Having severe cat trouble....about to give up and shelter him. Please help.

[pocho]

The cannabis used for animals apparently is high cbd and little to no thc. It can come in an oil I believe. I plan to try alittle on my cat with IBD. I have some made from coconut oil I can mix in food. Another trick is just to wipe a bit on their nose so they have to lick it off. God bless and hope we find kitties get relief too with this wonderful plant.

 

[reba]

Hi there and thanks for the update.  I'm sorry to hear that he is still struggling.   I'll just reiterate that I hope revisit the risk-reward ratio of re-homing him .   I just can't see how anyone who plans on letting him outdoors could promise you that they'll work with him. This cat can't navigate or ground himself in a house with loving, patient human contact and limited stimulation.  I truly understand the sentiment and the sincere desire to give him some peace, but if he could choose things like inside and outside he wouldn't be stuck in a bathroom peeing on himself.  Barns and out buildings and wildlife and dogs can all be pretty dangerous places to a normal inexperienced cat, I can't imagine how a cat with emotional problems would ever successfully navigate them.   The likelihood is that he would disappear and never be seen again.

 

[pazuzuinxs]

Hearing about your troubles, makes me feel that my own troubles with my new born cat seems to be nothing. There are some things you can consider and you have done most of them. The ordered list of what to try with a stressed out cat goes like this (I have worked with ferals before and my list worked usually). I am just going to put a T against what you have already tried.

1. Patience: Sometimes the problem resolves itself in a few days---T

2. Gravied tuna?

3. Natural remedies like Bach---T

4. Feliway---T

5. Kitty Prozac---T

6. Clinical tests for malfunctions, in your case test for albumin levels and/or bacterial traces in his pee---?

7. Neuter---maybe you have said it somewhere but is he neutered?

Which leaves us with few options. Check with a behavioral specialist but getting a good one costs money and is hard to find, plus often has a waitlist. Here's a couple of other things to try out to be certain before you giving up. 

Take him to a different house using a carrier (an understanding friend or a relative perhaps?). Ignore the peeing. See how he reacts in the car---does he howl/ cry or stay absolutely quiet? Crying is a good thing. Then let him be in the new house in a small room (bathroom will do). Check back after a couple of hours and see what happens. If he not peeing, acting scared then rehome him (otherwise don't). It is either his brothers' or some smells etc. which are bothering him in your him. 

The very last option would be this. It is rather unconventional and not something I recommend, but may be useful in your case. First, see if he responds to toys, especially laser pointers. Playing is a huge stress reliever. I am assuming he doesn't. So here is what you do. Get a live mouse (the feeder mice for snakes work fine). Have your cat and mouse in one room and make yourself inconspicuous. However, have a water spray ready and something else to make a loud noise with in case a fight happens. Wear gloves and be prepared to grab the mouse/ cat in case a chase happens. Now, there can be a few things which might happen---1) the cat chases the mouse---good news 2) the cat gets scared and pees---bad news 3) the cat does nothing---semi bad news. The reasoning behind this test goes like this---it is a very hard wired instinct in cats to chase or at least interact with prey. Only a really stressed out cat or sick cat won't make any attempt. Worse if s/he gets scared. If your kitty is not acting on instinct at all, there are neurological defects probably and there might not be much you can do about it. 

Of course you don't need to try the above test out. However, I felt that you have tried a lot and put in much effort. Sometimes, the craziness is just so innate that there is not much that can be done and only a rescue would be the choice. My uncle had a poodle once who was extremely anxious and jittery and even after spending a whole lot of money and effort nothing could be done to cure it. We later knew that it was an issue with the breeding and badly bred poodles have those traits. In my uncles case those traits were very pronounced. This could be the case with your cat as well. 

 

[catwoman707]

I'm wondering, can you muster up just a bit more time to as a last ditch effort and get him on prozac and allow it enough time to help?

You have done so much already, but it just feels like prozac may be the answer for him, as long as the dose is enough.

As stated prior though, it has to build up in his system for the full effect, and can take up to 3 weeks.

 

[kisscat]

I feel for you and this poor cat, sounds like everyone is suffering. It sounds like you've done so much for him. I know many, many people just abandon cats or surrender them to shelters at the first sign of problem behavior, and it's great that you've been trying so hard to help him.

This is just hypothetical but if he were to live outside, I wonder if one of those cat enclosures(image below) would help. It would keep other animals from hurting or attacking him, as well. I know you mentioned restrictions on outdoor pets, though.

61uj1YnxBZL._SL1000_.jpg

• kisscat
• Feb 3, 2015

Will keep you and your cats in my thoughts!

 

[cattrouble]

Hey guys, some good news and bad news.

Bad news is, we've decided to give him to a new home and have just returned from handing him off to someone else who will transition him to being an outdoor cat.

Good news, I think he's really going to be happy. As soon as we took him out of his carrier his ears perked up and he didn't look or feel stressed out at all. He was super curious about his surroundings, and he let the guy who is taking him pick him up with no problems at all. The guy even said "he seems to love to be held". He was PURRING! (which I know can mean he's scared but he didn't look scared AT ALL). We pet him for a while and let him roam around in his front yard, and he looked totally fine - almost reminiscent of how he was on Xanax. His ears were up, his tail wasn't under his legs, he was walking fine and checking everything out.

We took him to the backyard where they set up a caged enclosure for him and he was completely fine - absolutely no signs of stress AT ALL. My boyfriend and I were at a complete loss of words - we were expecting to tell this guy that he had socializing issues and that he had frequent accidents and a problem with human contact, and that if things didn't work out we would take him back, but he was acting like a completely different cat. We put him in the enclosure and he sniffed around, and the guy and his wife went up to the cage to see him and he actually got up and walked totally normal - ears up and curious - over to them and sniffed their hands and meowed at them. It was CRAZY. He was socializing with them SO WELL! It was so strange to see him acting like this, but at the same time my boyfriend and I think he's actually going to enjoy his new home because from what we saw almost immediately after letting him out of his cat carrier, he seemed to love it. No signs of stress - literally - the entire time we were there with him. Absolutely NONE. Completely different cat. Holy crap. 

We're keeping in touch with his new owner and he plans to send us frequent updates and pictures of Nova so we know how he's coming along. We think he'll actually be happy there, though. He genuinely looked happy for the first time in forever.

Thank you to everyone for all the support and advice. We appreciate all you guys have done for us so much, and it sucks that we had to give him up, but I think it's going to be for the best. Outdoor life might just suit him more.

 

[cattrouble]

We just got an update on Nova, he is doing well. They let him out and roam around the backyard and according to the email - "He seems very content and happy." They also sent a picture of him being held and he seems to have no problem with it.

Here is a before and after picture of Nova. The first shows how he usually looked huddled up in a corner - his ears would be back more when we got near him but overall just looked very depressed and miserable. The second was the morning before we took him to his new home - he actually followed us around for a bit before he went off and hid but he seemed very happy to be out of the bathroom. He was still pretty anxious, though, and kept his body low to the ground. The third picture is the one we just had emailed to us - being held by his new owner. I'm so so so happy he looks well, and it's seriously still blowing my mind how different he looks.

nova2.jpg

• cattrouble
• Feb 5, 2015

nova.jpg

• cattrouble
• Feb 5, 2015

nova3.jpg

• cattrouble
• Feb 5, 2015

 

[di and bob]

All that counts is it appears Nova has found a forever home that he is happy in, I'm so glad there is a happy ending! Thanks for the update!

 

[Margret]

All that counts is it appears Nova has found a forever home that he is happy in, I'm so glad there is a happy ending! Thanks for the update!

YES!!!

Margret

 

[pazuzuinxs]

This is great news! I am so happy for you! And the cat!

 

[ruaryx]

I wonder what was causing the anxiety?  How strange. 

 

[pazuzuinxs]

 
I wonder what was causing the anxiety?  How strange. 

I wonder too. Logically 'outside' should present more difficulty and challenge. I have a suspicion that the gladness/ happiness may just be due to an 'escape' from human presence but apparently this is not so.

I can't figure it out really. But I am glad all the same. 

 

[pocho]

I think perhaps some kitties feel more secure outside simply because they are of nature and made for it. Carpet, canned food, strange mechanisms like vacuums and boxes to poop in......or grass, trees, fresh air, birds...they understand the latter better so they feel more secure.

 

[puddykat]

Sounds like he has found the purrrrfect place to stay. The most important thing is he is okay and on the road to recovery.

 

[cassthecatlover]

I am so, so, so sorry for both your cat and you! 

I don't know if any of these things will work but..

1. have you tried getting him a new litterbox?

2. Or, do you know what his past life has been like? 'Cause if he wasn't treated well, that might be something.

3. And, you might want a way of getting him outside for a little bit. It might do him good.

4. And, have you looked up tips from the internet? I know you asked all of us on TCS, but there might be more tips elsewhere on the internet.

I hope these ideas work, I hope you and your cat are okay in the end, and that you don't have to shelter him! 

 

 

[cassthecatlover]

nova.jpg

• cattrouble
• Feb 5, 2015

nova3.jpg

• cattrouble
• Feb 5, 2015

Awwww, he looks happy! I hope he will stay happy! So, so proud of you and your cat!

 

[keyes]

I do so love happy endings.

 

[seaturtle]

I have used both Prozac and Buspar. The Prozac stopped the males' peeing in the house and gentled their aggression. The Buspar worked for a continuously frightened cat, an anxious cat.  These meds do take a few weeks to work. Your poor little furrie, lying in his own excrement. He must be a terrified cat. I hope you find a way to get him comfortable, and all of you comfortable, too.

 

[Margret]

I have used both Prozac and Buspar. The Prozac stopped the males' peeing in the house and gentled their aggression. The Buspar worked for a continuously frightened cat, an anxious cat.  These meds do take a few weeks to work. Your poor little furrie, lying in his own excrement. He must be a terrified cat. I hope you find a way to get him comfortable, and all of you comfortable, too.

You're correct about antidepressants taking time to build up to therapeutic levels. But you haven't read clear through the thread. Nova has been rehomed and is now a happy kitty who enjoys snuggling. He no longer needs antidepressants. Happy endings do happen occasionally, and this is one of those times, and, frankly, some of us really needed this happy ending. So often, it goes the other way. There is rejoicing.

Margret

 

[reba]

Any word on how he is doing?