Showing posts with label feliway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label feliway. Show all posts

Sunday, 26 January 2020

Hormones Part IV – feline aggression

Sat., Jan. 25 – evening

We were watching Along Came a Spider (2001) .Excellent, Morgan Freeman, kidnapping, suspense all for distraction.

In desperation, JB has been reading the insert on the Feliway package.
"Diffuser is not recommended for overt aggression between cats..."
It's a bloody myth. We've been bashing our heads against the wall. We're done. Annabelle will go back to the vet, where we got her.

Annie slept in the spare room. The kittens were free to play.


Sat., Jan. 25 – morning

 Feliway is in the living room, the spare room, and on Annie's collar. We'll cross our fingers. The deadline is next Friday, Jan. 31st.
Annie was in the spare room overnight. No banging on the door. The kitten had two stints out in the Muskoka room. They quite like it. Cinn came in and had a play, so we brought in Nutmeg, and put Annie back in the room.

The new litter medium, the wood pellets, are working out well. Annabelle stunk up the room with a big poo, but I took them out, and all was well!






Friday, Jan. 24
We brought home Nutmeg, who had her stitches removed. Dr. Brianna gave us Feliway spray. 
We have been putting the collar around Annie's neck since Tuesday, and putting the Feliway on it. It can take up to 7 days, they say.  
JB went out shopping to beat our predicted Saturday ice rain storm. (It ostly snowed!) We put out two Feliway diffusers: one in the living room, another in the spare room. We kept Annie in there overnight.
It's $60 for the two pieces, $30 for a refill. JB bought two refills.

Nutmeg and Cinnamon were encouraged to visit the Muskoka Room. When I checked on them later, they were happily sleeping, curled up around one another in the small cat bed. They moved when I peeked, of course.



I let one kitten in, I thought it was Cinnamon. He went into the kitchen to eat. JB was in there. He said, "You let Nutmeg in!"
"That's Cinnamon," I replied. Annabelle came in the room, roared at the kitten, trapped her in the pantry. I realized I made a mistake. It was Nutmeg. I am so stressed out with this. My stress symptoms are increasing.

They slept together on the couch. At one point, I looked over and they had their paws on their sibling's shoulder making an X!




PART III: Plan D Friday, Jan. 24

We're keeping Nutmeg isolated from Annie. Annabelle is out in the night. Then, when she sits and sleeps, we put her into our bedroom and let Nutmeg out to play. We made a mistake and while I was on a 2-hour conference call for ODPRN, we forgot about Annie in the bedroom. She peed on my cotton t-shirt, which soaked it all up, fortunately.

We have plan D. We will try Feliway on Annabelle's collar. We can't put it in all the rooms of the house, but this could work. It could take 7 days to work, if it is going to work.

Once Nutmeg gets her stitches out on Friday, she is less fragile. Hopefully, the hormones in both kittens will work their way out of their systems, too. Annie hunts Nutmeg down, and just goes for her. Nutmeg is cautious. They are fine early in the morning, when they are hungry, then things go awry.

If this doesn't work, the vet has said they will take Annie back. She was rescued by one of their former employees, and that is where we adopted her from.

How to make a cat collar

Annabelle and her bird collar


Cat tales: 

Kitty Hormones... |   Hormones, cats – part II 

Saturday, 10 November 2018

*Daisy – she is breaking my heart

UPDATE: Jan. 26, 2019
Her new owner has picked up Daisy. I'm a mess. Happily, her driver is JB's cousin. Small world. Her new life, with her new mommy, begins. Our stress is over.

Hooper
The little dweeb. She keeps bullying, chasing, harassing her little brother. She's 6 and he is about one. We're working on it. She's on 'calming' Royal Canin veterinary cat food, and we have Feliway going in the house. She seems insanely jealous. We are both sick about it. She'll roar in and seek him out to attack him.

I'm wondering if she connects Hooper's boy smell with Buster, who similarly harassed her.
An affectionate cat with us, she changes with Hooper, just like Buster did.

It's been a very difficult month, what with all the rain. Hooper hangs out in JB's office, hiding under the desk.

Sunday, Hooper was on my lap, Daisy came in the room, came around my chair and went after him. One of them made a big scratch on my leg. it is so upsetting. She hunts him all around the house.


This is a prime example of what she does. You can hear her in the video, or him, snarling. When he sees her indoors, he growls in self-defence. It takes so much energy keeping them apart.

Tuesday, Nov. 6

Daisy is on amitriptyline, in the ear. 
We saw our vet. We're going to try Feliway 'Friends', we've been on 'classic', sigh.

The Dr. suggested all sort of things, food envy, deferred aggression (there aren't any other cats in our forest, only coyotes), keeping cats down to 2 cats in the house. Funnily, it was her practice which convinced us to take in Annabelle, when we already had 4 cats. 

Daisy is on amitriptyline cream. It's 0.05mg in the ear. I think it is calming her. I'm on meds to relieve my anxiety and depression, there's no reason not to put Daisy on meds, too! SIGH. This is making both of us sick. JB shouldn't be stressed, either.

Animal Medium

Another last-ditch effort, I tried an animal medium. It's 15 minutes for $50. You can do this over the phone, which I did, as she is in another part of the province. I sent her photos of the two cats, and I explained the problem. She basically told me that I had to yell at Daisy and tell her to 'Stop it!!!' (As if I haven't been doing this!) She didn't tell my why Daisy is bullying, but told me she'd tell Daisy to stop bullying Hooper. The medium did tell me to remember it's not about us, and I knew that. Daisy is perfectly fine with us.

After only 11 minutes, I wasn't convinced. It was $50. What can I say? She told me the best way to take care of the situation is to rehome Daisy. Sadly, all the shelters around here are full. There are a lot of cats and kittens with LAWS needing homes. The bonus is, she looks like a kitten,

Thursday, Nov. 8

It is calming Daisy down. We have been working hard to keep them apart. Daisy went out at 2:30 a.m., having come in the bedroom to beg to go out, and came back in at 5:30.

She loves her walks with me, and stops the others from following, as Buster did to her.
I've tried to leash her. That way I can catch her if she goes after him. The leash terrifies her, though. I took her downstairs, as that is where she wanted to go, and then Hooper came down to see what is going on. She went after him, and I had to hold her back with the leash.

When they are outdoors, we try to let them out one at a time, they go into the little heated house we bought. I put it on a timer, and I can set it for all day, all night, or certain hours (4 - 8) after dark. It's a great timer, meant for Christmas lights! They both use it.

Annabelle and Hooper are best buddies.


Friday, Nov. 9

I could see her hunting for him in the house. I decided to put her into the cage until the meds kicked in.
An unusual moment both Annie & Daisy on my legs.

Last night Daisy and Annabelle slept on the bed with us. We were both stressed out about this. I had to take extra anti-anxiety meds, as my stomach was horrid all day. Hubby went out a brought in some dinner for us. It was about to snow, so we had it at lunchtime, before the snow fell.


You can see the Feliway plugged in on the left.
We'll use the crate as a time out, I think. A safe place during the day when they are both out and about. 



This is unusual for a female cat, spraying on a tree.


Monday, Nov. 12
Hooper out all night, Daisy slept with me, on top  of me. Meds twice a day. She is worried about being picked up and placed in the crate.

Tuesday, Nov. 13
She won't come in the front door, came around the back. I threw a treat inside, she followed.
Daisy didn't get antsy until after dinner. We were playing with her, staring out the window, she saw Hooper outside.
Saw Annie on the floor in the door frame, went after her. Locked her in the bedroom. Hooper came in.
She is having her meds (amitriptyline) in her ear. It does calm her. We've been working on keeping one out, the other in; putting Daisy in the crate, or on a leash, until I figure out what is up. Thing is, she's wary of me picking her up all the time. I'm wondering if it is deferred aggression, as she sees Hooper outdoor, come in hormones raging.
She'll go to her crate, I keep a dish of food there, or I put her on a leash if I think I still see the aggression.

Monday, Nov. 19

She came into the room, walked right past Hooper. She played with us. She's been put in her cage after an incident.

Tuesday, Nov. 20

Daisy is reluctant to eat her new meds. They were $66. She's been switched from amitriptyline Iliquid in the ear) to chewy pills fluoxetine (Prozac for cats). 

Wed., Nov. 21

A kerfuffle last night. Hooper slept in bed with us, with the BR door closed. Cats fed, Daisy out. Hooper out, Daisy in. 
I stuck a treat into the chewy med. She ate it. Whew!

Wed., Nov. 28

We've had a couple of rough days. Then a few good ones. We sat in the living room, Daisy in front of the crate, Hooper on my lap. We've been careful for days about keeping one in, one out during peak hours. There were several days it was simpler to lock Daisy in the crate, or Hooper in our bedroom overnight.

Sat., Dec. 1st

All 3 cats present, Daisy on the aquarium. She hopped down and roared over to Hooper. He went under our bed. Annie went after Daisy. Daisy had stood down, too. Good work for Annie. I've had to pop the pill in her mouth, and hold her mouth closed as she spits it out.

Sat., Dec. 8th

Hooper was outside in -18 C., then he came back in in the morning. JB let him in and Daisy roared over to him, screaming. It's getting more difficult to give her her pill. I have to hold her head back, pop it in, and hold her jaw shut. She's been placed in her crate overnight, more often than not. It's safer and calmer for more of us.

She won't sit with me, anymore, She meows to get away. She won't mush her collar.

Dec. 9

Daisy took a whack at Annabelle. For no reason. She's looking for Hooper.

Dec. 13th, 9 a.m.

Cold day. Daisy won't go out. I released her from her kennel, and no visit to the litter?
She was taking a drink, Hooper wanted one, he baulked.
She chased him under the bed. Eventually, he came out.
She was sitting in the hall, then went after him. Now, sleeping on the couch.
The pills are still a battle, although yesterday's went down well. In the kennel at night.


Dec. 14

Daisy sat on my lap in the morning, and mushed. First time in a month.

Dec. 21 – Daisy went to the Cat hotel for a time out. 

Due to an ice storm, we've left her there for two weeks more. We hope she will calm down. It is my hope she will see, hear, smell lots of other cats and not feel afraid of them.

Jan. 9th




Daisy, Daisy, Daisy – Update: Jan. 19
As aggressive with Hooper as before, worse with Annabelle, with whom she'd had a bit of peace.