Anxiety/Fear help, i'm desperate....

[hawaii bound]

Iv'e asked before on here for some help with one on my cats, my problem child, and now i'm back again....

A little background on Houdini: Before I got him as a kitten he got caught up in a car engine, his brain is a bit scrambled, and his tail got pulled in the engine, so part of it doesn't work, one of his hind legs doesn't work right, he can't jump well, can't meow, doesn't climb, doesn't use his front paws for anything(when playing he just bites at the toy instead) he also doesn't chew, just swallows, so sometimes he spits up.

He was very scared of anyone for a long time(about 2 years) I could feed him, slightly pet him while he was eating, but that's it. Well last summer we got hit with a bad hail storm, softball sized hail, and they had to do some work on my floors, so my and the other cats went to stay with my mom. Houdini had to stay locked in the bathroom, because he freaked out when I tried to get him in his carrier, he bit my hand pretty bad, so after I came back home I started using Rescue Remedy in the cats' water. It was a miracle!! I got to pet, hold, love him almost like a "normal" cat, I was so happy!

Yet I still can't get him in or near a carrier, and don't know what to do to help that, then he developed an issue with peeing on stuff he shouldn't, but I got that under control, well I thought it'd be a good idea to get Feliway, Well that backfired BIG time. He peed in several spots after he smelled it and now won't come near me again. I took the feliway back to the store, and so far no more peeing, but he still won't come near me again and I'm desperate to fix this, he has been pretty good even sat on the bed while my mom was over(he hates her, runs and hides as soon as she pulls up), but now we seem to have gone two steps back, and I don't know what to do, it took so long to get him to where he was, only to go back now.

Everyone tells me I should just get rid of him, but I know if I did it would be a death sentence, since he's messed up and also a black cat, so I'd never do that to him.

I'm open to any suggestions, he has been to a vet in the past and he's physically healthy, just not mentally... Please Help...

 

[handsome kitty]

Do you know what changed when he started hiding again?  Is there a feral cat in the area making him nervous?

 

[hawaii bound]

There are cats outside, but they've been there. He was being nosy when I
Was opening the feliway, he sniffed it then his eyes got big and he ran and his, since then he's been skittish again

 

[handsome kitty]

Sounds like feliwey is a bad idea.   Some people have mentioned calming collars. Others swear by Spirit Essences by Jackson Galaxy.  I don't know anything about either of them.

Here is a link to Jackson Galaxy

 http://www.abesmarket.com/store/spi...m_medium=cpc&gclid=CKDYjoLwjMYCFZBlfgodXRYAmw

 

[hawaii bound]

I was Wondering about the spirit essences, if they worked or not. I'm not too sure if I'd be able to get a collar on him, none of my cats have collars

 

[momto3cats]

Are you still giving him Rescue Remedy? If not, you could try restarting that to help him recover from his upset over the Feliway. 

You can also make a custom mix of Bach remedies for him - you would use it like the Rescue Remedy, but it would be specific to his issues. There is information here http://www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/bach.html  and here http://www.littlebigcat.com/behavior/do-it-yourself-bach-flower-essences/  to help choose the best ones. 

 

[Columbine]

Spirit Essences are flower essences, just like the Bach's range. The difference is that they're all pre blended (like rescue remedy) to target different issues. Making your own Bach Flower Remedies blend is a great option, but it costs more to start out as you have to buy each individual remedy and blend them yourself - great (and cheaper) for long term use, but a bit of a gamble if you're unsure which remedies to choose. I've always done my own blends (I'd never heard of spirit essences until I came here), and now have a box full of individual Bach remedies that I currently don't use (the animals I was treating have either passed on or no longer need treatment). That's the risk you take with custom blends.

This is another great site for making custom blends (especially this page)
http://bachflowerpets.com/bachflowerremedies/petchart.html

Your little guy is so lucky to have found you. I'm sure he will settle in time - he's just carrying so much trauma from his past.

Given how he reacted to Feliway, I'd be very wary of using a calming collar on him...If you got it on and he freaked you could have serious trouble getting it off again.

With the carrier, you could try feeding him in it...especially with extra yummy food. Start in front of the carrier and gradually move the dish further back. A really good sized carrier might be less worrying for him than one that's only just big enough. Another trick would be to find his favourite treat (human or feline food) that can be thrown for him to chase down and eat. Play games with the carrier by throwing treats inside for him to go after. With both these methods, once he's relatively unfussy about going in, shut the door for literally a split second to start with. Gradually increase the time the door is shut until it can be shut for a couple of minutes. It's a long process, but is most likely the least traumatic method to train Houdini that the carrier isn't scary, and that he'll always be able to get out again (I'm guessing that being trapped in the car engine is part of the reason he's so scared of being confined). Be patient, and try to make it no big deal.

Also, it might be worth trying him on Composure or Zylkene. He sounds like a little ball of stress at the moment, and that can't be fun.

Thank you for sticking it out with him. The world (and it's cats) needs more people like you

 

[hawaii bound]

Thanks for the advise, I like using the Bach's remedies since I have multiple cats and I know it won't harm or affect those that dont need it. I have looked up zylkene before,and will look into the composure.