Cat stressed out by neighbor’s dogs. How can I help him calm down/be less stressed?

[PawprintsOnMyHeart]

First off, my cat, Jasper, most likely has feline herpes... After encountering a dog in December, he began sneezing up to 100 times in one day and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. His vet said it was likely that it was caused by feline herpes but he hasn’t been officially diagnosed. We’re pretty sure this first flare-up was caused by the stress of the dog. Flash forward to present day and we just got new neighbors who have 2 huskies, which frequently bark and howl all day and night... Jasper looks visibly on edge whenever it happens, walking low to the ground and appearing frightened. He is already pretty scared of loud noises in general, but he absolutely hates dogs. We tried turning the TV up to try and drown it out but if we can still hear it, we know he can. He has started sneezing again very frequently today and I fear another URI is occuring, and there’s nothing I can do to make the dogs be quiet.

How can I try to keep him calm given that I can’t do anything about the dogs? Any tips to help him relax and stay calm would be greatly appreciated. We have a vet appointment scheduled but they’re booked until Saturday, so I’d like to try to help him not be stressed for the next two days to hopefully prevent it from getting even worse.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Animal Control or something similar, your HOA or city, --some authority figure can't help enforcing rules/regs about noise?

Maybe a sound machine, calming products, try running a fan for the white noise with the breeze directed away from him. If you have a basement try having him there.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, your appointment is tomorrow, so this is a bit late, but...you can buy a box of plain, unblended chamomile tea bags at the store. Brew a cup and chill it in the fridge. Administer 1-3 teaspoonfuls (tablespoonfuls for cats over 11 pounds) up to three times a day, via syringe. The chamomile is gently relaxing without being sedating. Sometimes it works well enough that a cat doesn't have to go on prescription meds, which is great, so far as I'm concerned.

 

[neely]

Huskies although beautiful are very athletic runners, love the outdoors and need regular vigorous exercise. They're intelligent but can be stubborn too. I'm guessing your new neighbors leave them in the yard without adequate exercise hence the howling which is natural for them. Perhaps you could have a friendly chat with your neighbors and explain the situation with Jasper. Hopefully they would be understanding.

 

[fionasmom]

I have owned dogs continually all my life and I have to say that the crux of the problem lies with what neely posted. Huskies are not good candidates for being left in a backyard....no dog is but that is not relevant here...and they become very bored which leads to all sorts of behaviors. Can you have a pleasant conversation with these people? Don't go on the defensive right away and if you determine that they are idiots, then you have to either start with AC, HOA, etc complaints or resolve the problem for your cat inside your home.

Is kitty indoor only? Would he ever venture into the yard where the dogs are? Any spitz type of breed is not the best for small animals as the cat will be viewed as prey of some sort and you will end up with a mini Iditarod with your cat as the bait.