How do we help Momma Cat?

Hello,

We have a 6 year old momma cat that needs some help. Well first off we have 3 indoor cats. Momma cat's offspring has always picked on her and that has left her a little skiddish. Recently my wife and I had a baby and now Momma cat is acting crazy.

She has planted herself in the window box in the kitchen and she will not leave for the most part. We have observed her eating in the past few weeks but she does not eat a full meal.

Our concern is that she has lost weight and also that she will not even leave the window to go into the garage to the poopy station. She poops in the window box. (By window box I mean it is one of those deals that sticks out from the house. She is concealed by the blinds and she sits among the flowers and plants in the window).

Also she has licked herself a few "hot spots" where she has licked her fur out and has left herself a scabby mess.

We took her to the vet a few weeks ago and the vet prescribed her some sort of anti depressant. We managed to get her to take them and there was a marked difference in her behavior, but then she would refuse to take them and spit them out.

The vet had told us she was having social issues with the other cats. These cats have been together for years now with not much trouble.

It is obvious that the addition of the baby has had an effect. When the baby cries Shyley runs to find herself a good hiding spot.

What can we do?

First off, did the vet do a full physical, with blood and urine tests? Because there may well be an underlying medical cause for this, caused or made worse by stress? If not, I would go to another vet and get it all done just to rule out as much as possible.

I would strongly suggest a full work-up on this cat. Stress in cats happen easily when their routine, or environment changes. Stress causes illness, and this cat sounds ill, not depressed. When they don't feel good, they hide. They also lose interest in keeping themselves clean, they lay in their waste and that is all the stuff she is doing right now. If you have a feline specialist in your area, I would suggest you go there with her.

My other suggestion is to reach out to our online cat behaviorist Wendy Christensen. She writes a monthly column for us, you can view it on our homepage under Herding Cats At Home. www.thecatsite.com


This cat sounds conflicted and ill, and I hope you find help for her that isn't just a chemical to calm her down.


Best of luck