Stress

I posted on here last week asking if the noises Tulip has been making might be a symptom of a hairball (I never did get any responses) but since then, I've been told by numerous people that it's probably stress. She makes little grunting noises sometimes. She has every right to be stressed out. We have a 1 year old black lab and until recently, the cats had the entire basement to themselves and most of the time, they had the whole rec-room as well. We just started to finish the basement so it's in total chaos and a lot of the junk has been moved into the rec-room so I can see Tulip being totally stressed out by all of this. The noises tend to start or get worse when the dog goes near her (before we started the basement, she tolerated the dog much better).

I'm not sure what we can do for her. We're working as fast as we can on the basement. I've created a few spots where she can lay down and hide. Pansy can get behind the couches in the basement and hide under one of the end tables, she's created quite the nest back there but Tulip is still a bit over weight and can't get back there. She also has balance issues so she can't jump very well and can't get onto the couch or up anywhere high...

I feel so bad for her, she's still using the litter box and she's eating (though a little less than normal) and drinking. Any suggestions for what I can do for her until we finish the basement? I plan to make some really nice cozy hiding spots down there once it's done.

Thanks.

You can get Feliway plug-ins and plug them in. They are a bit pricey, but so worth decreasing the stress level. You might want to get 2 or 3 of them since one only covers 600 sq ft. You can also try Rescue Remedy.

Additionally, you might get some boxes, tape them shut, and cut a hole in one end so she can have a hiding place.

Thanks for the suggestions. I got some Calm Down stuff (our local store was out of Feliway) that comes in a tube. She seems to be doing a bit better.

Just wondering if anyone else can tell me that the heavier breathing and grunting noises are stress? I just read a thread about cat litter that says some can cause upper respiratory infections. I recently switch from Purina Maxx Scoop to Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat. She seems to be using it but I'm starting to wonder if the problems she's been having coincide with switching litters...Maybe I should switch back?