Help with my cat...

We have a cat that is having a lot of issues and I'm not sure what to do.

This cat was a feral that I found about 10 years as a kitten and bottle fed her. Ferals raised like this have a lot of issues as I'm sure most people know.

This cat became a good pet, we named her Lily. She was still sometimes overly aggressive when around strangers but she is friendly to us, sits with us and enjoys petting, playing and the normal cat stuff.

We eventually rescued/adopted 3 other cats over the last 5 years.

Since the introduction of the other cats this original cat has become increasingly high strung; she plays less and tends to isolate herself as well as hissing at them if they get too close. She never attacks them though- usually she just runs away. The other cats do not bother her or act aggressive towards her.

She has a lot of health issues that have been around since she was a kitten. She eats dirt, cardboard or pretty much anything lying around. She has been thoroughly checked out by the vet and we cannot find any nutritional reason for this, it seems to be behavioral.

Lately, she is eating dirt all the time, vomiting it up and nursing on everything she finds. She has become more aggressive towards both us and the other cats and has even pooped on the floor a few times.

The vet can't find any reason for this behavior and I also tend to think it's 100% behavioral due to stress.

We have tried using Feliway diffusers and creating group play sessions for her and the other cats without any results. When she gets upset she just sits in a corner and hisses at us or the other cats if approached.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to help her feel comfortable around the other cats?

What might help her stop eating dirt off the floor? (or paper, or cardboard or anything she finds)

I'm kind of desperate...she pooped in my shoe today.

Ya, she's been checked at the vet and we use the Feliway diffusers.

She's had behavioral issues since she was a kitten.

To give you an idea, our old vet referred to her as "psycho cat" and required she be sedated before an exam. We warned our new vet about this and he stated that it was unnecessary to sedate her...after her first visit where she bit a tech she now has to be sedated.

It makes me sad because she actually is really affectionate around us or in a low stress environment but I think with age and the other cats she can't handle it anymore.

I'm not really sure what to do outside of find someone who would keep her by herself- but who wants maniac cat?

I'm just wishing there was more I could do to calm her down.

Thanks for your input. My cat really doesn't want to be alone, in fact she follows us around often but if she is in the wrong mood she can offer a bite or a hiss without warning. She is often running from the other cats even when they aren't the slightest bit interested in her.

Mainly she wants to be near us but isolated from the other cats or people. If she gets stressed by the other cats she will often go outside the litter box. In addition, she has really marked nursing behavior (nurses constantly on everything everywhere) which I've read is common in ferals and is ALWAYS eating dirt or paper any where she finds it.