Friend On High Alert

[Friend's Friend]

Hello, friends!

It's been a while since I was around here . . . I'm sorry to drop off the grid like that! Life's been . . . interesting.

I'm returning to ask a question. Is there anything that can be done to help decrease anxiety in a kitty who's constantly on high alert?

To recap: I adopted Friend from the humane society back in October; he came from a home where he was obviously very stressed (other cats were likely harassing him, the couple had a baby, etc.). Since coming to live with me, he has moments where he's obviously comfortable. He'll sleep on his back in the middle of my apartment / room (it's a studio). He has no reservations about plopping himself on my keyboard when I'm trying to type. He's picky, but he'll cuddle--and definitely sleeps with me every night. If we're sitting near each other he'll make sure to have some part of him touching me--usually his tail flopped over my arm.

And yet . . . he's also constantly on high alert. Sometimes he'll run away from me with his tail between his legs, when I'm just walking in his general direction (it's a small apartment; it's kind of impossible not to). A strange sound is enough to send him running, with the same body language, either under the bed or to his go-to hiding place--curled up in my bathroom sink. A door shutting causes him to jump, pupils dilated. My neighbors walking past, keys rattling, noises that I can't even hear . . . all cause him at the very least to be startled, if not to run for cover.

I'm hoping that with time--lots of time--he'll become desensitized and realize that there is nothing that can hurt him. But (as someone with anxiety and PTSD) I wonder if there's anything else I can do to help?

I'm aware of Rescue Remedy, but he doesn't drink out of his water bowl, so I'm kind of stuck there. (I have a few shrines with water offerings which he prefers to drink; given what they are, I wouldn't be comfortable putting RR in there.) Unless it can be put into wet food or something?

I'm also aware of Feliway, but 1) I've heard some folks mention that it's a potential fire hazard (though I guess all electronics are), and 2) since I live in a small studio with limited outlets, I'm not quite sure where would be the best place to put it . . . or if it even matters, given the size of our humble abode. Also . . . do I have to keep replacing it every month, or would just a month (or two) of just getting to a "baseline of chill" be enough to break his cycles of anxiety?

Any thoughts on this matter would be deeply appreciated. <3

Also, here's some obligatory fluff. <3

Much obliged,
Friend's friend. <3

 

[KarenKat]

Welcome back! Friend, as always, is quite lovely.

Do you have any heights, places Friend can go when things get rough? (Like those car doors, man, why do they keep slammin'!?). In a studio it is sometimes hard to fit cat trees, but I found cat shelves are a great way to let Friend see the territory and feel more confident. Then, link up a path from the ground to the shelf, and maybe to tops of bookcases or cabinets so her can get around without touching the floor. Jackson Galaxy usually mentions this in almost every episode because it can be so critical for confidence.

That being said, some cats are just skittish or shy, and that is their personality. Two of our cats run as if it was the apocalypse everytime my boyfriend sneezes (just him, and every time). They never got over that trigger, lol.

We have an anxious cat (not skittish, but seems to have separation anxiety where he yowls), and what really helped him was getting him a Sentry calming collar. He seemed to instantly calm down, and his episodes of anxiety are greatly decreased. Just be warned they are not breakaway collars, and there were some scary reviews of the collar getting stuck in their jaw (I think if they try and wriggle out). We have been using it for almost 4 months and have no issues at all, so I think it depends on the cat.

As for Feliway, we have used the wipes and the spray and they also seem to calm everyone down for vet visits. If you are worried about the diffuser, that is another option. I think the effect lasts about 4-6 hours.

Good luck to Friend! Hopefully, like you said, it will just take time.

 

[Friend's Friend]

Heya!

I actually just bought a cat tree--it's supposed to come Saturday. I was hesitant because he's such a big boy that I struggled to find something which got positive reviews from the standpoint of large cat owners. Also, from my little hew-mon perspective, I wasn't sure he'd like it. Or use it. He seems very, very attached to his sink; since he prefers to hide when startled, I wasn't sure he'd actually take the opportunity to surveh his properteh, particularly if scared. But! Worst-case he doesn't use it and I'll just save it in case he changes his mind. Best case he likes it, even if it doesn't do anything for his anxiety purr se.

Oh, yes! I've heard of the Sentry collars, and used one for a cat once who was having vomiting issues that my vet thought might be due to anxiety. Since Friend spends 95% of his time eating and sleeping, I'm not too worried about it not being a breakaway collar. If he weren't a stately old man, I might be.

Thanks for the tips, friend! I'll see how the cat tree goes over, and keep an eye on how he seems to be doing. ^_^ Maybe after a while I'll try the collar, too, but . . . I know he's happier than he was before, so I'll count that as forward progress and be glad.

 

[KarenKat]

Yay, new cat tree! I'm not sure how big Friend is, but Trin (our tabby) was 17.5 lbs when he started jumping on the cat furniture. As long as it's not wobbly, it should be ok. If it does wobble or rock, you can weigh it down with books or magazines, or even exercise weights. We do that for a really tall tree we bought.

When we were in our one-bedroom, wall space wasn't great so we basically had a ladder to the bookcase, and then a place to look out the window.

This picture is of our current setup, they can go from the futon, up the shelves, on the bookcase, onto the cat tree, the mantle, and from the mantle they go down another cat tree.

We made the shelves for the little grey and white cat, since he whines if he can't be up high. We didn't expect Trin to take to them so easily, since he was less climb-y but I think it helped him gain some confidence.

 

[Friend's Friend]

Hey friend,

Sorry for the ultra-lateness of this reply . . . it's been a whirlwind of the last couple of weeks . . . lost my job, blah blah blah . . . anyway. ^_^

I got a cat tree, and Friend seems to like it very much! He doesn't use it a whole lot, but usually first thing in the morning and evening will find him up there. The bathroom sink is definitely still his go-to . . . but I can tell he appreciates having the extra space. In answer to your question . . . he's huge. ^_^ 16, maybe 17 pounds now? Half-Maine Coon. Extremely long . . . just a big boy. A lot of the cat trees I found online were, according to the reviews, "Good for maybe a mid-sized cat," and I struggled to find something big enough for him that wouldn't break the bank.

Also, I love your shelves! What a great idea . . . and your kitties are so very lovely. <3

Here are some photos! A few from when I was building the tree and he was all over it . . . pardon my carpet; it really needed a vacuum then! . . . and a few from more recently, including something non-tree-related but cute.

<3
Friend's friend.

 

[KarenKat]

Sorry to hear about your job!

Oh, wow, Friend is gorgeous! Looks like he is really loving the tree. It looks very tall, should take care of the height thing. Our kitties don’t always use the tree or the shelves, but it is definitely important that they know they are there. They go through phases where they are on them a lot, or run up them during the zoomies. I think it’s important with the three cats that there is an avenue of escape