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new cat owner, strange cat behaviour...HELP!!



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 8th 06, 01:23 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
sjcoles
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default new cat owner, strange cat behaviour...HELP!!

So here's the story...my friend recently moved to England and didn't want to
take his cat because of the 6 month quarantine laws. He thought it unfair for
the cat. I offered to take her, and he was grateful knowing she would be well
cared for. She has always been a nervous and scared cat, hiding whenever I
would go over, and I don't really know much of her history. The first day she
spent mostly under my bed, and the first few nights were a little sleepless
what with her pretty constant crying and all. She started to come around
through, and grew to accept me, and we became close, of course. Yet, there
are still some strange things she does that I don't quite understand, and
make me concerned.
When she first came I had to change both her food and her litter, as I
couldn't find the same kind of either!!! But I did both gradually, and it
seemed to go fine. I've had her for almost 2 months now. I work fulltime and
am out of the house from 6am until about 5-5:30pm. I keep her fed and watered
and scoop her box regularly and I try and spend as much time with her when I
get home as I can as she seems to need the affection.

About 2 weeks ago I realized she has peed on my spare bed multiple times. So
I washed everything, fine. But just this past Friday, she peed on my bed,
the one she sleeps in with me! I really couldn't understand it. I don't know
when she would have done it either. She's become used to my hours and I was a
little late coming home from work, but the spot was dry when I found it.
Thursday or Friday morning, she also pooped right beside her litter box, on
the floor.
She's also recently become re-afraid of my mom, and even runs from me
sometimes. She has remained VERY vocal, using sounds that make me think she
needs/wants something, meowing throughout the night, and generally in the
morning when I'm getting ready for work. She doesn't seem to want to play as
much as before, although she never really was a big "player". I find that
she eats the majority of her food at night, and if she goes to during the day,
sometimes she stares at it first, or stares and then walks away.

I took her to the vet a week or so ago, but not for these problems. The skin
inside her ears looks to be very dry, and it must bother her because she
scratches them a lot. It gets to the point where little scabs form. The vet
suggested it might be allergies, and so gave me some pills. Well cats and
pills don't go well together, and I've tried EVERYTHING that I could think of,
but I don't want to stress her out too much because she apparently has a
heart murmur.

She doesn't like being picked up, having her ears or back paws touched but
she does love having her gums rubbed and her bum and belly scratched.

I know this is a long, LONG message, but I wanted to put out as much
background information as I could, so I could get the best advise possible.
She has very quickly stolen my heart and I hate to think that I'm doing
something to cause this behaviour or that I'm not doing something to make it
better.

Please give me any help you can.

Thank you in advance,
Sarah

  #2  
Old October 8th 06, 01:32 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Gail
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 328
Default new cat owner, strange cat behaviour...HELP!!

She sounds like she has a urinary tract infection. Please take her back to
the vet to have her checked for one. Many pills can be crushed and mixed in
the cat's canned food.
Gail
"sjcoles" u27630@uwe wrote in message news:676ea2dbe2aaa@uwe...
So here's the story...my friend recently moved to England and didn't want
to
take his cat because of the 6 month quarantine laws. He thought it unfair
for
the cat. I offered to take her, and he was grateful knowing she would be
well
cared for. She has always been a nervous and scared cat, hiding whenever I
would go over, and I don't really know much of her history. The first day
she
spent mostly under my bed, and the first few nights were a little
sleepless
what with her pretty constant crying and all. She started to come around
through, and grew to accept me, and we became close, of course. Yet, there
are still some strange things she does that I don't quite understand, and
make me concerned.
When she first came I had to change both her food and her litter, as I
couldn't find the same kind of either!!! But I did both gradually, and it
seemed to go fine. I've had her for almost 2 months now. I work fulltime
and
am out of the house from 6am until about 5-5:30pm. I keep her fed and
watered
and scoop her box regularly and I try and spend as much time with her when
I
get home as I can as she seems to need the affection.

About 2 weeks ago I realized she has peed on my spare bed multiple times.
So
I washed everything, fine. But just this past Friday, she peed on my bed,
the one she sleeps in with me! I really couldn't understand it. I don't
know
when she would have done it either. She's become used to my hours and I
was a
little late coming home from work, but the spot was dry when I found it.
Thursday or Friday morning, she also pooped right beside her litter box,
on
the floor.
She's also recently become re-afraid of my mom, and even runs from me
sometimes. She has remained VERY vocal, using sounds that make me think
she
needs/wants something, meowing throughout the night, and generally in the
morning when I'm getting ready for work. She doesn't seem to want to play
as
much as before, although she never really was a big "player". I find that
she eats the majority of her food at night, and if she goes to during the
day,
sometimes she stares at it first, or stares and then walks away.

I took her to the vet a week or so ago, but not for these problems. The
skin
inside her ears looks to be very dry, and it must bother her because she
scratches them a lot. It gets to the point where little scabs form. The
vet
suggested it might be allergies, and so gave me some pills. Well cats and
pills don't go well together, and I've tried EVERYTHING that I could think
of,
but I don't want to stress her out too much because she apparently has a
heart murmur.

She doesn't like being picked up, having her ears or back paws touched but
she does love having her gums rubbed and her bum and belly scratched.

I know this is a long, LONG message, but I wanted to put out as much
background information as I could, so I could get the best advise
possible.
She has very quickly stolen my heart and I hate to think that I'm doing
something to cause this behaviour or that I'm not doing something to make
it
better.

Please give me any help you can.

Thank you in advance,
Sarah



  #3  
Old October 8th 06, 01:57 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Magic Mood JeepŠ
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 431
Default new cat owner, strange cat behaviour...HELP!!

If your friend moved to England/UK in the last 12 months, he was in-properly
informed. They did away with the 6 month quarrantine providing proof of
vaccinations and a "pet visa" we obtained for the animal, not to mention a
vet filling out mountains of forms stating that this is indeed a healthy
animal (these forms are required in order to obtain the 'pet visa')

Also, I agree with Gail - have the cat checked for any infection as well as
a Urinary Tract Infection.



In news:676ea2dbe2aaa@uwe,
sjcoles purred:
So here's the story...my friend recently moved to England and didn't
want to take his cat because of the 6 month quarantine laws. He
thought it unfair for the cat. I offered to take her, and he was
grateful knowing she would be well cared for. She has always been a
nervous and scared cat, hiding whenever I would go over, and I don't
really know much of her history. The first day she spent mostly under
my bed, and the first few nights were a little sleepless what with
her pretty constant crying and all. She started to come around
through, and grew to accept me, and we became close, of course. Yet,
there are still some strange things she does that I don't quite
understand, and make me concerned.
When she first came I had to change both her food and her litter, as I
couldn't find the same kind of either!!! But I did both gradually,
and it seemed to go fine. I've had her for almost 2 months now. I
work fulltime and am out of the house from 6am until about 5-5:30pm.
I keep her fed and watered and scoop her box regularly and I try and
spend as much time with her when I get home as I can as she seems to
need the affection.

About 2 weeks ago I realized she has peed on my spare bed multiple
times. So I washed everything, fine. But just this past Friday, she
peed on my bed, the one she sleeps in with me! I really couldn't
understand it. I don't know when she would have done it either. She's
become used to my hours and I was a little late coming home from
work, but the spot was dry when I found it. Thursday or Friday
morning, she also pooped right beside her litter box, on the floor.
She's also recently become re-afraid of my mom, and even runs from me
sometimes. She has remained VERY vocal, using sounds that make me
think she needs/wants something, meowing throughout the night, and
generally in the morning when I'm getting ready for work. She
doesn't seem to want to play as much as before, although she never
really was a big "player". I find that she eats the majority of her
food at night, and if she goes to during the day, sometimes she
stares at it first, or stares and then walks away.

I took her to the vet a week or so ago, but not for these problems.
The skin inside her ears looks to be very dry, and it must bother her
because she scratches them a lot. It gets to the point where little
scabs form. The vet suggested it might be allergies, and so gave me
some pills. Well cats and pills don't go well together, and I've
tried EVERYTHING that I could think of, but I don't want to stress
her out too much because she apparently has a heart murmur.

She doesn't like being picked up, having her ears or back paws
touched but she does love having her gums rubbed and her bum and
belly scratched.

I know this is a long, LONG message, but I wanted to put out as much
background information as I could, so I could get the best advise
possible. She has very quickly stolen my heart and I hate to think
that I'm doing something to cause this behaviour or that I'm not
doing something to make it better.

Please give me any help you can.

Thank you in advance,
Sarah




  #4  
Old October 8th 06, 04:52 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Rhonda
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 864
Default new cat owner, strange cat behaviour...HELP!!

Hi Sarah,

I think too that she could have a urinary infection. Cats start peeing
on softer things or in different areas when it hurts to pee.

Our vet said that cats changing homes is one of the causes of urinary
infections. It is because of the stress and also because they hold their
pee longer when they're afraid to come out and use the litter box.

As for the pills, one thing we've done is get a yummy treat, like meat
baby food (make sure there are no onions in it,) and mix a smashed pill
into. Many medicines come in liquid form and can be mixed in the food.
We use a treat like baby food and don't give them too much so we are
sure they will eat the entire thing.

If all else fails, the vet might be able to recommend a pharmacy that
compounds the medicine. We did that for one very stubborn cat who could
tell if there was a drop of medicine in anything. The pharmacy mixed the
antibiotic into a chicken gravy flavor and it worked!

There are also things called "Pill Pockets" usually at PetCo or Pet
Smart. They are soft treats with a hole in the middle to insert the
pill. They are very expensive, something like $8 for a smallish bag, but
they have worked a couple of times on our cats. After a few times
though, the cats have caught on.

Good luck, and it was nice of you to take in this cat.

Rhonda

sjcoles wrote:

She's also recently become re-afraid of my mom, and even runs from me
sometimes. She has remained VERY vocal, using sounds that make me think she
needs/wants something, meowing throughout the night, and generally in the
morning when I'm getting ready for work. She doesn't seem to want to play as
much as before, although she never really was a big "player". I find that
she eats the majority of her food at night, and if she goes to during the day,
sometimes she stares at it first, or stares and then walks away.


  #5  
Old October 10th 06, 06:46 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
She Devil
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default new cat owner, strange cat behaviour...HELP!!

A lot of people have suggested having the cat checked for a UTI
(urinary tract infection) and I don't disagree. However, if the cat
does not have a UTI, it's not that unusual that a stressed or unhappy
cat will start urinating on places it oughtnt, and beds are not
uncommon targets.

Our Charlie is a stressy kitty, and he started urinating on our bed the
first time we went away for more than an overnight. In fact, after we
got home, we were laying on the bed and he hopped up on the bed and
tinkled away right in front of us.

When we, with heavy hearts, banished him and his 'sister' Lucy from the
bedroom (because nothing stopped it once he'd started), he took to
urinating on the couches instead.

Every trip to the vet and test showed *no* UTI.

Of course, once they've urinated on something which is in any way
porous - and especially something like a bed or couch - no amount of
Nature's Miracle, Anti-Icky Poo, or flame throwers is going to
completely remove the odor. Oh, *you* may not smell it, but *they*
will, and it's license to continue going there.

In our case we finally got rid of the couches (sigh), and the cats are
still banned from the bedroom. Other than that, we all live in
harmony.

Anne

---

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  #6  
Old October 10th 06, 01:38 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
cybercat
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,212
Default new cat owner, strange cat behaviour...HELP!!


"She Devil" wrote in message
oups.com...
A lot of people have suggested having the cat checked for a UTI
(urinary tract infection) and I don't disagree. However, if the cat
does not have a UTI, it's not that unusual that a stressed or unhappy
cat will start urinating on places it oughtnt, and beds are not
uncommon targets.

Our Charlie is a stressy kitty, and he started urinating on our bed the
first time we went away for more than an overnight. In fact, after we
got home, we were laying on the bed and he hopped up on the bed and
tinkled away right in front of us.

When we, with heavy hearts, banished him and his 'sister' Lucy from the
bedroom (because nothing stopped it once he'd started), he took to
urinating on the couches instead.

Every trip to the vet and test showed *no* UTI.

Of course, once they've urinated on something which is in any way
porous - and especially something like a bed or couch - no amount of
Nature's Miracle, Anti-Icky Poo, or flame throwers is going to
completely remove the odor. Oh, *you* may not smell it, but *they*
will, and it's license to continue going there.

In our case we finally got rid of the couches (sigh), and the cats are
still banned from the bedroom. Other than that, we all live in
harmony.


Quite true, as our Boo uses her bladder to, err, "express" herself as well,
and has never had a UTI. She has to stay on the first floor, and still goes
on the rug down there at times.

The first time she peed inappropriately is when we were washing bedclothes
and kept shooing her off the naked mattress. (She has black fur and sheds
like mad.) She waited until we had the whole bed made up, fresh duvet
cover, sheets, everything, and until my husband got INTO bed then
peed on top of the duvet that was on top of him.

First thing in the morning I hauled her in to the vet, howling all the way.
No UTI. She was clearly just "p*ssed off" and expressing her displeasure.

After that it was a certain corner in the living room whenever we displeased
her, and, once, ON a plastic grocery bag full of canned cat food that lay
on the kitchen floor waiting to be unpacked one evening when she decided
we had not fed her soon enough. Again, we took her to the vet, and every
time, no UTI. And, just like with Charlie, the only way to keep her from
doing it again is to keep her out of the places where she peed.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

  #7  
Old October 11th 06, 01:53 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
sjcoles via CatKB.com
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default new cat owner, strange cat behaviour...HELP!!

thanks to everyone for their input. i do have a vet appointment tomorrow, and
after talking to a few people about this, some even suggested that there
might also be some neurological or mental thing going on with her. I mean it
is a lot easier for us to know if we're depressed, or anxious. it was also
brought to my attention that she may have kidney problems. it's hard when
there's so many possibilities and no way to know for sure! I'm just glad that
i have a vet appointment tomorrow, so i can get some questions asked, and
hopefully some answers. Thanks again everyone.

cybercat wrote:
A lot of people have suggested having the cat checked for a UTI
(urinary tract infection) and I don't disagree. However, if the cat

[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
still banned from the bedroom. Other than that, we all live in
harmony.


Quite true, as our Boo uses her bladder to, err, "express" herself as well,
and has never had a UTI. She has to stay on the first floor, and still goes
on the rug down there at times.

The first time she peed inappropriately is when we were washing bedclothes
and kept shooing her off the naked mattress. (She has black fur and sheds
like mad.) She waited until we had the whole bed made up, fresh duvet
cover, sheets, everything, and until my husband got INTO bed then
peed on top of the duvet that was on top of him.

First thing in the morning I hauled her in to the vet, howling all the way.
No UTI. She was clearly just "p*ssed off" and expressing her displeasure.

After that it was a certain corner in the living room whenever we displeased
her, and, once, ON a plastic grocery bag full of canned cat food that lay
on the kitchen floor waiting to be unpacked one evening when she decided
we had not fed her soon enough. Again, we took her to the vet, and every
time, no UTI. And, just like with Charlie, the only way to keep her from
doing it again is to keep her out of the places where she peed.


--
Message posted via http://www.catkb.com

  #8  
Old October 11th 06, 05:58 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Rhonda
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 864
Default new cat owner, strange cat behaviour...HELP!!

We took in a cat who had a UTI, but then peed on the bed after he was
better. It might have been territorial since he was the new cat, or it
could have been behavioral leftovers from his UTI.

What we did though, was cover the bed each morning after we got up. We
used a shower curtain liner -- a very cheap one. That was enough to
break him of the habit.

He never did it while we slept, only during the day, so that made it
easier.

I like having those kitties on the bed, especially now that the weather
is getting chilly.

While he had his UTI, he hit the couch once. I put some clear plastic
over that for awhile but TG he didn't do that any more once he felt better.

Rhonda

She Devil wrote:
Our Charlie is a stressy kitty, and he started urinating on our bed the
first time we went away for more than an overnight. In fact, after we
got home, we were laying on the bed and he hopped up on the bed and
tinkled away right in front of us.

When we, with heavy hearts, banished him and his 'sister' Lucy from the
bedroom (because nothing stopped it once he'd started), he took to
urinating on the couches instead.


 




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