Reducing stress for lonely cat

sammie5

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My upstairs neighbours are away. They have a friend "housesitting", but she's only there at night, and she doesn't like having the cat sleep on the bed with her. Their cat is a lovely little manx cat, who is extremely affectionate. And because the neighbours are both nurses, and often work opposite shifts, kitty is used to having people around a lot. So I think the cat is very very lonely and missing her people.

For the first 4 days that they were away, housesitter left the apartment door locked, so kitty was alone for many many hours. I convinced her to leave the door open, so kitty can spend time in my place when she's not there.

So here's the question. After that first four days, I noticed that kitty was sniffling. Nothing serious, but when they first adopted her, she had a bad cold or URI, and was also bald on her back. Both cleared up after a few months (baldness from overgrooming), and the vet said that both had been caused by stress - she was a cat that had been abandoned, left in a barn, where she was fed, but not much else. So she is very very happy to have a home now.

I am worried that the stress of her people being away, and being alone for so many hours, may have caused the URI to come back. I also noticed her really pulling on the fur on her back, and was worried that the overgrooming was starting.

And the other complication, even though she's been around for almost 2 years, my one cat just doesn't like her at all. So there is some stress in my place when she's there. Poor Bailey, she's very timid, and runs away when she sees the other kitty. And because of that, I do lock kitty out of my place in the evenings to give Bailey some peace and quiet. (She got very sick when I was catsitting another kitty last year).

Would giving kitty GSE help her fight off stress induced colds? Is there something else I could suggest to the housesitter? My neighbours are away for another month, and I don't want them to return to a sick cat. I'll go ahead and buy anything we might need to try, and will even take her to my vet if things get worse, but I would like to know if there is something I could be doing now.
 

purrpaws

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Originally Posted by Sammie5

My upstairs neighbours are away. They have a friend "housesitting", but she's only there at night, and she doesn't like having the cat sleep on the bed with her. Their cat is a lovely little manx cat, who is extremely affectionate. And because the neighbours are both nurses, and often work opposite shifts, kitty is used to having people around a lot. So I think the cat is very very lonely and missing her people.

For the first 4 days that they were away, housesitter left the apartment door locked, so kitty was alone for many many hours. I convinced her to leave the door open, so kitty can spend time in my place when she's not there.

So here's the question. After that first four days, I noticed that kitty was sniffling. Nothing serious, but when they first adopted her, she had a bad cold or URI, and was also bald on her back. Both cleared up after a few months (baldness from overgrooming), and the vet said that both had been caused by stress - she was a cat that had been abandoned, left in a barn, where she was fed, but not much else. So she is very very happy to have a home now.

I am worried that the stress of her people being away, and being alone for so many hours, may have caused the URI to come back. I also noticed her really pulling on the fur on her back, and was worried that the overgrooming was starting.

And the other complication, even though she's been around for almost 2 years, my one cat just doesn't like her at all. So there is some stress in my place when she's there. Poor Bailey, she's very timid, and runs away when she sees the other kitty. And because of that, I do lock kitty out of my place in the evenings to give Bailey some peace and quiet. (She got very sick when I was catsitting another kitty last year).

Would giving kitty GSE help her fight off stress induced colds? Is there something else I could suggest to the housesitter? My neighbours are away for another month, and I don't want them to return to a sick cat. I'll go ahead and buy anything we might need to try, and will even take her to my vet if things get worse, but I would like to know if there is something I could be doing now.
If the kitty gets recurring URIs, she might have a herpes virus. Prego has it, and I give him 500mg of lysine every morning. That might help. You just crush it up and put it in the cat's food.
 
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sammie5

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I don't know if she gets recurring URIs. I only know about the lingering cold symptoms she had when she was first adopted, and now the first very very early signs of a cold she is showing now. I haven't seen any other evidence, and she has no other symptoms, just a bit of a stuffy nose.

She is apparently still eating well.
 

hissy

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Opening your door and your heart may lead to your kitties getting sick. If they are leaving the door open can't you go inside and visit the cat on his own turf?
 
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sammie5

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I'll talk to her about that. She was not happy to think that I might be going into the apartment when she's out, and I do want to respect her privacy. But she also doesn't know a lot about cats. I don't want to get obsessed about this, or seem to be the Crazy Cat Lady, but we have another month to go with this arrangement.

Poor lonely kitty, though.
 

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With cat sitting, doesn't the sitter usually go into the cat's house? Cats are more comfortable in their own familiar territory. Obviously this kitty upstairs needs some affection and playtime with people, but it's probably best done in her own place. And you protect yours that way, too.
 
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sammie5

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The cat sitter is supposedly staying there. But she only arrives late in the evening to sleep, and then leaves early the next morning. The thing is, we're on the second and third floors of an old house, and the only apartments in the house. And the cats are pretty much used to being let out in the hallway to play. So the upstairs cat, if she were left closed in her apartment alone all day, really would suffer, because she's not used to being alone, and definitely not used to being closed up in her apartment. Part of her normal territory is to roam in the hallway, as my cats do. The only thing I have done differently is to let her stay in my apartment for extended times. And I will try to just leave my door closed, and interact with her out in the hallway and stairwell, and see if she is still stressed.

I only saw her sneeze twice, and she seemed slightly congested, but it was a bit of a warning, and I wanted to be on top of things if she got worse, seeing as she had this happen before they adopted her. I don't want her to get sick.

But I also don't want mine to be sick either, and they are my first concern.
 

hissy

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I would just invest in a snugglekittie and ask the owner to stuff a dirty sock in the belly of the stuffed animal- that way the cat will smell the owner- or catnip works too- but snugglekitties are the best!
 
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sammie5

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Oh, good idea! She did spend most of the day sleeping when she was at my house. She races around and plays a lot in the evening, I can hear her up there now, thundering around. I am sure we can find something that smells like her people....

Thanks. I knew I'd find suggestions here!
 

ktlynn

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Sammie5 - Also make sure a radio is left on for her during the day, since she's alone. Tuned to soft music, it may help comfort her.

I think playing in the hallway with her is a good compromise. She needs interaction and attention while her people are away.

You're so kind and thoughtful to be keeping a watchful eye on this little cat. If you suspect a URI, please take her to the vet if the catsitter is unable (or unwilling) to do it.

Too bad your neighbors didn't ask YOU to catsit. You'd have been a great choice to care for this little manx! Glad you're looking out for her.
 

cyberkitten

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I agree- too bad you were not the sitter. It's good you are watching for her. I had a sitter when I was in La but I felt guilty about YY especially the entire time I was away! (I mean, this cat often comes to work with me so she does not spend much time alone). The sitter stayed with her though and I would phone and talk to YY - alas, one cannot send the smell sense over the phone, lol Bt I left some of my clothes there and YY slept with the sitter. She's a little flirt and very social anyway - she loves my parents as well and my dad came to see her during the day. (And he says he is too old to care for cats!! Suuuuuuuuure!)
 
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