Anxiety?

[Lina]

Maresche pointed me here for help ^_^

A little background. I have two cats. The older, Eva, is a female of 5 years and Zel, the younger male is 3. My husband and I got Eva soon after we moved in together. Eva was never the most social or loveable cat which suited us fine because we both work and she spent a lot of time home alone. We ended up getting another cat to keep Eva Company because she seemed lonely and was getting more temperamental as she turned 2. We introduced a male kitten and the two got along famously. In May of ’05 we bought our first house and the cats seemed to adjust well. Eva has an interest in spending time outside where Zel seems terrified of it, but they both love the windows and get to watch more nature than what was offered in an upper level apartment.

Last fall Zel’s behavior changed enough to become a problem. As a kitten he was overly affectionate but as he grew he became more and more just my cat. Looking at the timing, Eva also got an attitude around 2 so I was thinking it’s a form of cat teenage angst. The issue is that instead of getting better it’s getting worse.

He’s never liked his litter changed. He has always loved to play in it and throw it around and has always thrown a hissing fit when we change it. That is something I’ve never run across in a cat before as any cat I’ve had loves it when they get fresh litter. About 6 months ago he started peeing in any baskets of clean laundry that were left unattended for any length of time. One morning my husband had opened the dryer and grabbed a towel for the morning shower, but didn’t close the dryer tight. By the time he was out of the shower Zel had crawled in and peed on the clothes we were intending on wearing to work. The only thing we could come up with was that he was only peeing in baskets of laundry in the back room, which is right by the back door. We have neighborhood cats that prowl and the winter weather was breaking. I thought maybe he could smell them so he was marking the inside of the house as his. I don’t know if we’ve broken this habit or not. We don’t leave close unattended in the washroom any more and we’ve put a feilaway plug-in in that same room. As of now, he hasn’t gone anywhere but his litter box for almost two months.

Recently he has been more aggressive about his litter, and had more pissy streaks in general. If my husband changes the box Zel will hiss and growl every time he sees him for days. If he’s approached he howels and screams as if we were beating him, yet we don’t even get close enough to touch him. Again this happens most with my husband. I rarely get this treatment and Zel will usually just hide from strangers completely or hiss at them when he walks by. Our other cat, Eva, is more my husband’s cat than mine but she doesn’t attack me either.

It’s important to say he isn’t always like this, or even most of the time. Sometimes (even if I’m not home) he’ll cuddle on hubby’s lap. Sometimes he’ll throw a fit and it has nothing to do with changing his litter. The issue is his outbursts are getting worse/more violent and I can't figure out his triggers.

Zel has checked out fine with the vet (other than being a little too well fed) and anything I’ve read points to behavioral issues, most likely anxiety. He is a bit skittish and a fraidy-cat in general. Like, he’ll have to stalk something on the floor and tap it to make sure it won’t move, or if you touch him and he’s not expecting it he’ll jump 3 feet up and run to the other side of the room before realizing you were just trying to pet him. I can’t figure out what triggers his behavior other than giving him fresh litter. I’d say it was the move to the house, but he was fine for a good 8 months before he started acting up. Because it’s a fairly recent thing I'd like to correct the behavior without medicating him if I can help it. I also don't want to get rid of him obviously. He's still a cute little snugglebunny 99% of the time with me after all.

Anyone have experience with behavior like this? Are there any buzz words or terminology I should use when talking with a vet to get more answers? A recommendation of a great cat vet that deals with behavioral problems in the NW Metro Detroit area would be good too, as my current vet is stumped.

Oh, as for diet, he has been on a form of Science Diet dry food since we got him at 6 weeks, just like Eva. Both are also spayed/neutered, frontal de-calwed and indoor-only house cats.

EDIT: The poor spelling, it burns!

[Laura's Babies]

Maybe you should check out this lady that this person used. Seems like she is helping and it really sounds like you need some help!


http://67.15.70.205/talk/showthread.php?t=108336

[catmandu]

That would be terrible if your Cat who has a great Furr Ever Home goes off his rocker.
I have too never heard of a Cat who does not like clean litter.
We pray that Feli Way can help.

[Edwina's Secretary]

How many litter boxes do you have? Do the two cats have to share or does each have at least one of his/her own? Have you tried different litters? There are some that require rather infrequent change.

[jazzcat]

I'm just wondering if any of this could be related to the frontal declaw? I've read that it can cause serious behavioral problems.

Years ago I had a friend that had her two male kittens declawed and as they grew one became more and more aggressive and quirky. He hated to use litter after the declaw and she had to continue to use shredded newspaper for him or he would cry when he stepped in the litter like the sandy stuff hurt his feet. He also became very shell-shocked acting like being afraid of any noise or anything new. Everything startled him and he wasn't that way to start. Back then I hadn't heard about the problems declawing can cause but now I see the relation. Maybe this is Zel's problem too.

[Lina]

Jazzcat: I don't think it has anything to do with the de-claw as he's not had them since he was neutered almost 3 years ago, and the problem is pretty recent. His weird attachment to his litter he's had since the day we brought him home.

Funny side story. I couldn't figure out how a kitten got litter all over. When we first brought him home he had his own room for a week on vet's orders to make sure all the tests came back clean before we let the cats play together. I caught him in the litter, grabbing it between his front paws and throwing it around like confetti, then chasing the pieces across the tile floor. I don't think he goes to that extreme anymore but he's still pretty messy.

Edwina's Secretary: The two cats share a litter box. When we first got Zel we had two but after a week or so, the second was never used so we did away with it. They have been sharing one ever since.

As far as litter goes we use the clay type (Fresh Step) and always have. (Well except when they were de-clawed then we used the smushy newspaper pellets the vet gave us for a couple weeks.) We typically change it every 4-7 days. We've tried letting it go longer or changing it more often but he still wigs out. None of it seems to bother our other cat in the least. Would reintroducing a second litter help?

Another thing I thought of. My kitties are fat (Eva is 12 lbs and Zel 15 lbs at their last yearly). Not really obese or anything since they (especially Zel) are big all over, but the vet says they could both stand to lose a pound or two. We always just left them dry food out, so a year and a half ago-ish we did what the vet suggested and gave them one cup of food a day and that was it. On their last visit their weight had actually increased a smidge so we switched to the "indoor cat" version of Science Diet. When we switched they liked the new food better to the point even mixing the two we had a hard time getting them to finish off the old. Do you think going back to leaving food out all the time would help? I'd rather have a fat cat than a biting cat.

I'll throw up pictures when I get a chance ^_^

Edit: Pictures!

Zel



And one of my favorites, linked for size.
http://www.pantsunai.com/uploads/img44b638bd8cc84.jpg


Eva





... and finally the two of them cuddling in a laundry basket, not looking happy I woke them with the camera.

[KitCat]

I've had my cat Cocoa Kitty on a diet for quite a while. The vet said he was too heavy and it would affect how long he would live, so I HAD to put him on a diet. He sometimes gets cranky when he's hungry and is more likely to give a little bite. Now I buy the pet grass at the petstore so he can at least "have a salad" when he's hungry. Then he was less cranky and still slimmed down. He's nearly at the right weight now....now I only have to work on slimming myself down!! I am really attached to the boy and he's very well behaved and sweet most of the time, so I really wanted him to be healthy and stay with me for a long time.
Try providing the cat grass and see if your cat is less cranky.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Look at those faces!!! How sweet!

When I added a second cat I got two litter boxes. The E's commenced the "Battle of the Pans!" Three/four years later I still have two boxes...although right next to each other.

It wouldn't hurt to try. Maybe if he has his own personal box he won't worry about his scent going away when you change the litter.

And perhaps leaving just a bit of HIS dirty litter in the pan. When we moved I brought along a little bit of "used" litter for the pans in the new house so it would smell like home.

[Katelf]

There may have been a trauma of some sort which you are unaware of and which you may never know.

Cats rely on smell. I agree, you should always save some of his litter and put it in the clean box. Two boxes is best, one for each cat even if they both use the same one. It just takes away the pressure.

Some folks I know have used Bach's "Five Flower" or "Rescue Remedy" herbal tincture and put it in the water. Good for anxiety. I know some people who have had good results with it with anxiety.

I "free feed" my 4 mogs. They seem fine. I have 5 litter boxes for 4 kitties. They are strictly indoor kitties.

Have your habits changed, i.e., are you away from the house more than usual? Sometimes kitties are just missing us and it comes up in these ways. If the medical health is good, sometimes it's just time that heals the anxiousness.

The kitties should not feel they have to compete for affection.

I don't know if my ramble helps, but I hope so Your cats are beautiful.

[Sus]

Hello Lina!

To me it sounds like Zell's problems arise as a result of the combination of declawing, environmental changes and thereby following increased pressure on his territory. This is provided that he checked out at the vet of course, regarding all physical measures (FUS, etc.), since physical pain also can cause aggression and/or behavioural problems.

This would be consistent with the fact that the problems seemed to arise when you moved to your new hourse even if Zel was declawed long before that.

What's his trouble now is the increased amount of pressure on his territory from getting the outside world and strange cats ever so much "closer to home" combined with the fact that he instinctively knows that he is unable to defend his property because of the lack of "tools" on his front paws.

The inability to use his front claws for scratching and defence has necessitated his invention of other modes of response to threats, hence the howling and biting etc. - AND the smell from the litter box contents has become an important aid in his maintaining his territory.

That's what I think, anyway. And what to recommend? I think the advice from Edwina's Secretary is an important one. Other than that? My advice would be to somehow reduce his feeling of threat from outside cats, and how you would do that depends on how your house is and your garden, etc. Inside the house you may be able to create a special "safeplace" for him that is his only.

As far as I can tell from what I've read on the internet and from personal experience it never helps to punish an aggressive cat for his behaviour, it will only enhance the amount of aggression.

I think your main issue should be to make him feel secure and relieve him of his stress. If he threatens or attacks you: Spray him with a splash of water from a water pistol and yell loudly to show this is unwanted behaviour and praise him when he is calm. Make room for some of the more harmless peculiarities of his. And if everything fails to help - you may have to consider finding a new home for him, that will be more secure for him, i.e. an apartment well above street level!

Good luck!

Here are some links that you may/may not find useful - but I think they relate fine to Zel's problems:

http://amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html

http://www.defiant.net/declaw.html

http://messybeast.com/toileting-problem.htm

Oh, and both Zel and Eva are wonderful kitties!

Love,
Sus & Bella

[Lina]

I guess I got too wordy because a lot is being missed in translation I think.

Regardless, nothing has changed in their environment since we moved to the house, and Zel has not been like this since the move. I guess it could be some kind of trauma I'll never know about, but I don't know what it would be as he's an indoor cat and only the husband and I have access to the house.

Basically Zel was fine with the move. He and Eva seemed to love the house, probably because they had more space. At time we moved he was 2-ish and not that lovable to anyone outside the two of us. Not a big deal. I lived with a family cat for years that wouldn't even come out of hiding when company was over.

His different behavior didn't start until fall (sept/oct '05) but even then it wasn't anything too odd. Just more jumpy in general and we attributed it to the neighbor's dog barking. We didn't have a barking dog at the apartment, and when he seemed most skittish was when the dog was carrying on. He was also pretty much just my cat at this point too, which is fine with me as the other cat prefers my husband.

He didn't start with the peeing on clothes baskets until end of Jan '06 and has since stopped. I still can’t figure this one out.

The biting (we're talking the serious draw blood type) happened for the first time soon before I posted here. He got my husband really good, and got me the next day though not as badly.

One thing I've noticed over the past week or so (now that I'm watching him like a hawk) is that our other cat is shunning him. This makes the most sense as far as timing to be at the root of the issue. I can't figure out what happened, but the older cat refuses to have anything to do with him. That, I’m not sure how to fix either.

I'm going to get a second litter box and see if that helps at all. At the least I'm hoping it will keep him from spazzing every time we change the box. Knowing his history, I don't have high hopes.

I've also been leaving food out more often for them. I don't know if it's helping or not, but it doesn't seem to be hurting.

[AmberEyes]

Wow, your cats are adorable. Zel looks like my Max.
Great advice, people! I've had a very similar problem with Bella.

[Catty1]

Hey, Lina - I hope the litterbox trick works.

I am also a fan of Feliway, which I started using for my one cat. It takes the edge off - is a cat pheromone, so is not a "drug".

It is a bit pricey - but it lasts a LOOOONG time!

good luck
Catty1

[catnapper]

I am sorry I missed this earlier.

I have a laundry basket peer. He's been checked for health, and he's perfectly healthy. My first inclination with inappropriate peeing is to check and make sure they don't have a urinary health issue. Once thats ruled out, you need ot figure out what he's trying to tell you. My Allen typically pees in laundry baskets because they look an awful lot like litterboxes and he's trying ot tell me that he doesn't like the state of his litterbox (too full, too smelly, someone else was in it, etc). If he's not making commentary on the state of his box, he is complaining about something else. This is when the detective work steps in.

With regards to his hissy fits as you change the litter, it could be that he does not like the perfumy smell that Fresh Step has when its new. He just might prefer the amonia smell to the perfume. Try a non-scented litter and see if it makes a difference.

Edwina's Secretary is right on the money with adding a new litterbox. Rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one. 2 cats would use 3 boxes. Believe me, I used to roll my eyes at that and think "they" (whoever they were) made that up to give me extra work. Seriously, after adding the 3rd box with my two cats, a whole new pee free world opened up. I now have 5 cats and 7 litterboxes. Yes, 3 of them are hardly ever used but every time I tried to remove one.... well it went right back in place.

I hoipe this helped a bit.

PS: your kitties are gorgeous!

[Lina]

Thanks for all of your advice. I found the solution and it's crazy simple.

A couple weeks back Zel was getting worse, so we made a vet appointment. He was just checked out in March and given a clean bill of health, but we wanted a second opinion. We also wanted to find a vet closer to where we live now. Then he coughed up the largest hair ball I have ever seen and calmed down a bit. I remember looking at it thinking "no wonder he was cranky, it looked like it could have filled his whole tummy!" We decided to keep the appointment anyway and took the cats to the new vet and I love the place. They are a cat only vet, friendly, pretty inexpensive, family run, and down to earth.

The new vet wanted to see both cats for the first visit. Zel was actually very well behaved while our calm one, Eva, earned a "W" in her folder because 2 people had to hold her while she was examined. She was an unhappy cat.

The vet says they are in incredibly good health for their age and weight is not a health issue with either of them. She said she's not concerned in the least about it and wouldn't be unless they each gained a few more pounds. Great news especially after the other vet was upset Eva was a couple ounces heavier than he would like and put them on a pretty strict diet. Which brings us to the issue.

After talking about his behavior problems the vet was pretty sure he has a food anxiety problem that affects only a small percent (like less than 2% small) of indoor house cats. Some, like Zel, go off their rocker as soon as their food dish is empty because they think "OMG I'm going to starve!" Since she isn't concerned with their weight she said to try our best to not let them see the bottom of their food bowl and we'll go from there.

At first I didn't understand how this could be it. Their eating habits haven't changed for two and a half years since the other vet awnted them on a diet. Zel's bad behavior only started at most a year ago, and didn't get bad until recently. After talking it through with her it made sense though. We've only been in the house since May of '05, so he's only seen other cats (well stranger cats) for that long. With them added in the equation and how he got worse after the thaw this year it makes sense.

So we tried it. After three days of keeping the food bowl full, a year of evil spaz kitty is gone. He still is not a fan of having his litter changed, but he's been like that since birth. They still share their box fine and he isn't as upset when the litter is changed. There's been no more peeing on our clothes and he's not biting or hissing or spitting or attacking randomly anymore. If anything he's gone back to acting more like the sweet cuddly cat I knew he was. My husband has even caught him throwing his litter around like confetti again recently. Not that I enjoy cleaning up the mess, but it shows he's a happy cat again =^_^=