Q: I am writing about my mom’s cat. Mom, 85, lost her longtime kitty last spring due to a sudden-onset terminal illness. She was heartbroken and we could see some significant negative changes in her personality and attitude. We decided to help her find a new kitty and contacted our vet and let them know we were looking for a mature cat that had been neutered and preferably declawed. She preferred to take a pet that needed to be adopted because its owner had died or was moving and could not take the cat. After a few months, we were told there was an appropriate candidate nearby.
Nico is a 6-year-old lavender Siamese cat who is quite overweight (18 pounds). She lived in an apartment with another cat and a 4-month-old Italian Greyhound pup. Her owner worked. He became incapacitated and had to give up his pets due to a long hospitalization.
Nico is extremely shy. She spends her days behind the couch. She will occasionally come out and let my mom pet her. She eats and uses the litter box at night after mom has gone to bed. Mom keeps her in the family room and keeps the door closed so she does not go anywhere else in the house. Even when the door is left open, the cat has never ventured out of the room. Within the room is a pen that is kept open at all times. It has the litter box and food and water. The cat will occasionally go in there and lie down with its’ head pushed into a corner.
Is there anything we can do to help this cat become more comfortable in her surroundings? The mother of the former owner told me the kitty has always been very shy but we have never seen such an introverted cat. As it is, the cat is not much of a companion to my mom and we are beginning to regret taking her.
Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.
— G.M., Uniontown
A: Poor Nico. You are correct to be concerned. Nico’s fear is very profound and I too am worried about that impeding the ability for your mother to bond with her.
That being said, intervention is necessary. As a veterinarian, we know behavior problems are a diagnosis of exclusion so I strongly recommend having Nico receive a physical examination as well as baseline blood testing to rule out other medical conditions that can cause or exacerbate behavioral problems. She is obese and that can be a symptom of disease as much as a cause of disease so it is important to have that medical workup performed.
My number one concern for Nico is that to make her a great companion with your mother, she needs to move around and interact with her more. To have this achieved, she needs to have a drastic reduction in fear.
I doubt simple intervention steps such as increased play and treats from your mom will do the trick with the degree of fear described in your letter. Many products are out on the market that claim to reduce anxiety. One of the main products is pheromones. Not just any, but the Feliway products sold by veterinarians. These products come in the form of a diffuser or a spray.
For Nico, the diffuser would be the best as it covers 700 square feet and is consistently sprayed into the air. This is the synthetic derivative of the feline facial marking pheromone that all cats have (the one that they deliver into the environment when they rub their chins on things, including us).
It can be quite helpful in reducing anxiety and fear. The goal is having it in the area that Nico is present and not under or behind furniture as the pheromone diffuses into the air but then has to settle out for the kitty to sniff it to be of benefit. This means an ill-placed diffuser may have no effect even if the cat is pheromone-responsive. It will take about 48 to 72 hours for the diffuser to fill the space. I would also give her palatable treats when she does venture out near your mother.
All this being said, Nico’s behavior of hiding behind the couch day-after-day with only venturing out after all humans have retired is very disturbing. If the pheromone does not give Nico relief in the first week, she is the prime candidate for medication to alleviate anxiety.
— Elizabeth S. M. Feltes, DVM
The Behavior Clinic;
Animal Behavior of Northeast Ohio, LLC
Please send questions about your pet to Kathy Antoniotti at the Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; or send me an email to kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com. Please include your full name and address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached. I will forward your questions to the expert I think is best suited to answer your particular problem. Phoned-in messages will not be taken.