hard decision, need advice

[Kat]

Oh that's the american one. The Canadian version is different. Let me link you Calm Dry / Veterinary Exclusive Cat Diets / Veterinary Exclusive Diets / Home - RoyalCanin.

[xchairity_casex]

i have 3 elderly cats who are very sensative also perhapes i can help
i grew up without freinds being homschooled i was home all the time and i mean ALL the time i got my female cat ginger when i was just 9 years old she was my one and only freind then i got her brother a few weeks later then my other female cat ema a year later. they are now 13 and 14 years old.
after i began dateing my bf things obviously changed i began leaveing the house which stressed them out tremendously Ema licked her tummy and legs bald untill scabs and open wounds appeared my other female cat ginger started urinating on everything my bed,my clothes,the carpet,there cat beds,the couch

i also had them checked out clean bills of health the vet kept trying to take skin scrapings of my kitty ema she was certian it was some sort of allergy after 3 negative tests i stopped i knew what was wrong.
so i did a bit of searching and reading and this is what i tried and what helped i cannot say it "cured" them but it has helped alot

senior cats (cats 7 and up) generally become more nervous and irritable with age they jsut want to relax and be calm and quiet
dont even bother with disciplne with a nervous anxious kitty the best thing you can do is try your best to keep a routine i know it sounds like it wouldnt help your situation but it can cats do well with routine especielly elderly cats it helps them relax a little bit more try to feed them at the same time everyday try to set a specific time to give some cuddles everyday even if its only 10 minutes. find someone to take the dog for a 30 minute walk or play out in the yard while you cuddle the kitty. DONT let the dog butt in and DONT feel anxious or frustrated (like if yuor being pesterd by the dog and trying to make them leave you two alone) kitty needs some comfort and love from you too on a daily basis just to be able to relax its not fair if they have to feel anxiety day and night if you give them that schedualed time with you they will begin to look forward to it. with my kitties every morning before getting out of bed and every night before going to bed i cuddle them

keep a safe place for your kitty like an easy to accsess shelf away from the dog or a specific room shes allowed into but not the dog find a blanket or a towel or if shes like my kitties one of your sweatshirts or sweaters for her to lie on. try to keep it high even if its jsut a few feet off the ground cats feel safer up high (considering she has no mobility problems)

Senior cats generally dont want alot of high energy zooming around them they dont have the energy to deal with it anymore not to mention not many cats feel very comfortable with it anyways even when young.
if when your cat goes to you for affection and more often then not someone or something creates anxiety in you or you push them away to do somthing else they will learn they cannot rely on you for comfort so if kitty comes to you to be petted try your best to take atleast 5 minutes (the more the better) to just b calm and relaxed and pet them so they have a way of soothing they can rely upon.
with my kitties they know that they can always come to me to be comforted sometimes its only a few minutes sometimes an hour of jsut sitting on my lap but they always know that when they need it im there so they dont feel the need to self mutilate for self comfort or urinate to relieve anxiety.

try researching "pet massage" this is another way to relax your cat.

invest in a cat condo or maybe just some cardboard boxes glued/taped together a fun private place for kitties only to explore and hide in.

invest in one of those grow your own cat grass kits and plant it often

of coarse you may not be able to go as far as me but when i first moved into this house im living now i took the ful sized basement as my bedroom and did everything i could to cater to my cats i put beds or soft fabic in every nook and crany they may want to hide in (under the coffee table,behind the couch,under my bed,in my closet,on top of the dryer,in my book case)
if you can find little hiding places around your house and noone minds try tucking in an old towel folded up and show kitty she may just turn it into her favorite place.

cats like privacy the more places they have to hide the more comfortable they feel.

i hope ive been able to give you some good dieas you can use and please dont get rid of your kitty shelters are so over crowded with cats and kittens they have such a hard time finding homes.

and also rember time will also help just dont let the dog pester her or get in her face make sure pup is respectful of her and her space.

good luck!

[Kat]

I took some photos just now to show the cat areas in my apartment.

The two cat posts in the living room, 8 feet and 5.5 feet tall:


The two posts to let the cats in and out of the living room easily:


Was gunna throw this one out but Sam likes to chill on it:


Post in my sisters room:


Cats corner with kiichis sleeping tent in my sisters room. She is the only one who sleeps in the tent and on that post:


Large soft bed in my closet where she likes to sleep, especially hide out when there is a thunderstorm:


Kiichi's spot on my bed


Kiichi's stomach and legs


Kiichi's one arm, they are equal on both sides:

[monkeys23]

Wow your house is like a freaking cat palace!

Have you guys liberally soaked the bedding and mattress with an enzymatic urine cleaner? If she can still smell it, she will keep on peeing there....

That said, I had a young cat who developed behavioral issues and also always had marking issues despite being a spayed girl. No medical problems or anything and other solutions didn't work. Finally when she tried to take my face off for no reason and attacked Lily (who raised her btw) I rehomed her to someone else. Apparently she is just doing peachy with her new owner and there have been no more problems. Go figure... just weird. She was only two and a gorgeous torbie classic brown tabby though.

7 sure isn't old by any means though. Thats just starting middle age.

Hmmm cats are obligate carnivores... I wonder if the carbs in her diet are screwing with her system bad enough to affect her behavior. Just a thought. Cats are so hard to wean off the processed food. It is just ridiculous.

[Huginn]

Oh that's the american one. The Canadian version is different. Let me link you Calm Dry / Veterinary Exclusive Cat Diets / Veterinary Exclusive Diets / Home - RoyalCanin.

I will never understand why different countries need different formulas . . . bleck. Anyway, I read the ingredients and their little description. With ingredients like this:

Chicken Meal, Corn, Brewer’s Rice, Wheat Gluten, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat, Natural Flavour, Powdered Cellulose, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat, Fish Oil, Calcium Sulphate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, Vegetable Oil, Fructo-Oligosaccharides, Taurine, Ground Psyllium Husk, Choline Chloride, Vitamins [DL-Alpha-Tocopherol (Source of Vitamin E), Inositol, Niacin, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin A Acetate, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement and Vitamin D3 Supplement], L-Lysine, Dried Hydrolyzed Casein, L-Tryptophan, Trace Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulphate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Copper Sulphate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate and Sodium Selenite], L-Carnitine and Rosemary. Naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid. Approximately 350 kcal/cup, 368 kcal/100 g, 95 g/cup

I would never ever feed that food if the tryptophan actually works to calm her nerves I would just supplement her with tryptophan or find another calming supplement, like others have suggested. This food really is terrible . . .

ETA: Due to tryptophan being an amino acid the body synthesizes I am not sure if I would supplement it. I would look into herbal remedies. . .

[brandypup]

Yes I missed a couple parts, sorry. Wish I had a magic fix. I have 8 cats in the apartment right now and it's a nightmare. Of my 5 three are former feral cats so terratory is alwyas an issue. One is declawed and scared of everything and will attack vs figure out what anyone else is doing wlaking by her. (she was adopted as a declaw) I generalty have to isolate 1 or 2 inthe bath and laundry room to give them quiet time. Sometimes I isolate the attacker, sometimes the one being attacked to give them some peace. And I have 2 cats who like to ambush in the litterl box so occasional I have pee somewere. I keep the calming collar onthe declawed cat and it helps her alot. I didn't actually really notice until after 3 weeks. It fell off ofter the 5 th week and she has been hell. I also keep cat shelfs on the walls. they seem better if they can flee in an upward motion vs running down the hall (which gets the dogs excited). My cats are kibble addicts but they still love the raw food. I have a isck baby in the bathroom which is of course upsetting a few things. Hopeing the fosters are adopted soon.

I think isolating your cat from everyone and everything and see if that calms her down. And the other person made a good point if could be habit now to react in her ways. Isolation to calm and break the habit. Then at least that way if it comes to rehoming her you can see her personality better and have a better chance at a home.

Hugs- I truely know how frustrating it can be.


OMG did you see that cat set up! Bawhahaha I think I will send some cats that way. *BEG*

[Imgliniel]

Imgliniel, that was a very interesting article. It does not seem likely that she would fall under that catergory of dust allergies though. We vacuum and dust every day (literally) my mom is a clean freak lol, I have an air purifier in my room, we have radiator heating, and we always air out the apartment when we clean. I have dust allergies that trigger asthma so Im very careful to make sure everything is clean too. And as I said in a previous post, I vacuum the cats areas including the scratching posts, and wash the cat beds once a month or so with mild detergant. And we use the unscented swiffer dry cloth to pick up dust and hair from the floors.

Oh I wasn't suggesting she had that exactly. Just trying to give you some alternate avenues to explore/think about. Medical issues are not always what they appear to be on the surface.

[MollyWoppy]

Funny about the cat towers, I was also thinking that Kat's house is a paradise for cats! I daren't let Windy see it, she'd leave home in a second.
You know, before I had Windy, (when I thought I hated cats), I use to think cat towers were horrendous and wonder why on earth anyone would ever have one. Well, of course, now Windy's one is front and centre in the lounge, I love it, and if I was allowed to, she'd have at least 2 more, one in the bedroom, one in the office and maybe another in the dining room. Weird how your tastes change when you see your animals so happy.

I've bought a couple of cat books which I'm going to have a look through to see if they have anything different to offer as I can tell how this is really tearing you apart Kat. You can see how much you obviously adore your kittens, so I really want to try and find something, anything to help.

[Kat]

Thank you all for the wonderful replies :)

Not sure if anyone has mistaken this, but I am going to make it clear, I do not feed my cats any royal canin products. I feed mainly high quality canned food which is Nature's Variety, Natural Balance, Go! Natural, and a tiny bit of holistic select (yes it has rice in it, but I feel a can like once a week to offer more variety). For the once a day kibble feeding I give my cats a small handful of Natural Balance kibble just enough to fill them up, and then they eat their canned food right after. The kibble just makes them have the hunger urge more, otherwise they would never eat just canned food.

I talked to my vet today. She suggested I try upping the dose of clomicalm to 2.5mg twice a day. Before I was only giving 2.5mg once a day. Which I guess she built up a tolerance to it because it stopped working. For kiichi she said it is safe to go all the way up to 10mg a day. But right now we are going to try the 5mg a day. Hopefully I see improvement. Because when we first did clomicalm it worked wonders.

[Kat]

A little update....

its been a week since I upped Kiichi's clomicalm dose to half a tablet twice a day, so she is getting 5 mg daily. It is working, I can see that her hair is starting to grow back on her belly and I have not seen her over grooming. But now, I swear, she doesnt like me! When I go near her to cuddle or pet her, she gets up and walks away Im sure the medication is making her feel kind of funny, but she wont let me go near her which sucks. Im sure shes pissed that I keep pilling her, but I dont have a choice, if I let her keep going, Im sure she would be completely bald. I was trying to play with her favorite beanie toy, and she wouldnt give me the time of day.