotional state?

rubsluts'mommy

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Mods, feel free to move this to behavior, if you feel it's better there...

(baring bits and pieces of my soul here... not something I typically do)

Do you think our cats feed off of/mirror our feelings/emotions? Here's why I ask:

As some here may know I've been dealing with LB issues with Jack, and increased hostility between JoJo and Jack. They're on medication (well, Jack doesn't seem to notice the 1/4 pill when he wolfs down his wet food... JJ does, and spits it back out, the little brat-girl). I've ruled out a UTI for Jack, have Feliway running 24/7 (for well more than a year now), put calming stuff in their wet food, etc... and yet everything still happens. It's toned down a bit with the meds, but still peeing outside the box (Jack, now confirmed since I've SEEN him do it), and still aggression. Now I'm wondering if they're feeding off my energy. I've been stressed about finances/neighborhood I'm in/better work/my future. Have been since just before leaving Chicago 15 months ago. Thinking back, Jack's LB issues started some time in Chicago. that third year there. I was making little to nothing, and struggling for work. I'm now in Portland and working two jobs, but still struggling financially. having to fork over a sizable chunk of change for Feliway and bottles of stuff every month, not to mention the new prescription, added to food and litter, and all my own bills, it hurts.

That said, I'm NOT giving anyone up. I'm just trying to make sense of what's going on. Having exhausted all the OTC ideas and now having them on daily meds, I'm wondering if it's not really them. That it's me. My stress, my frustration at life, commuting, finances, clutter in my (our) home. I rarely have the energy to clean and with so much stuff cluttering up an already not-so-big apartment, it's tight. I'm working on the clutter, slowly. But I'm also trying to maintain my sanity with jobs and Jack's LB issues (nothing like coming home to find the bathroom rugs soaked... have gone through far too many of them in a year... lost count. I now have a white plastic garbage bag with paper towel on top to protect the floor and soak it up... changed every time he pees on it, sometimes twice a day, other days none).

I love JoJo and Jack. But I have noticed since moving here that I've gotten more frustrated with things (Jack does the 'trip Meowmy in the narrow hallway' bit all too often). They aren't making things easier. I give them both as much love as possible. JJ's come a LONG way from when I first adopted her. Jack is now a healthy 13 pounder (he was sick a long time). They get top of the line food, treats occasionally, have more toys than I do, and lots of scritches.

I see myself changing, emotionally. I'm not as happy, relaxed, etc. Stressed about things mentioned above, all that. I'm just at a loss over what to do now. I am slowly organizing things, but I don't know if it'll all fit once I'm done. But it's going to take time, something I don't have that much of. I don;t know if a therapist (for me) would help, and honestly, I can't afford one right now. I'm trying to relax, but it's hard to do when dealing with all this. (as I type this, there's a 'gang' of punk-a** teenagers outside my apt. windows being generally noisy and stupid, not a nice neighborhood).

So, now that my soul has been filleted and laid open for all to see, back to my original question: do you believe our cats can mirror our emotions? I know they can tell when we're not feeling well, but what about the emotions?

Dang, that was nearly a small book... well, it's off my chest.

Again, mods, move this where you feel it is appropriate. I just wasn't quite sure, since it's dealing with both their behavior and my own life.

Thanks for listening... er... reading,
A.
 

pookie-poo

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First of all, let me say that I'm sincerely sorry that you are having such a difficult time. My heart really goes out to you. I think anyone who has struggled to make ends meet can empathize with you. Having kitty litterbox issues is like the icing on the cake....it can make things feel unbearable.

In answer to your question....absolutely! I know that they react to our feelings, moods and emotions. I can even tell a story that pretty much proves it! This situation didn't just happen once, it happened two times, about a year and a half apart.

When Cleo was 6 months old, she was diagnosed with renal failure, when my vet did her pre-op blood work for her spay surgery. She had her spay in December, and the following March was scheduled at Michigan State University School of Veterinary Medicine for an abdominal ultrasound to rule out any abnormalities that could be contributing to her CRF. MSU, in East Lansing, is about a 2 hour drive south of where I live. Cleo really doesn't like to ride in the car, so I sprayed her carrier with Feliway and rubbed Rescue Remedy on her ears for the trip down. The entire trip there was agony for both of us. I was so worried that they would find something terribly wrong with her, and she was agitated and yowled the whole time.
The vets and students at MSU were absolutely wonderful. They treated Cleo and myself so kindly. They even let me hold her while they shaved her tummy. As it turned out, the ultrasound was completely normal! No congenital problems with the kidneys or their blood supply, nothing abnormal at all in her abdomen. You can't even imagine how relieved I was!!! I sprayed her carrier again with the Feliway and rubbed the Rescue Remedy on her ears and tucked her in, preparing for the l-o-n-g drive home. Cleo curled up in her carrier and slept nearly the whole way home. Nary a peep out of her!!! I truly believe she could pick up on the relief I was feeling and calmed down for the entire ride home.

Fast forward to a year or so later. Cleo was having a persistant heart murmur at every vet check after her abdominal ultrasound. We scheduled her for an echocardiogram at MSU. Of course, I was all worked up about cardiac issues and CRF, so I was nervous as all get-out! My mom came with me this time, because I thought that Cleo might like to be held for the ride (thinking it might help calm her a little.) Even out of the carrier on the trip down, Cleo was agitated and pacing, yowling and panting...it was awful. Again, the vets at MSU were terrific. I was able to be with Cleo for the entire echo. I got to hold her and the vet explained everything that he saw on the screen as it was happening. The murmur is called an 'innocent murmur', which means that basically there's nothing wrong with the heart, it just shows up when her heart is beating rapidly (usually out of fear.) I was so relieved! We beat the odds again!!!! The trip home was nearly identical to the first one. Cleo curled up on a quilt between the front seats and fell asleep for the entire ride home. This time, I had my mother as a witness. She was amazed at the difference in Cleo's behavior on the trip down and the trip home. Absolutely...they definitely can pick up on our state of mind and emotions. Cleo was the perfect example!
 

carolpetunia

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Oh, I wish you could just pick up and move. The place where you live is so fundamental to your sense of wellbeing... I'm so sorry for what you're going through.

And the question you pose is an excellent one... I do think the answer is yes, and that may explain some of the trouble we've been having with our Sassy, too. With my father in the mid-stage of Alzheimer's, this is not a calm and quiet household, so it's no wonder Sassy has developed some litterbox issues.

Let's get practical: first, are you buying Feliway online? If not, chances are you could get it for about half the in-store price -- try Amazon or valleyvet.com. So that would be a bit of a savings.

Second, what would it take to get you into a better job so you could move to a safer area? If you need a new resume, I'd be happy to help -- but I know there are a couple of other members here who actually have experience in human resources and could give you excellent advice.

Do you need a job-interview suit, a new hairstyle, that sort of thing? (I just finally had my hair cut a few weeks ago, and it totally changed my self-image!) Think about what would help you change the things you want to change, and then just ask, right here -- TCS people are so smart! I know you'd get some great ideas.

And y'know... just knowing that you have a plan in place, that you're working toward a major change in your life... that alone will make you feel better. And your kitties will surely feel it, too.
 
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rubsluts'mommy

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Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Oh, I wish you could just pick up and move. The place where you live is so fundamental to your sense of wellbeing... I'm so sorry for what you're going through.

And the question you pose is an excellent one... I do think the answer is yes, and that may explain some of the trouble we've been having with our Sassy, too. With my father in the mid-stage of Alzheimer's, this is not a calm and quiet household, so it's no wonder Sassy has developed some litterbox issues.

Let's get practical: first, are you buying Feliway online? If not, chances are you could get it for about half the in-store price -- try Amazon or valleyvet.com. So that would be a bit of a savings.
I print out the Petsmart's page from their site and bring it in, it's considerably cheaper than the in-store price. Unlike Petco, they do honor their website's prices.

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Second, what would it take to get you into a better job so you could move to a safer area? If you need a new resume, I'd be happy to help -- but I know there are a couple of other members here who actually have experience in human resources and could give you excellent advice.
My resume is about as good as it can get right now. If i knew where i wanted to BE, I'd get somewhere. I'm not focused. Period. I know that. The types of jobs I'd LOVE to be in require a Master's and even if I miraculously got in ASAP, it would still take a few years. My current work situation: job 1-one part time retail job in a fabric store. As it stands, I hate retail, but I've been there over a year and the people are cool. This is the longest I've lasted in a retail job. JOb 2- part time page (shelving) in a public library. Libraries are notoriously difficult to get into. I got into one, and may soon be in the Multnomah County system (been trying for a year, just interviewed last week). It's on-call, but the pay is better than my retail gig. They just expanded my hours to my max (for my posting), which is 19 hours. That adds another 60 bucks or so to each of my paychecks.

I am currently working poor. Between my two current jobs, I make about 12-13K per year. My dad helps with my rent and some bills. Any emergencies I have, he handles. I cannot keep this up. It's killing both of us. He's retired and works PT from home. I work my tailfeathers off in two jobs and barely make a darn thing.

I'm also a Jill-of-all-trades, of sorts. I'm a web designer (basic stuff, self-taught), writer, designer of other stuff, also self-taught. My ideal (after getting my MA/MS) would be to either become a Librarian or English Professor, if this is the direction I'm supposed to go. I have my BA in English, no teaching cert., so no secondary teaching. Trying to find the free time and energy to write and edit my novels in my spare time is exhausting, since i live alone and no one else is around to cook, clean and do laundry.

I'm fairly comfy with WHO I am, but knowing what I'm on this Earth to do is beyond me. I've accomplished some goals, but still struggle with other things. Right now i have no goal. I did my old one before 30. I'm now 35 and wandering around, lost. There's a lot of back story with me... much off it painful backstory, but it's made me the person I am today, fairly strong and extremely stubborn, but my self-image suffers. I don't see me as positively as people I know do.

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Do you need a job-interview suit, a new hairstyle, that sort of thing? (I just finally had my hair cut a few weeks ago, and it totally changed my self-image!) Think about what would help you change the things you want to change, and then just ask, right here -- TCS people are so smart! I know you'd get some great ideas.
Have clothes, as well as more fabric to make clothes than I know what to DO with!! I know i need to lose weight, get back in shape (used to dance, haven't since i was 22), but it's hard when you're on your feet all day every day working. Hair is something i experiment with. Nothing too radical, but still not 'plain jane' either. I'm not a makeup person. I hate the stuff.

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

And y'know... just knowing that you have a plan in place, that you're working toward a major change in your life... that alone will make you feel better. And your kitties will surely feel it, too.
There's part of it... a plan. I learned long ago not to plan my life too far forward. God has a warped sense of humor and loves throwing monkeywrenches into my well-hatched plans... He's done it more than once! Now my family has never been a very ambitious bunch. And I've always been the 'black sheep' of the family. I do things my way...

I should go feed the furballs. and then clean up Jack's mess for the evening. I hope he doesn't make it a two-time night.

Thanks for the input and advice. Sometimes i just need an ear and some of that advice.

Amanda
 
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