Barney, the kitty I rescued two weeks ago and went to a new home - his new mother is frantic for some advice. PLEASE help me give her some!
Here is what she has to say:
I wanted to pick your brain for a second and share some thoughts and see what you think. so for the past 2 days barney has been crying like he is dying a slow death. and trying to get out to side storm door. in addition to my entire house smelling like pee and him peeing on the kitchen floor twice, in the dogs water bowl and on my stove. im worried that he isnt happy....like hes being tortured and he peeing to get back at me for not letting him outside. im afraid he will eventually get out if he waits long enough by the side door. someone is gonna open it and he will be gone. I dont know what to do. I dont want him to get out and get lost, but also not to be miserable and systematically destroy the house either.
Chronicling the adventures of one woman who is feeding and caring for the feral and stray cats in the Beechwood neighborhood of Rochester, NY
Jackson Galaxy has his own FB and web page, woth a look and recommends a food additive natural herb to help calm
ReplyDeleteMaybe Feliway diffusers or pheromone collar would help.
ReplyDeleteCarole
After taking in a cat that had spent the entire summer outdoors, that my neighbors gave up on, I brought him in. He howled & meowed incessantly. Would try & sneak out anytime the door was opened or I was near it. He started to chase the other cats, wanting to play so I gave him a ton of attention & treats. A firm NO when he tried to get out. We played with all sorts of toys. When he got bored with those, I'd crinkle up paper & he'd chase that. Paper bags, string, you name it, anything to tire him out. I even suctioned cupped a bird feeder to a closed window so he could watch the birdies. I gave him a 'kong' type of treat ball that he could work/play with to get treats out of. I gave him a 'calmtastic' treat from Petsmart. He only ate a couple but it definitely made him calmer. One last thing, my guy loves to chase anything, foil wrappers from chocolate especially. So, when leaving, I'd leave a few treats spread out over a few feet to distract him and take a few foil balls with me as I was leaving to toss, just in case. Worked like a charm! Please tell her not to give up on him. My guy's little buddy that another neighbor refused keep in the house, was hit & killed, left to die in the street. It was awful to see. No matter how badly they scream & meow like their life is ending, it will stop. Trust me.
ReplyDeleteWell, the pee smell has somewhat improved over the last 24hrs. And Barney was in the kitchen and didn't pee on anything that I can tell. However, instead of howling for a little while in the evening, he decided to howl and scream the entire night...which drove the dogs crazy...and I caught him trying to sneak out the little basement window (which he is way too big) but I will definitely try some toys. I have no idea how old Barney is, he seems like an "I don't want to be bothered" cat sometimes, but he is so loving. And will purr when you pet him and squint his big fat eyes. So I won't give up on him yet!
ReplyDeleteMy other cats liked to be brushed. My 'new' guy had no idea what it was & didn't seem to care until about the 4 or 5th brushing. Now, no matter where I am brushing a cat, he comes running! My guy howled/meowed at night too. Think it's because they were up all night, trying to stay alive. Again, I'd try & tire him out before I went to bed and just gave him extra attention during the day. In fact, when I'd see him napping in the day, I'd just go pet him & wake him up. :) He eventually started sleeping the whole night & no meowing. It took awhile for sure but so worth it. Altho, be sure to give the others extra attention too because I had another jealous kitty in the house that started being destructive. Keep up the great work! He'll come around.... Purrs to you for giving him a shot!
Delete