Pumpkin Problems...

OK, here's my cat situation.

I adopted 'pumpkin' back in oct/99 when she was a kitten. She has
lived with me indoors since... in nov/07, things changed.. i got married
and moved into a new home with my wife. It took pumpkin a week or
so to get comfortable...now she freely roams around the home.
The home was a big change for her.. from living in a 600sq ft condo to
a 3level 1400sq ft townhouse. BUT every now and then, she gets
into this wierd mode...where she starts to walk 'slow motion' like she
was ready to freak out or something. She's always been a bit of a
'scaredy cat' where any loud sudden noise or action may startle her.

Here's the problem.. the wife, on occasion, has displayed allergic
symptoms. She is also pregnant and it almost seems like she's
having asthmatic attacks. Her doctor recommended to just simply
"consider giving the cat away". And I do not think that it would be
good for the baby either. So of course, wife is asking 'what am i
going to do?'. However, I am NOT prepared to give up on a 'part
of my family' i've raised for 8yrs+.

The cat seems to like me only.. and remains semi-aggressive towards
others. About a week ago, pumpkin snuck out of the garage and was
lost outdoors for a good 6hours. I searched the entire neighbourhood
for her... at about midnight, I put out her food onto the front door step and
sprinkled some of her litter onto the driveway. She returned about 20mins
later but it appears that she was hiding somewhere. Anyways, when I
put out that litter.. i sorta spread it out with a pair of black shoes.. NOW everytime i wear or walk around in those shoes in the garage, she attacks
with a fierce and loud meowr. Scares the crap outta me. it's like she
thinks that the litter that 'tracked' in was from another cat.

Anyways, she has never been mistreated ... some say it's because of her
limited exposure to other people. I dunno. I am going to invest in
FELIWAY and hope for the best. Is there such a thing as a cat behavourist who can help?

any input would be appreciated.

Awwww, I am so glad you are looking for solutions rather than just giving her away

Is your wife able to take any allergy medication while pregnant?

I am no expert at all, but the feliway might help alot I think with a stressed out cat. Also, have you thoroughly cleaned the black shoes?

P.S. She is adorable!

I understand you're loving your cat, but if your wife is asthmatic, don't you think you need to deal with that? It can even be fatal if someone has an attack and can't get help quickly.

Since your house is large, is there a part of it, say one floor, or a couple of rooms, you could confine Pumpkin to until she feels more secure in her surroundings? Your bedroom wouldn't be advisable, as your wife may have allergies to Pumpkin, which could be exacerbated by her pregnancy.

Also, you could look into air filtration systems, get a good vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, and vacuum every day, or every other day. You can also get pet wipes that cut down on allergans if used regularly. Bare floors and leather furniture have helped me, too.

Originally Posted by Larke

I understand you're loving your cat, but if your wife is asthmatic, don't you think you need to deal with that? It can even be fatal if someone has an attack and can't get help quickly.

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My older brother died of a cat-induced asthma attack.

Originally Posted by jcat

Since your house is large, is there a part of it, say one floor, or a couple of rooms, you could confine Pumpkin to until she feels more secure in her surroundings? Your bedroom wouldn't be advisable, as your wife may have allergies to Pumpkin, which could be exacerbated by her pregnancy.

Click to expand...

I think that that will be your best bet. Also since your wife is pregnant make sure you clean her litter box everyday to eliminate the risk of taxoplasmosis. I think your cat just hasn't acclimated to her surroundings yet.