Uber Attachment?

[gaias human]

So I've had my Gaia her entire life, bottle fed, I was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes etc...so at first i just chalked her crazy behavior up to "oh! this is my mama, let's follow her!" but she's turning three soon and it still hasn't stopped. So my problem is, my cat is obsessed with me! sounds like no big deal, i know, but it is. every second i am at home i am not allowed to leave her sight, even to go to the bathroom or take a shower. if i close the door she will yowl until i let her in the room. if i go outside she sits by the door scratching and crying until i come back inside. if i leave for work my roommates tell me that her eyes get really dilated and she starts running around the house mewing and doesn't calm down for several hours. If i sit by anyone on the couch she will come and wedge herself in between me and the other person. if i talk on the phone she jumps onto my lap and tries to headbutt the phone out of my hands! I'm obsessively groomed (somedays i think she spends more time trying to groom me than she does herself). She also has this fascination with biting me, not hard really, more like she just grips my skin in her teeth (love bites?) but she does it on the strangest parts of me, like my earlobes the bridge of my nose, my eye brows and the web of skin between my thumb and forefinger, whats up with that?!?! She's also super aggressive towards any animals or people that try to come by me and will put herself between us hissing, growling, and very puffed up. I've taken her to the vet for advice and to see if there were any physical problems and she checked out with a clean bill of health but the vet wants to put her on prozac to calm her down. I fear that this level of stress she lives in is NOT good for her and i want to help her but would like to try holistic methods before drugs. Has anyone else had a possessive cat like this?? and if so were you able to help him/ her with out the use of Rx drugs?

 

[Ms. Freya]

Sounds like pretty severe separation anxiety. The first suggestion I generally make for this is to consider a second cat to keep her company, but it sounds like that may not work for you.

Have you tried a calming room diffuser? Feliway is the easiest to find (most major pet stores carry it). if you'd like a more natural solution, there are sprays and diffusers made from calming herbs and flowers - I believe Rescue Remedy is one of them (someone correct me if I have that wrong). Another thing you can try is playing continuous quiet music for her when you leave to distract her from feeling alone - I've not tried this, but a few people on the site have and it seems to help.

Good Luck! I'm sure some of our other members will be along son with some more advice.
 

 

[gaias human]

Thanks for the advice! I've been looking around the forums a little bit and i've seen Feliway come up quite a bit. I'm definitely going to look into this product more as I've been using a product called Calm Down by Whisker City, I've been following the directions(which instructs me to add 1 tsp twice a day to her drinking water) and it seems to have no effect  As for a companion cat for Gaia...there are two other cats who are living in the house, and they both get along but seem to despise Gaia as much as she despises them.. Thanks again for the advice!

 

[StefanZ]

 there are sprays and diffusers made from calming herbs and flowers - I believe Rescue Remedy is one of them (someone correct me if I have that wrong).
 

Dr Bachs  Rescue Remedy is flower essence solved in alcohol/brandy.  for adding a couple of drops into drinking water.   There are also other combinations, but Rescue Remedy is the most common for cats.

Unless they had come with a spray variation, it is a drinking water solution. No spray.

Ah, some do massage it in soles of the paws, or in ears.

 

[mypallily]

I had a similar problem with an old cat.  He wasn't as possessive when he was young, it was when he got old and actually got dementia.  We tried everything starting with Rescue Remedy.  I have to tell you, this does work for some cats but it did absolutely nothing for mine.  It got to the point where my husband put almost a full dropper in the cat's mouth and it still did nothing.  One should only use 1 to 2 drops in water or directly into the cat's mouth.  When I found out he did this, I wasn't happy, but the reality is, it did nothing at all. 

I completely understand that you would prefer to go a holistic way, but don't discount the Prozac if Rescue Remedy doesn't work.  I know this may not be your idea of the right way to go, but if it is in the best interest of the cat and nothing else works, it is better to have a happy cat on medication than a miserable one, not medicated.  Your cat is so young to be experiencing such turmoil.  We have strong attachments to our cats and dog too, but it is manageable and has been right from the beginning.

I wish you well and please keep us informed on what you've tried and if you have found some success.  If you do decide to go the Prozac route, watch the dosage to make sure it isn't too strong for your cat.

Good Luck! 

 

[StefanZ]

  It got to the point where my husband put almost a full dropper in the cat's mouth and it still did nothing.  One should only use 1 to 2 drops in water or directly into the cat's mouth.  When I found out he did this, I wasn't happy, but the reality is, it did nothing at all. 

I wouldnt dare to give directly into mouth, not even a couple of drops.  Strong, 40% brandy?  Nay.

I suppose this was diluted in some way. He would react at this dropper otherwise.  Both choking and prob becoming drunk.

Unless this is some other brand than Dr Bachs flower essence serie...

 

[gaias human]

I'm not sure this is relevant as when i told my new vet about it she didn't really comment on it but Gaia had to be spayed twice because the first time the vet left a piece of one of her ovaries in her. Gaia kept going into "heat" afterwards and, she being my first cat, i had no idea she wasn't supposed to be acting like that. she was like this for several months( at least 6, cant remember exactly how long) when i finally took her to the vet, thinking she had a UTI (as she was peeing on everything) the vet told me she may have ovarian remnants and did an exploratory surgery, found the remnant, removed it and said that her hormones may take awhile to level out...this was about a year and a half ago and looking back on that period of time i definitely see a bit of a spike in her anxiety/possessiveness....I feel like a complete idiot not connecting any of this before but Gaia being my first cat this is all very new and confusing....

 

[missymotus]

She sounds spoilt, as hand raised kittens usually are 

When she yowls outside a closed door you let her in, of course she's going to keep doing it until the result is achieved. You're on the couch and she jumps in between you, do you ever remove her? Or just let her do it?

When she headbutts the phone, do you stand up, or put her on the ground and redirect to a toy?

When you leave for work, would it help keeping her in your room so she can't wander the house stressed? Harp music is said to be very calming, set her up with her scratch pole, food etc. and set the music on for the day. 

 

[mypallily]

Oh it definitely was Bach's and back when we had the problem with our cat (about ten years ago), we weren't aware that we couldn't give it by dropper directly into the cat's mouth.  There were no instructions on the packaging other than for adults and our vet didn't tell us otherwise.  Our cat never experienced any problems with ingesting it even when my husband over did it that one time.  Mind you, most of the time we did put it in food or water, but there were times when he would take a couple of drops right in his mouth. Actually, this is not really that relevant as it did absolutely nothing to help my cat.  He didn't get drunk, choke or feel calm...it was like giving him plain water...nothing changed.

Gaias Human:  You certainly should not feel embarrassed about not recognizing that your cat was in heat or that this could be connected to her anxiety/possessiveness now.  Your vet didn't do her job properly and no one would think their cat was in heat when they knew she had been spayed.  Regardless of whether this possessive nature started a year and a half ago after her final spaying or not, you've got a problem that needs addressing and you've been given some good options here to try.  If they work, problem solved.  If not then you can look into a behavioural specialist or try traditional medication.  The way I see it, whatever works best for you and your cat. 

 

[gaias human]

Thanks to all of you for your advice and encouragement on this issue! I'm looking into alot of the recommendations especially the feliway diffuser(got it today!) and the harp music. @missymotus: yeah..i'll admit it she's pretty spoiled =) but i have been trying to fix that. I would love any advice you(or anyone) have on how to give her better manners? @ mypallily thanks for being so understanding, i feel like im asking lots of stupid, common knowledge type questions but everyone has been so helpful and patient with me. i wish i would have found The Cat Site sooner!