Anxiety?

[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.