Parrothead Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I don't want to start her on kitty Xanax if at all possible. We are not sure what started it or why it is continuing. The main symptoms are an inability to settle down (she doesn't sleep 20 out of 24 hours) and the horrible over grooming. Right now she is in my lap and had just started to sleep, then jerked herself awake and is watching the dog. A few minutes ago she started grooming but allowed me to distract her. Normally the dog stays with dd during the day, so he isn't bothering her causing the anxiety. The animals have lived together for 7 years now. She is 9 years old and an indoor cat, except during the warmest bit of summer. She then likes to go out and sunbathe on the front porch. When I google cat anxiety I saw a vest that is supposed to help. I'd try it, but they cost $40. That is a lot of money for something without a Hive recommendation. I do try to treat the worst of her over grooming sores with a bit of neosporin. It does seem to help the heal faster. **Update: The box seems to be doing the trick all by itself. She has gotten out to eat and pee but generally goes right back to it. As best I can tell without having been up all night to watch her, she has been in the box pretty much for the last 24 hours. She is sitting in it now alert and watching everything going on. I only wish I'd though about her needing a place to call her own sooner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I know someone who gave her cat prozac for something like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 You can get sprays/liquids that contain various herbal scents, plus a version of a cat pheromone that signals "It's OK, I'm safe". A lot of times, rescues will use these on carriers and the like when they've recently trapped a stray cat who is in panic mode. When one of ours was super-anxious after we got the snake, we put the liquid on a collar (really soaked it, then let it dry-we had a couple in rotation), and put it on the cat. We'd rotate the collars about once a week, or when we stopped smelling lavender when she jumped up on us. It helped pretty quickly, and in about a month, we were able to simply stop scenting the collars because she'd adjusted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 I know someone who gave her cat prozac for something like this. I'm trying to avoid that if possible. I wouldn't mind going the herb route. All I have on hand is catnip. But that is a stimulant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 You can get sprays/liquids that contain various herbal scents, plus a version of a cat pheromone that signals "It's OK, I'm safe". A lot of times, rescues will use these on carriers and the like when they've recently trapped a stray cat who is in panic mode. When one of ours was super-anxious after we got the snake, we put the liquid on a collar (really soaked it, then let it dry-we had a couple in rotation), and put it on the cat. We'd rotate the collars about once a week, or when we stopped smelling lavender when she jumped up on us. It helped pretty quickly, and in about a month, we were able to simply stop scenting the collars because she'd adjusted. Do you remember the brand of pheromone you used? That sounds like something I'm looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Medical work-up to rule out (or in) underlying medical issues that could be causing/contributing to the behavior. If that's okay, then consider Feliway. It's a pheromone product that can help relieve anxiety, inappropriate elimination, etc., in cats. It should be available at just about any pet store, Amazon, etc. You might also look into Rescue Remedy. I've never had any luck with it with my pets, but I know lots of people who have used it for their pets with success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I don't have any experience with anxious cats, but I will say that neither the vest nor the pheromones worked for our anxious dog. However, I do know they work for some people, so I wouldn't rule them out entirely. I second the recommendation for Feliway if you want to try pheromones. If you want to try a vest, this company has a money-back guarantee: http://www.thundershirtforcats.com/ This is the brand we tried, and we were able to easily return it for a refund when it didn't work for us. They have a code for free shipping right now, so really all you have to lose is a couple bucks for return shipping if it's not effective. I hope you find a solution! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 the weighted vests work with kids. That's about all I can tell you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 I've gotten her a box. We usually don't have them sitting around. It is up high and near the pellet stove. She's in there grooming, grooming, grooming. She got in, groomed for a while, got out, ate a bite, got back in, groomed some more, circled 3 times in one direction, 3 times in the other direction and started grooming again. Right now I just want a tranquilizer to put her to sleep. This one is my lazy, won't catch a mouse if it stopped in front of her cat. I'll order the fellway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender's green Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 We had an over-groomer, and feliway seemed to help. At any rate, he doesn't do it anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 for my psycho cat I give her Composure calming treats. They really work. I started her on 2 treats a day and now months later only have to give them to her about twice a week. My vet carries them but I get mine from 1-800 pet meds (I think that is the name, I have it in my favorites) for much cheaper. And this is a cat that was off the wall crazy since we got her as a kitten (she was abandoned in a drug house in Camden and we think they gave her drugs). She would be almost vicious to us one min and then loving the next. On the treats, she is loving most of the time now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 She is finally sleeping. She is still in the box. This is the first I've seen her sleep in weeks. I have to wonder now if she was sleeping at night. I'll get some of the calming treats too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 If all else fails, ask the vet about epileptic seizures. They look different in cats than they do in humans and they are not as serious. They can be treated pretty easily. We had an older cat that developed similar behaviors and that is what it turned out to be. We tried the vest and pheromones first with no success. One big clue is if you have ever noticed that this cat is more sensitive to having its lower back touched or if it twitches frequently when the back is touched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Our dk (dear kitty) had one long bought of over-grooming...stopped for a few months...started up again recently. During the first bought rescue remedy for pets seemed to work. We're going to try it again. We put the drops on a treat or on top of her food. I'll be watching this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxmum Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Sometimes excessive grooming is itchiness from allergies. My cat has severe allergies. You could try 1/2 of a claritin tab ground up in food to see if it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Our dk (dear kitty) had one long bought of over-grooming...stopped for a few months...started up again recently. During the first bought rescue remedy for pets seemed to work. We're going to try it again. We put the drops on a treat or on top of her food. I'll be watching this thread. I'm sorry your kitty is going through this too. Yes, this is a second bout for Prissy as well. She did it just after our trip in September. She and Gilbert were mostly on their own for a couple of weeks. We did have friends come visit them daily but the family proper was gone. She stopped for about 3 months then started again a few weeks ago. It took me a while to realize that it is anxiety. She is sleeping in the box now. She has been there for an hour and 20 minutes. This is the longest I've known her to sleep during the day in weeks. I can see her just over the top of the box breathing deeply every once in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 **Update: The box seems to be doing the trick all by itself. She has gotten out to eat and pee but generally goes right back to it. As best I can tell without having been up all night to watch her, she has been in the box pretty much for the last 24 hours. She is sitting in it now alert and watching everything going on. I only wish I'd though about her needing a place to call her own sooner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 isn't it kinda odd that something as simple as a box could do the trick. Another one of my cats (not the one on calming treats) hates all the other cats. We actually have her a little cat bed in the back of the family room by the sliding glass door overlooking the back yard and that is where she wants to sleep, all by herself with the door closed and no other cats in there. Sometimes when she is out in the rest of the house with the other cats but starts getting agitated, we will tell her, "Sagwa, go to your room, go to your bed" and she will and we will find her in there calm as can be, just looking outside. Hope you have continued success with your cat and that she becomes less anxious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Did something change to trigger the anxiety? I had one that freaked out like that after we had the children. It took her a LONG time to get over it, but I didn't have the hive then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 At her next vet check up, have her thyroid checked. Glad the box is working! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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