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I am looking for those here who walk my shoes because I am so out of ideas on what to do with one of my cats.
His history: He is now 6 years old. He came from a no-kill shelter, extremely over crowed!, where he was born and kept there for 9 months. The female owner, out of all the hundreds of cats in this shelter, singled this cat out as special and paid him a lot of one-on-one attention.
One day, I went to PetSmart, with no intention of adopting a cat. I saw this woman with a few cats for adoption, and one caught my eye immediately. He was in a hand carrier, way up on some boxes, out of the ordinary sight of potential adopters. I asked this woman if this cat was up for adoption, and very reluctantly, she said yes. She even said, after I signed the papers, "go on, get out of here!"
So,
Here I now have a cat, who over the years has been very needy, very demanding, and who wants me to give him special attention over the others. He will pee out of the litter box right in front of me, if I don't come to him the moment he whines. And he whines. And whines to the point I want to scream. I've tried vocalizing back to him exactly what he is saying, and yes, this seems to calm him, to a point.
I have tried disciplining with the water bottle. Nope. I have tried time outs in the half-lav. Nope. I have tried special attention.....and that, believe me, with all the cats I care for, is so not easy. Nope. He still is not satisfied. His problem is twofold......he was given special attention in the no-kill shelter and he feels as though now he deserves that attention still, and he has psychological problems.....acting out behavior, due to being caged for the first 9 months of his life. He is an extremely intelligent brown tabby with a very high energy (at times to the point of nervous).
I don't know what to do. I have just ordered a product called SSCAT to try to deter him (and others) from spraying in a certain area of my home. Besides this, I am besides myself. IF this product works, I will be buying more, believe me!!!!
Does anyone here have any other suggestions as to what I can try to do to address this cat's problems? Please don't suggest that I adopt other cats from my home, for they are all special needs, and they all require ongoing treatments and adjustments to maintain and/or increase their health status. In my opinion, none are adoptable.
Oh, yes, I have tried natural remedies to calm this cat down. They do work, again, to a point. I have tried both voice and hand training/discipline, again, which do work, but only to a point and I am staring at starting point 0 all over again. (sigh)
I really appreciate any suggestions, other then adoption, which is out of the question for me.
Thank you.
Last edited by Garden of Eden; 06-19-2010 at 11:21 AM..
Reason: more information
Guys! I am so desperate!! EVEN if you don't do what I do, and you think you might have an idea or two, reply to this thread. I am open to suggestions. My think tank is on E for empty!!
Hey Garden! Have you ever heard of T Touch? My Mom used this with one of her cats and it worked really well. Muffy was very clingy, needy type of cat. I googled it and there are some sites about it, along with some instructional videos on you tube. I wish I had more to offer! Honestly, I forgot all about her using this method with Muffy. I may have to check it out for my little timid, very neurotic kitty. Poor Sammy's afraid of his own shadow.
Hey Garden! Have you ever heard of T Touch? My Mom used this with one of her cats and it worked really well. Muffy was very clingy, needy type of cat. I googled it and there are some sites about it, along with some instructional videos on you tube. I wish I had more to offer! Honestly, I forgot all about her using this method with Muffy. I may have to check it out for my little timid, very neurotic kitty. Poor Sammy's afraid of his own shadow.
No, I haven't heard of T Touch, but I am on my way right now to Google it! Thank you!!!
Garden, Have you heard of Warren Eckstein? I used to listen to his radio show when I lived in So Cal. Anyway, I call him the "Kitty Psychiatrist". (Though he works with other animals.) I think the man is a genius. He truly loves animals and used to discuss problems like this on his show. Check out his website. www.warreneckstein.com
I'm thinking he may be your man.
Here's hoping because other than that I've got no ideas.
p.s. He's a bit of a "Animal Helper To The Stars". Frank Sinatra and he were good friends. He used to help Frank figure out his dogs Lol.
Ah, thanks, DDI. I will definitely check this man out.
I've been thinking about this cat all day long, even when I went swimming doing my laps. What am I missing? What is still not being addressed after years of trying to undo the psychological damage caused by enforced caging? Why is his behavior getting worse right now? These and more questions ebb and flow.....
I know that this situation here, with 15 rescued and "special" cats are a replay for this cat of his original status in the beginning of his life. I know he has transferred his feelings to me that he had for the woman who ran the no-kill shelter. I KNOW he does not like what I do in life for I KNOW he wants me all to himself. I took a good look at him today, and he within the past few days, has dropped weight. He does this when he is super stressed. I am making a point this evening to feed him my raw diet, which he won't eat by himself, but is the best nutrition for his state of being. The ONLY reason I can possibly think of why he is so stressed (again) is that I have been doing a lot of deep cleaning, and in so doing, I am washing a lot of the cats' scents away.
And then there is Whispers, my youngest and newest rescue. He has begun to sing, and because it is so darn cute (think high notes and very sweet voice) I am resolved to laughter each time he sings, and I have begun to sing back, mimicking his vocals. In past, my troubled guy is the only one I have mimicked. Is this outright jealousy? There are so many differing factors and I am just not sure what is triggering him.
I am just thinking out loud here. Sometimes when I do this, and listen to your feedback, the answers, the solutions, come. Thank you oigeewoman and DDI. You have begun the process of getting my brains working again.
This does sound like a case of jealousy to me...! You mentioned he's very high energy...maybe he needs more one-on-one "play time" with you? We used to have this toy called the "cat dancer", it's a long wire with some kind of tightly-woven fiber on the end, and every cat I've ever showed this toy to loved it! It's pretty inexpensive, and maybe that would help him get some of that energy out? The other thing that comes to mind is (and I say it all the time and people are probably tired of hearing it, lol!) chamomile...I really believe in this stuff, though, and it really does help with anxiety and appetite. After a good play session, maybe give him a bit of it (brewed as a tea) in some raw or canned food? Does Tigger like to play with any of the other cats? The best scenario would be for him to find a "buddy" to hang out with and play with, preferably a cat that has a similar energy level...then some of his need for attention would be transferred onto his friend and less would be put on you...but I know, cats are finicky and sometimes prefer to be loners when it comes to other animals (that's how my older female is...she hates everyone except Humans!) I guess I'm thinking out loud here, too, LOL, I wish I could be more helpful!
Thanks, luv! Sad to say, this cat does not know how to play. I've been trying for over 5 years now, and still no go. He'll just sit there, as I try to entice him to play, and then while he sits, others get into the act. When he was caged at the no-kill shelter, he was a baby, and as far as I know, he was not played with, nor does he know how to play with other cats. He has, though, over time, once in a while, tumble with another one of my cats, who is about the same weight and size.
I've got some ideas going on this head of mine. I just won't quit on this guy. Yes, I know too, I have enabled his neediness over the years, by running to him every time he whined.....just couldn't erase the image of him in a cage in an overcrowded, chemical dump (don't mean to offend anyone here) and so I went out of my way to baby him. Now, I really have a "monster" on my hands, and now it is time to both undo my enabling, and to teach him new coping skills. (sigh) And who here doesn't think cats are complicated creatures???
Thanks to all who replied to this thread. Your comments got my brains going again, this time in a different direction, and yes, I do plan on checking out that "animal psychologist". I really appreciate the help.
DewDrop, I will let you know. I again thank you so much for extending a hand of help. Every blessing!
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Honestly, I forgot all about her using this method with Muffy. I may have to check it out for my little timid, very neurotic kitty. Poor Sammy's afraid of his own shadow.
