8 year old cat terrfied of everything

[agentspooky]

You seem to really care about these cats. I hope Barney won't be put to sleep. I think there is hope for him! There are natural "calming" remedies you can find online like at the store onlynaturalpet.com . It's worth a shot.

Another idea is to hire a petsitter who is very good with cats. Why? To help Barney get used to other people besides yourself. This could actually go a long way in helping him overcome all the anxiety. A very patient, gentle new person with lots of treats who slowly gains his trust could teach him to be less afraid of new things in general.

If all else fails, rehoming or rescue might not be a bad idea. Someone else might surprise you and be able to work with him or at least give him a very quiet home with lots of space to himself. You could try posting him on rescueme.org as well as contacting some local rescues.

Does Barney still have his claws? (sometimes declawing makes a cat very stressed)

Are there ever times when Barney seems content and happy?
 

 

[annep]

Barney's homelife is as quiet as I can make it - he's used to the tv, computer and stereo even at loud volumes .. I've always lived alone. I've probably tried every homeopathic remedy on the market at one time or another always giving it at least a month. His hearing and peripheral vision are fine as far as I can tell - too fine probably.

Hiring a petsitter or having someone come over would only result in Barney staying under the bed until they leave .. he has a perfect track record for under the bed hiding. As I said previously he stayed under the bed for 3 days when my sister came to visit. After reading the article about Scaredy cats I consider I have an invisible cat. If I can find a small cage that I can afford I might try that but I worry it will only make things worse because he will feel trapped.

It occurs to me that Barney may be autistic - his behavior seems to fit. If that's the case then there is absolutely nothing that can be done.

 

[annep]

I forgot to add that Barney is happy and content for the most part but that changes in a heartbeat if something changes that he can't cope with. He is also the most photogenic cat I've ever seen .. you can't take a bad picture of Barney.

Barnster1.jpg

• annep
• Feb 20, 2013

 

[addiebee]

I have a cat like this, too, (Casper) and I don't know what to do about him. I would like to put him on anxiety meds, but he runs from me for no reason and hides all the time, so I have no idea how I would be able to dose him. And lately, things have gotten worse. He is VERY reactive with a couple of the other cats, a pair of brothers who do pick on him. They really, really do not like each other. So I periodically have screaming, hissing caterwauls going on in my house. 

I have done Feliway, Bachs, calming collars ( Cas will wear one IF I can get close enough to put it on him.)

I don't know what kind of life he is living, as well, hiding under a bed most of the time.

We moved into this bigger house and I thought that would make things better, but it hasn't. 

Cas will approach me for lovins when I am in the bathroom or sitting on the sofa, but I cannot approach and pet him, at least not recently.

 

[addiebee]

PS you might look into L-theanine. There is a member here using it for her anxious kitty.


If you are interested I'll ask the member to contact you for more info.

I clicked this... so, it's a capsule? I can crack it open and put it in food?  I am wondering if this would help my poor Casper to relax.... his anxiety is off the charts.

 

[ritz]

If a capsule, you can pull it apart and put it in food.

I can't pill Ritz; the 'cure' is precipate a UTI/FHS episode.

If the drug is also used in humans (like Prozac, Flagyl, Tramadol), a pharmacist can usually compound it into a flavored liquid.  That's how I got Flagyl and Reglan into Ritz, tuna/chicken flavored. No more expensive than the pill form.

 

[natalie_ca]

Can you ask your vet if they know any animal behaviour therapists in your area? It sounds to me like you poor boy has PTSD to something that happened when he was a kitten. Likely a loud noise.  Finding the source and working at behaviour management might be the answer.

Here, try this link:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/131288/can-cats-have-ptsd

 

[agentspooky]

Barney and his friend both look almost exactly like one of my cats.

If Barney's happy and content for the most part, then I think his quality of life is high enough that he wouldn't want to be put to sleep.

About the petsitter thing, I understand that he hides from strangers, but my idea is that the sitter could actually get down there under the bed and talk softly to him, put treats under there for him, maybe try to play with him with a cool toy. Over a period of time he may become less afraid of this person and may come out from hiding. This could open the door for him not to be so afraid of unusual things.

Have you ever seen the show My Cat From Hell? I've seen the host, Jackson Galaxy, work wonders with some REALLY crazy cats.

th_Felix23.jpg

• agentspooky
• Feb 20, 2013

 

[jennboyd]

call jackson galaxy
 

 

[annep]

I've watched "my cat from hell" and like it a lot .. the show was why I ended up putting up kitty shelves which are probably going to end up as odd bookshelves since both kittys won't venture past the one in the corner shelf even though I've baited them with kitty junk food and catnip. I would love to call Jackson but he's on the other side of the continent and I don't think he'd hop over for one borked kitty.

 

[orientalslave]

Jackson Galaxy isn't the only person really helping cats with behavioural issues, he's simply the best known one.  He's not necessarily the best one either though he may well be the best paid one.

Unfortunately his website gives not a clue about finding a behaviourist nor a clue as to what professional bodies (if any) he belongs to.

However finding a good local behaviourist should be just as effective as having Jackson over.  Also, he doesn't do private consultations according to his website.

But I repeat my suggestion - look for the professional associations for behaviourists, find one in your area (maybe look for one that only works with cats) and take it from there.  It's probably one visit, and a plan for you to follow with support from them.

 

[taxido]

So sorry to hear this.  He looks adorable.  My 14 year old rescue cat Tim has similar behaviour (although not quite as bad) and basically I ignore/ignored it.  The result, after 10 years (he was 4 when I got him) is that he is much quieter but will always run and hide when I have visitors.  Sometimes he now will venture out to have a look see who it is and then run back again and hide!  Funny thing was that when I had my cat loving friend around, I have never yet seen him in such a panic stricken state as he was then.  He did not like her at all. He hid for 2 days after she went.  He comes and sits beside me on the sofa now too, but will not sit on my lap.  To get this far has taken him 10 years!  I have come to the conclusion that this is just the way he is

 

[annep]

I can no longer afford to take Barney to specialists. The cheapest I found in my area a few months ago wanted $65.00 to just walk through the door then $35.00 an hour over and above the $65.00.

 

[agentspooky]

You might be able to find someone less expensive who could be helpful, maybe someone in your area has a website or you could try care.com or sittercity.com . If all else fails I hope you'll try to rehome him.
 

 

[sissyo]

I think there comes a point when an animal just exhausts the spirit with which we adopted them in the first place. There are over 60 million felines euthanized every year; the fact this poor woman has given 8 years of her life to provide the best possible care to a a cat I would only  describe as "feral" is a tribute to her compassion and her dedication to improving their lives. Quit making her feel badly for taking a step that she might possibly need for her own, human health reasons.  There is no animal life more important than that of a human who has the capacity to provide for others.

 

[tammyp]

Sissyo, I don't think we are doing that.  Simply providing every possible suggestion we can think of, as everyone, including and not least(!) AnneP, wants the best for this cat.  I think we all know that not every suggestion will fit, as without being in the situation, we can't know everything.  

 

[lovetheduns]

Anne. I really encourage you to just get the thundershirt on Barney. My little Pumpkin was attacked by her brother and has been petrified of the entire family and has refused to eat. At my wits end with everything possible exhausted I tried the Thundershirt. She did the flop over and lay there but we spent 30min cuddling and she started purring. When I took it off and sat with her in my mom's room she was far more social and not as fearful. I am still having to syringe feed her but with the shirt it is far easier and relaxing.

Yes you will have to freak him out to get it on but it has made remarkable changes for Pumpkin our session.

 

[goholistic]

I have a very quiet home, but one of my three boys had very high anxiety when I first adopted him, especially when I had human visitors over (he hates men and attacked my boyfriend on several occasions). He paced the rooms and would probably do the four-wall-touch if he could. Every cat is different and will respond differently to various treatments/solutions. The Feliway diffuser did not work for my cat. The calming collar worked for the first couple months and then it was like he got used to it. L-theanine seemed to work the best for my cat. It definitely calmed him, but I had to get creative in giving it to him.

The same cat has some medical problems - IBD and gingivitis - and I noticed his attitude completely changed after I started to address his medical issues, as well. He is now a much happier cat now that his tummy and mouth feel better and I make sure I don't do anything to cause him anxiety. (He's still not crazy about my dad and boyfriend, but he's getting better.)

A prescription from the vet for some kind of kitty prozac was a last resort, and luckily it was not needed, but there are some situations where that is necessary.

 

[callista]

Here are some thoughts from a psychology major... We often do study animals, and the fear response is definitely a major topic. Preface: I have a sticky keyboard. there will be typos. Sorry about that.

A cat has predisposition to fear to some degree. it's small enough to be a prey species so this is adaptive. Some cats have more of a predisposition than others.

However, in an evolutionary sense it is inefficient for a cat to startle at everything, because this uses up a lot of energy. so there are some mechanisms in place to extinguish fear.

First one--"Habituation". You know how the first time you hear a particular loud noise, you jump, but after a while you get used to it? That's because your brain goes, "oh, yeah, this is familiar, nothing to worry about."

Second idea is a procedure they use with people who have phobias, called progressive desensitization. What you do is--say you're scared of dogs--you make a list of the stuff that scares you, starting with things that are only very slightly scary like seeing a picture of a dog, up to the scariest things like being alone in a room right next to a huge dog. Then you learn to relax (in the breathe-deeply sort of way, kind of meditation), and you start with the least scary thing, and you teach yourself to relax until it no longer scares you. Then you move up to something a little more scary, which you should now be able to handle, until you're in the room with the big dog and your brain finally figures out, "Hey, wait a minute, this isn't actually scary after all." It can take a while but it works about 85% of the time which for a psychological treatment is amazing.

Third one: Social learning. One animal sees another animal get scared of something, and it might pick up the fear itself. This is a good thing because, let's face it, a monkey probably isn't going to survive an encounter with a cobra to learn that they are indeed scary. but in the case of a cat, it's possible for a cat to see you or another cat act scared or anxious, and then pick up from you that whatever is happening must be scary. Sometimes this is backfiring from you trying to reassure the cat because the cat goes, "Huh, human is trying to calm me; there must be a reason for me to be scared." So the best thing to do is act very confident and nonchalant yourself, for your cat to see that this is not-scary.

So... let's see. Putting that stuff together, I would say, find a place where your kitty feels calm and secure. That relaxing location can serve as your cat's relaxation training. Maybe catnip calms him down--somecats react that way. Anyway, starting with the things that xcare him the least, you show him that they do not scare you, and coax him near them until he is interacting with them--treats, praise, oh my gosh you are such a brave kitty, et cetera, like he's just learned the best trick in the world. Move on to other things that are less scary to him, rinse, repeat. Hopefully he gets the point that the world is not in fact an utterly scary thing.The more a cat sees something, the more predictable it gets, the less scared he is. The more he sees it and is not scared of it the first time, he won't be scared of it the second time.

Anyway, ho[pe that was halfway useful. Now let's see if I can post this thing without the computer fritzing out on me...

 

[lesliecat]

Please don't put that poor cat down.  Have you tried Feliway.  It is pretty good.  Another option is to put the cat on Prozac.  I did this with an anxious cat of mine.  It calmed him down but didn't make him loopy.  There are also many homeopathic remedies for anxious cats.  I am 70 years old and have lived with a cat that won't use the litterbox at all for the last 6 years.  Yes, it's a pain in the butt to clean up  after him but it is not his fault.  Obviously something is going on that I don't know about.  You might want to consider contacting a pet psychic.  I have done this and found it be very helpful.  Maybe your cat could tell the psychic what is wrong.  You also might consider setting up a room for this cat.  Put a screen door instead of a wood door.  That way he can see you but still feel safe.  Hope this helps.