new cat with separation anxiety and excessive meowing

Hi,

I adopted a cat around 2 weeks ago from my local humane society.
At the shelter, he seemed very depressed - was just lying in the back of his cage.

When I got him home, any signs of depressions were gone. He is a happy affectionate kitty.

However, he seems to suffer from separation anxiety. He insists on following me everywhere. He wants to sniff my food as I eat, climbs in the sink as I brush my teeth...
Seems like whenever he gets anxious or especially when he wants attention, he starts meowing. Usually a deep, loud meow but at other times the loudness and intonation of his meowing varies (especially when he starts meowing non-stop for a while).

I try my best to not loose patience and to ignore him until he stops but it isn't easy. I usually like vocal cats, but his meowing is really excessive.

I am hoping that with time, as he feels more secure in his new home, it will get better. But in the mean time, is there anything else I can do?

my cat can be the same when she's feeling lonely or stressed. hopefull he'll calm down in time.

assuming medical problems have been ruled out i would just try to give him lots of love and carry on as usual. in time he will realise your not going to abandon him and stop fussing.

try feliway to calm him or maybe some rescue remedy in his water?

Originally Posted by maverick_kitten

try feliway to calm him or maybe some rescue remedy in his water?

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Feliway or the Feliway Comfort Zone diffuser can do wonders on anxious kitties. You can get it at PetSmart or PetCo or on most online pet product websites. Good luck with your new kitty and let us know how he is doing!

you can also get it on ebay where people tell me its cheaper.

(alright, alright, i just love ebay ohhh )

Oh, hissy has some really excellent advice re: this. I remember one of her suggestions -- to get a snuggle kitty:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/pvepets/snugglekitty.html

You might search around on the web for the best price.

I'd provide some more advice here but I really think kumbulu or hissy would give you better advice. Why don't you private message one of them?

He is simply grateful that you rescued him, and is acting in a normal fashion for a kitty rescued from living in a cage. If he has been to the vet and been vet checked and come out with a clean bill of health, I wouldn't worry about him to much. But don't pay attention to him when he is noisy, only when he is quiet, otherwise, you will create a needy monster.

Originally Posted by hissy

But don't pay attention to him when he is noisy, only when he is quiet, otherwise, you will create a needy monster.

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oh hissy why didnt i find you 10 months ago?!

LOL! I don't know, but most of what I know is because I made so many mistakes early on with the cats under my care. If I can prevent others from going through that frustration like I did, I would feel validated!

Just buy my book if I ever finish it and it gets accepted-

when my nan babysat her she fed her every time she meowed. the cat was huge when we got back. was only gone a week!

Thanks.

I'll see if I can find any of that Rescue Remedy around here.

I did take Joshua to the vet a few days after I got him and the vet found no problems with him (aside from some earmites and a cold... but that's all gone now)
I also just had him neutered (will that calm him down?)

another question...
Every other Sunday I go visit some friends of mine for the afternoon and evening. This week, I was thinking of bringing Joshua along... would that be a good idea or would that just stress him some more?
My friends have 3 cats. I know Joshua lived with many other cats before ending up a the shelter so I'm hoping he would get along with them.

Hmmm... I'm not sure about introducing him to other cats. For one, you'll want to make sure all of her cats have been checked for FLV and FIV.

Originally Posted by marie-p

Thanks.

I'll see if I can find any of that Rescue Remedy around here.

I did take Joshua to the vet a few days after I got him and the vet found no problems with him (aside from some earmites and a cold... but that's all gone now)
I also just had him neutered (will that calm him down?)

another question...
Every other Sunday I go visit some friends of mine for the afternoon and evening. This week, I was thinking of bringing Joshua along... would that be a good idea or would that just stress him some more?
My friends have 3 cats. I know Joshua lived with many other cats before ending up a the shelter so I'm hoping he would get along with them.

Click to expand...

I definately would not take the cat along. He is still getting used to a new home and being neutered on top of that. He doesn't need the added stress. Maybe someday but not yet. And you would have to be sure the other cats were healthy.