Shedding Madness

"Ginni" wrote

wet food) at 12 hour intervals when possible, but still leave out dry
food just in case I can't get the wet food to them on time?

How about putting a little dry out when you know you will be late? Most of
the time you probably know in advance right?

Galt is aggressive, and can be intimidating to Dagny, who is very shy
and skittish. Dagny is becoming more comfortable around Galt
(partially because of Galt's immobility). How can I reduce her stress
further?

She's probably got a spot she likes to hide in more than others right? Try
putting a small water dish there, just for her. Let her hide as she wants
for now. She'll come out when ready.

This is the same as how we worked with Daisy and she's all over the house
now, even in daytime. No more gate up keeping Cash (the beagle mix) out of
'her room' (except when she's getting her wet food).

Dagny doesn't really hide.... She just darts off if I move too fast, or
if I walk too close to her while she's relaxing, or even if there is a
loud/unfamiliar noise. She often naps upstairs, where Galt is not
fond of. Although when I am at home, she comes downstairs to greet me
and get brushed/petted for a couple of hours. She has a separate food
and water dish. There has never been an issue over food or water, but
I just wanted to let her feel like she has her own "space" and not let
Galt think that Dagny is taking over. I'm not sure that it is even
really anxiety, as much as it is her personality.

Thanks for all of the advice! *I will be going to get the furminator
this weekend, and I'm going to try to switch the girls to wet food.
The only reason I'm concerned about the wet food, is that I'm a
graduate student, and not always home at 12 hour intervals. *I try to
be home as much as possible, but my schedule isn't always that
regular, and the girls are VERY picky about food. *Would it be ok for
me to feed a wet food (Wellness seems to be the most popular "good"
wet food) at 12 hour intervals when possible, but still leave out dry
food just in case I can't get the wet food to them on time?

You don't need to leave out any dry food. If you are off an hour or
two, it's ok. Cats in the wild don't eat throughout the day, and don't
need to graze. Once they get used to the new feeding schedule, they
will adjust.

As for the stress, have you thought about using Rescue Remedy? It's a
Bach herbal remedy that's completely safe. You can put a few drops in
their water (or I've even put it in their food). For more info, go to
www.rescueremedyc.om

What about getting Feliway? Try searching this group for it. We've
talked about it a lot in the past. It seemed to calm down some ferals
I was caring for last year.