Anxious cat

[madcat24]

Hi all! im new here and i don't know if this goes here but im worried about my baby cat Nala, she is almost 2 year old  calico Turkish Angora cat and lately she's been extremelly anxious, she is scared all the time especially  when i take her to the vet, as soon as the vet tries to grab her she starts to scream really loud and and poops everywhere, she is scared of everything about it so she haven't been vaccinated and runs away when we try to give her deworming and anti flea meds, so the vet told us to use Bach's flower essences but i don't think is working, appart from that my big sis and her familly moved in with us and they brought a new cat; he is so sweet but Nala hates him to death, and to make things worse, there is another problem... my 5 year old nephew, she is really scared of him. i`m really affraid that my baby Nala is going to get really sick if she keeps like that, please help me.

ps: sorry for bad english.

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS (your English is just fine, btw )

Several things jump out at me here. First of all, Nala has had a lot of big changes in a very short space of time, so it's not surprising that she's struggling at the moment.

First of all, when your sister and her family moved in, how did you introduce the two cats? Cat-to-cat introductions need to be a process of very gradual desensitisation - something that generally takes weeks or (more often) months, rather than hours or days. These articles explain the process clearly:-[article="32680"][/article][article="29726"][/article] It might look a little convoluted at first glance, but it's a tried and tested process, and is proven to be effective and relatively low stress - providing you let the cats tell you when they're ready to progress to the next step. The good news is that it's never too late to do this, so you can start it now. It may just take a little longer to work out all the kinks

Second, some cats (especially high strung cats like Nala) do find small children stressful, especially if they're noisy or boisterous. Talk to your sister about your nephew. If you can work together to teach him that Nala is more nervous than his cat is, and that he needs to be quiet and gentle around her - ideally also leaving her alone unless she comes to him. You can work with having him help feed her and play (under supervision, of course ) with her too. This will help her see him as a source of good things rather than someone to be scared of.[article="30002"][/article][article="32735"][/article][article="0"][/article][article="32656"][/article]

Is Nala spayed? And is your sister's cat neutered? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then you need to get them fixed as soon as you can. Raging hormones will only exacerbate the situation, and will add additional stress.[article="22304"][/article]

It sounds like Nala is way beyond flower remedies alone at this point (though they most definitely have their place, and can be of help for some cats in some situations). To be honest, I would definitely be looking at starting her on Composure or Zylkene at the moment - just to help her relax and decompress whilst she adjusts to the change in living situation. Both are food based (being derived from the calming amino acids in milk), non addictive or doping, and can make a huge difference. Feliway plug ins are well worth trying too - they don't help all cats, but the can make a marked difference to the once that do respond to it. You can get Feliway in a spray form too, which you can use in the carrier before taking Nala to the vet. It'll just help it feel like a safe, secure space for her.

Lastly, I'd also look at opening up vertical space in the home, so that Nala can build her confidence by observing from up high. It's much healthier for a cat to get up high for 'safety' than to hide under things. Being up high will actually build her confidence over time, whereas hiding under/behind things will slowly sap what little confidence she has left. This thread is an example of what CAN be achieved with a little imagination, though of course you don't have to go as far as @mickNsnicks2mom did for her exceptionally lucky cats![thread="297074"][/thread]

These articles may help too :- [article="30307"][/article][article="30274"][/article][article="30316"][/article][article="32758"][/article][article="32424"][/article][article="33395"][/article]

 

[Anne]

 
Hi all! im new here and i don't know if this goes here but im worried about my baby cat Nala, she is almost 2 year old  calico Turkish Angora cat and lately she's been extremelly anxious, she is scared all the time especially  when i take her to the vet, as soon as the vet tries to grab her she starts to scream really loud and and poops everywhere, she is scared of everything about it so she haven't been vaccinated and runs away when we try to give her deworming and anti flea meds, so the vet told us to use Bach's flower essences but i don't think is working, appart from that my big sis and her familly moved in with us and they brought a new cat; he is so sweet but Nala hates him to death, and to make things worse, there is another problem... my 5 year old nephew, she is really scared of him. i`m really affraid that my baby Nala is going to get really sick if she keeps like that, please help me.

ps: sorry for bad english.

I would consider trying a different vet. Bach flower essences have scientific evidence to back them up. For myself, I expect my veterinarian to offer me evidence-based medicine (unless he or she is clearly defined as an alternative/holistic vet). 

Maybe a more cat-oriented vet will know how to approach her more gently and help her calm down? I would make a few calls and explain the situation over the phone. I would try a different gender as well, so if the current vet is a male, look for a woman now, just to help Nala break the association.

@Columbine  linked you to some excellent resources here on the site. I know it's a lot to read but I hope it gives you some perspective and some concrete advice as well. Do read them and let us know what you think might help.

 

[tobilei]

I have 2 cats that suffer anxiety, one worse than the other.

First off, before vet trips buy some Feliway spray and spray the cage/carrier 15 minutes before putting kitty in there. If you can also run a diffuser in the house. This will help to calm things down at home. It takes around 30 days to kick in but once it does it's good. I've found even just running it in one room is pretty effective. When my kitties feel off or upset they seem to head in there and sit in the cat tree in that room for a while. Flower essences in the water at the same time is a good idea

When you go to the vet, put a towel over the cage so kitty can't see out. This helps to keep them calm. If you can get your vet to spray a little feliway on the table and themselves prior to handling kitty.

Did you do a slow introduction with the new cat in the house or have they just been put straight in together?