Afraid of men and "human grooming"

soeren

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 20, 2015
Messages
4
Purraise
3
Hi, 

so I have an nine year old (originally stray) cat. Her original  owner never picked her up, so she's mine now.  She had a bunch of behavioral problems which I have managed to work out over the past year (to all you people with cats who don't use the litter box, howl, over groom themselves etc.: they can change :)) My most recent success was her puking without panicking (I'm really thrilled about that one!)

Anyway two problems which I haven't yet been able to tackle:

1. she grooms me at night. Thoroughly. Seriously I'm dripping with drool when I wake up. Also, she probably swallows my hair.

She has a lot of alternatives to sleeping on my bed. I couldn't think of anything else to do yet. 

2. She's scared of men. She scratches, screams and runs into hiding if someone enters our apartment. 

Any ideas?

Thanks ;)
 

shadowsrescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 27, 2011
Messages
7,026
Purraise
5,099
Location
Ohio
I'm not really sure about the grooming of you.  If it's really bothersome, I wouldn't allow her in your room at night.  You can try some Composure calming treats or Composure liquid max that is mixed into wet food.  If the grooming is excessive then this might help her.  You can also use calming collars.

As far as being scared of men, I wonder if she was abused by a man or has a bad memory of men.  If there are men in your household or men that visit, I would allow her to have a safe place to hide.  She may never over come this fear.  The Composure might help, but forcing her to interact is not a good thing.  I would allow her to hide and try the composure.  Feliway plug ins might help too.
 

dave_l

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 11, 2008
Messages
200
Purraise
28
1. she grooms me at night. Thoroughly. Seriously I'm dripping with drool when I wake up. Also, she probably swallows my hair.
What about temporarily applying something to yourself that she doesn't like, e.g., lemon juice, whiskey.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

soeren

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 20, 2015
Messages
4
Purraise
3
Thanks for your advise! 

I'm not sure how I feel about rubbing whiskey on my face...


She's usually quite calm and seems comfortable in her new home. She also does have a lot of hiding spots and I do not force her to meet people. As for the possibility of her having been abused: I think so too, considering the state she was in when I got her.

But since I am a student I don't have more than one room to keep her in (or rather keep her litter box in) so I cannot lock her out of my bedroom.
 
Top