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I need some help tonight. Client dumped, eh-hm, I mean "dropped off" his 2 sister cats yesterday morning. I think they're doing quite well for what's been going on ... eating, drinking and going potty, liking treats, etc.. but client said he's very concerned and anxious because one of the cats is hissing at the other one and they aren't cuddling yet. He said, "I'll know everything is good when they cuddle".. hmmm, okay...
Here's the deal: This couple have had a disrupted life for 6 weeks. In early July I posted on facebook about the possibility of boarding cats in my home and he contacted me that day and asked if he could bring his cats over THAT WEEKEND for 8 hours Sat and Sun to watch his cats during their open house. I agreed.... one cat did super well, but the other one hid in my pillows for 16 hours that weekend. They were so appreciative that I would take them in like that last minute and liked me so they booked (in my recently completed "kitty condo" for their trip to Europe this week. The thing is that the got the offer on their house that weekend and have been packing and arranging for a new future ever since. They moved the bulk of their stuff last weekend and they stayed up all night cleaning, moving and packing and they literally dumped, sorry, dropped, the cats at my home at 7:00am on their way to the airport. The client was like, "oh, last night was not a good night for them" (oh really, you don't say?). "We had her (nervous cat) on a valium type medication 2 weeks ago, but we didn't like how she was behaving so we pulled her off of it until we get back... but you know, I think even those 5 days were enough, she seems so much better" (hmm, so she was kinda a mess 2 weeks ago, before you really started packing, moving and dumping, oh I meant dropping her off, here and then last week you pulled her off the meds... no problem!).
The fact that he even has a glimmer of an expectation that his nervous cat is going to be okay and cuddly with her sister, now, just 38 hours after being dumped, err... "dropped off" at some stranger's home is simply infuriating for me.
Of course she's going to be out of sorts! What the heck?!?
She's okay, but she's not. She's doing everything she needs to do to survive such as eating and drinking, but no, she's not okay and likely, she won't be the entire two weeks she'll be here. Some cats do better (her sister) than others.
Gosh, that makes me frustrated.
So, what can I do to help her? She's found a nice spot on the bed and for the most part she's checked out and is sleeping a lot. I was outside earlier and she was sitting on the window sill looking at the birds for a little while... not too long. And she's totally hissing at her sister. Sometimes she'll hiss at me too, but not when I offer her a treat... she's liking those...
I'm giving her space and time... I'm also writing this on the opposite end of the bed from her. I want her to get used to me and realize I'm her "friend" that gives her food, treats and pet (she's been a little receptive).
I do have another boarding room that is empty, would you advise separating them? I don't think it's a good idea, but just curious what you guys think.
I would love advice. I think the situation is "okay" and feel mostly positive that it'll improve, but I'd love to help her out.
I would just continue to do what you are doing, as she sounds like she is doing well but is just more stressed than her sister. The stress is understandable, so I wouldn't worry about it. Leaving her alone is best, although, if it were me, I might get a radio and play some classical music for her, as I find that [most] classical is very calming to all animals, cat and human alike.
I also think that you should focus on the owner rather than just the cat, as it sounds like that guy's anxiety re: the cat's anxiety is making it worse. I would explain that a cat being stressed in that situation is perfectly normal and that natural, rather than synthetic (cf. drugs), stress reducers should be pursued. And I wouldn't stress about it yourself, as that will contribute to the cat's stress.
If you don't already have Feliway wipes, I would get some, as they will greatly reduce her stress. I would give them to the guy when he picks her up (charging him extra for them) and tell him how to use them. If he doesn't want them, keep them for your boarders, as they will inevitably come in handy.
I need some help tonight. Client dumped, eh-hm, I mean "dropped off" his 2 sister cats yesterday morning. I think they're doing quite well for what's been going on ... eating, drinking and going potty, liking treats, etc.. but client said he's very concerned and anxious because one of the cats is hissing at the other one and they aren't cuddling yet. He said, "I'll know everything is good when they cuddle".. hmmm, okay...
Here's the deal: This couple have had a disrupted life for 6 weeks. In early July I posted on facebook about the possibility of boarding cats in my home and he contacted me that day and asked if he could bring his cats over THAT WEEKEND for 8 hours Sat and Sun to watch his cats during their open house. I agreed.... one cat did super well, but the other one hid in my pillows for 16 hours that weekend. They were so appreciative that I would take them in like that last minute and liked me so they booked (in my recently completed "kitty condo" for their trip to Europe this week. The thing is that the got the offer on their house that weekend and have been packing and arranging for a new future ever since. They moved the bulk of their stuff last weekend and they stayed up all night cleaning, moving and packing and they literally dumped, sorry, dropped, the cats at my home at 7:00am on their way to the airport. The client was like, "oh, last night was not a good night for them" (oh really, you don't say?). "We had her (nervous cat) on a valium type medication 2 weeks ago, but we didn't like how she was behaving so we pulled her off of it until we get back... but you know, I think even those 5 days were enough, she seems so much better" (hmm, so she was kinda a mess 2 weeks ago, before you really started packing, moving and dumping, oh I meant dropping her off, here and then last week you pulled her off the meds... no problem!).
The fact that he even has a glimmer of an expectation that his nervous cat is going to be okay and cuddly with her sister, now, just 38 hours after being dumped, err... "dropped off" at some stranger's home is simply infuriating for me.
Of course she's going to be out of sorts! What the heck?!?
She's okay, but she's not. She's doing everything she needs to do to survive such as eating and drinking, but no, she's not okay and likely, she won't be the entire two weeks she'll be here. Some cats do better (her sister) than others.
Gosh, that makes me frustrated.
So, what can I do to help her? She's found a nice spot on the bed and for the most part she's checked out and is sleeping a lot. I was outside earlier and she was sitting on the window sill looking at the birds for a little while... not too long. And she's totally hissing at her sister. Sometimes she'll hiss at me too, but not when I offer her a treat... she's liking those...
I'm giving her space and time... I'm also writing this on the opposite end of the bed from her. I want her to get used to me and realize I'm her "friend" that gives her food, treats and pet (she's been a little receptive).
I do have another boarding room that is empty, would you advise separating them? I don't think it's a good idea, but just curious what you guys think.
I would love advice. I think the situation is "okay" and feel mostly positive that it'll improve, but I'd love to help her out.
Thanks!
As long as they aren't actually fighting, I wouldn't separate them. I see nothing in your post that I would be overly concerned about, and it sounds like you are handling her the right way. Keep doing the low-key approach you're doing, and let her de-stress in her own way. She may be hissing at her sibling, but the sibling's presence is probably doing more good than harm. Let them stay together.
Kitty update: She's doing much better today! She's still a little hissy, but less so, and she's allowed her sister and I to occupy the bed with her.
I agree about the owner... I was telling my husband that the client reminds me of that couple from that mockumentary "Best in Show" (2000)... the yuppie couple that kept projecting their issues on to their dog? Totally what's going on...
moving is hard, moving with a very hard deadline is hard, moving with a hard deadline when you're a busy professional about to leave the country for a couple of weeks is super stressful....
Both cats, in my opinion, are doing fantastically well. The extroverted kitty is simply amazing and she's completely herself. I'm really enjoying them!
Siblings can be completely different personality-wise from the day they are born all the way through adulthood. It could be that the "reserved" kitty is one who will never have an interest in being cuddly with anything or anyone, but will enjoy the presence of others at a distance, and will prefer to view her surroundings from a distance. If she's already accepting you and her sister close to her territory borders already, then flyingsaucermom you are doing exactly all the right things.
Cats hiss for many reasons, but one is a knee-jerk reaction when their brains are trying to compute a mixture of signals. You can't know exactly what happens at her home, but perhaps her territory gets invaded all the time, so she's expecting that, but you're not invading, however she's expecting you to, and yet you don't.
It sounds like you're getting to know the sister cats very well, and maybe when your clients return you can them help them (since, I think we all agree, some/most of the cat's issues stem from her humans). Perhaps describe in an upbeat way the "reserved" kitty's personality type and how she's more of an observer than a cuddler which is not a negative. Maybe go further to say that hissing is just one form of communication that some cats use more often than others and that's not negative either. Although a different animal, I've been hanging around a flock of Canada geese for months, and some still hiss at me all the time because that's just their way. They don't charge me or bite me, but they just remind me that they want their space. Not all hisses (by cats or geese) mean "I hate you. Go away!" Most times a hiss simply is a statement, "Don't forget I'm here and that I like my space."
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