- Joined
- Nov 10, 2017
- Messages
- 11
- Purraise
- 18
Kind of a long intro... bear with me!!
Houston is a 2 year old black domestic short hair. I rescued him at about a day old. A feral female was pregnant (part of a feral colony I tamed, got them fixed and provided medical care and got most of them adopted) who had 3 kittens, but only accepted 2 and continuously kicked the third out of her nest. I watched them throughout the day and prepared to raise the third kitten. When it was clear that she had no interest in caring for the 3rd kitten, I brought him inside and bottle fed him.
At about 6 months old my boyfriend at the time kicked Houston out of the house and forced him to live outside with the other cats, about 10 others. I would feed him inside and spend time with him every day. However, he quickly developed separation anxiety and would sit outside the door scratching at it and crying all day. When I moved, Houston became a full-time indoor kitty with me. (I dumped the jerk who treated my kitty badly)
I got him a kitten friend about a year ago because his separation anxiety was still apparent, mostly howling anytime I left. His friend helped him. We moved again to a big house filled with lots of toys and windows where I devote lots of time and money to making sure they have the best and healthiest life possible. He's incredibly happy and loves cuddling with me and my boyfriend. However, and this is where my concerns lie.... he has developed the habit of chasing his tail, yelling seemingly in pain, and hissing at it. It has progressively gotten worse. There is no set trigger. He had always been an anxious kitty because of the moves and separation from me but he does this when I'm with him. He is also hesitant around new people (he will rub on them and then hiss), despises going to the vet, and has a particular distrust of men, except my boyfriend (the only other person on the planet that Houston will rub on and cuddle with, they are inseparable).
He recently had his yearly exam and tried to attack the vet. But from what she can tell he is healthy besides a severe allergy to chicken. He is on duck now and not throwing up anymore. (Im wondering if new food is making it worse? But there are so few options for a food sensitive kitty that doesn't have the chemicals and additives I avoid in their food).
We rescued another kitten that gets along so well with Houston. Except during his "crazy" episodes. Houston's episodes have been getting more frequent. It seems as though he is paranoid about his tail behind him. But he tends to only do it when I am doing something other than paying attention to the cats (cooking, cleaning, homework, or something besides my boyfriend and I in the house) or when he wants food or treats. We are very careful not to feed him until he is calm so as not to reward him. But in case these episodes are anxiety attacks, I will help Houston find a toy to distract him or I will sit on the floor with him. We play a bird video from youtube on the TV during the day and when I'm not home, which helps sometimes. (Maybe attacking his tail is his way of getting my attention?)
When he isn't attacking his tail he is playing with the other kitties or his toys, following me around or napping. He sleeps on my shoulder every night and still suckles on my finger and his favorite blanket.
I am worried that there is a medical issue and this is not just behavioral. I read a lot about CBD oil having multiple benefits for animals so I ordered some. The vet has prescribed Gabapentin for taking him to the vet. We have briefly discussed Prozac after I showed her a video of his episodes. I would like narcotics to be my very last step in finding a way to calm him. What do you think?
Thank you for your time!!!
Houston is a 2 year old black domestic short hair. I rescued him at about a day old. A feral female was pregnant (part of a feral colony I tamed, got them fixed and provided medical care and got most of them adopted) who had 3 kittens, but only accepted 2 and continuously kicked the third out of her nest. I watched them throughout the day and prepared to raise the third kitten. When it was clear that she had no interest in caring for the 3rd kitten, I brought him inside and bottle fed him.
At about 6 months old my boyfriend at the time kicked Houston out of the house and forced him to live outside with the other cats, about 10 others. I would feed him inside and spend time with him every day. However, he quickly developed separation anxiety and would sit outside the door scratching at it and crying all day. When I moved, Houston became a full-time indoor kitty with me. (I dumped the jerk who treated my kitty badly)
I got him a kitten friend about a year ago because his separation anxiety was still apparent, mostly howling anytime I left. His friend helped him. We moved again to a big house filled with lots of toys and windows where I devote lots of time and money to making sure they have the best and healthiest life possible. He's incredibly happy and loves cuddling with me and my boyfriend. However, and this is where my concerns lie.... he has developed the habit of chasing his tail, yelling seemingly in pain, and hissing at it. It has progressively gotten worse. There is no set trigger. He had always been an anxious kitty because of the moves and separation from me but he does this when I'm with him. He is also hesitant around new people (he will rub on them and then hiss), despises going to the vet, and has a particular distrust of men, except my boyfriend (the only other person on the planet that Houston will rub on and cuddle with, they are inseparable).
He recently had his yearly exam and tried to attack the vet. But from what she can tell he is healthy besides a severe allergy to chicken. He is on duck now and not throwing up anymore. (Im wondering if new food is making it worse? But there are so few options for a food sensitive kitty that doesn't have the chemicals and additives I avoid in their food).
We rescued another kitten that gets along so well with Houston. Except during his "crazy" episodes. Houston's episodes have been getting more frequent. It seems as though he is paranoid about his tail behind him. But he tends to only do it when I am doing something other than paying attention to the cats (cooking, cleaning, homework, or something besides my boyfriend and I in the house) or when he wants food or treats. We are very careful not to feed him until he is calm so as not to reward him. But in case these episodes are anxiety attacks, I will help Houston find a toy to distract him or I will sit on the floor with him. We play a bird video from youtube on the TV during the day and when I'm not home, which helps sometimes. (Maybe attacking his tail is his way of getting my attention?)
When he isn't attacking his tail he is playing with the other kitties or his toys, following me around or napping. He sleeps on my shoulder every night and still suckles on my finger and his favorite blanket.
I am worried that there is a medical issue and this is not just behavioral. I read a lot about CBD oil having multiple benefits for animals so I ordered some. The vet has prescribed Gabapentin for taking him to the vet. We have briefly discussed Prozac after I showed her a video of his episodes. I would like narcotics to be my very last step in finding a way to calm him. What do you think?
Thank you for your time!!!
!
