Miss Chloe and her nerves

I don't know what it is with Miss Chloe, but she's been pulling the fur out
of the inside of her back legs. I see no signs of skin allergy, no redness,
no itching, no fleas (we're Advantage users), but when she gets nervous or
scolded or feels neglected, she goes into a corner and literally pulls her
hair out.

What the heck? I've never had a cat with an insecurity disorder like this
before.

She has taken over Miss Pua's favorite chair effectively blocking Miss
Pua's water glass, which indicates to me that it's a heirarchy issue and I
think she's jealous of Pua somehow. They get ample attention, ample
scritches. *But* Chloe wanders around the house, crying all the time.
Trust me, she's not sick! She eats like a horse and is properly using her
litterbox. I think she's got anxiety disorder!

I have NO idea what to do to fix it.

Any suggestions?

kili
--
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini

Gosh the only thing I can think of is adding some Feliway. If she is getting
plenty of attention, I don't know. I wonder, what if you can give her
special yummy treats only when she is near Pua so she starts associating her
with a good thing?


"kilikini" wrote in message
...
I don't know what it is with Miss Chloe, but she's been pulling the fur
out
of the inside of her back legs. I see no signs of skin allergy, no
redness,
no itching, no fleas (we're Advantage users), but when she gets nervous or
scolded or feels neglected, she goes into a corner and literally pulls her
hair out.

What the heck? I've never had a cat with an insecurity disorder like this
before.

She has taken over Miss Pua's favorite chair effectively blocking Miss
Pua's water glass, which indicates to me that it's a heirarchy issue and I
think she's jealous of Pua somehow. They get ample attention, ample
scritches. *But* Chloe wanders around the house, crying all the time.
Trust me, she's not sick! She eats like a horse and is properly using her
litterbox. I think she's got anxiety disorder!

I have NO idea what to do to fix it.

Any suggestions?

kili
--
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini

Karen wrote:
Gosh the only thing I can think of is adding some Feliway. If she is
getting plenty of attention, I don't know. I wonder, what if you can
give her special yummy treats only when she is near Pua so she starts
associating her with a good thing?




My husband suggested Feliway, too, but gosh, it's expensive! I have never
had a cat with anxiety before, but Chloe fits the mold. She's an odd one.

kili
--
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini

kilikini wrote:

I have NO idea what to do to fix it.

Any suggestions?


The first sign that Nikki had hyperthyroidism was when she started
pulling the fur out of the inside of her back legs, but Miss Chloe is
much too young to be getting hyperthyroidism, I think. AFAIK, it's
usually elderly cats who get hyperthyroid. Sorry, this wasn't much help,
but I can't think of anything else, except as you say, anxiety.


--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Marina wrote:
kilikini wrote:

I have NO idea what to do to fix it.

Any suggestions?


The first sign that Nikki had hyperthyroidism was when she started
pulling the fur out of the inside of her back legs, but Miss Chloe is
much too young to be getting hyperthyroidism, I think. AFAIK, it's
usually elderly cats who get hyperthyroid. Sorry, this wasn't much
help, but I can't think of anything else, except as you say, anxiety.

Can cats get anxiety? I would think if a peson can, why can't a cat? She
is a really, really odd cat. Seriously. My husband and I actually wonder
about the stability of her mental health. I've had 10 cats in my entire
lifetime and she is, by FAR, the strangest creature I've had the privilege
to know. (Oh, don't worry, no matter how mentally challenged Miss Chloe is,
we're not the kind of people to toss her out.) We're just trying to figure
out the best way to make her less anxious, without making the other "kids"
feel left out.

Suggestions welcomed.

I'm kind of also wondering what's going to happen with Chloe when I go
through my extensive surgery and I *can't* be as attentive to her. Is she
going to be fur-less?

kili
--
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini

In ,
kilikini shouted to everyone in earshot,
Can cats get anxiety?

apparently. my little Buck gets something along those lines, acts
like she's going into heat even though she's spayed and at an
inappropriate time of the year (late fall, mid-winter). amitriptyline
helps her. she's currently on 5mg/day, and 30 10mg tablets costs just
under $10 around here. of course, there are side effects, but Feliway
doesn't help her problem on its own, so we have to make do. lethargy
is the biggest side effect for Buck that I'm aware of, and she's put
on about a pound in the year she's been on it. increased appetite is
also a side effect, and that's probably why she acts so insane at
feeding time nowadays.

amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant that's also used to treat
anxiety, insomnia, and chronic, inflammation-related pain. its brand
name is Elavil. side effects besides the ones I notice in Buck are
dry mouth and rapid/pounding heartbeat, both of which I experienced
when I was on it for a short time for pain/insomnia reasons. I was
taking 50mg/day, and adjusted for body weight, Buck's dose roughly
equates to twice what mine was. (this after she was on 10mg/day for
the first month.)

She is a really, really odd cat. Seriously. My husband and I actually
wonder about the stability of her mental health.

I know what you mean. Buck's a complete screwball, too, and not
necessarily in an "oh, cats are so funny" way.

best wishes to you and her for this problem. I hope you can get her
to a vet and get to the bottom of the problem. I do understand that
it's probably not easy for you at the moment, though.

Jeff

"kilikini" wrote in message
...
Can cats get anxiety? I would think if a peson can, why can't a cat? She
is a really, really odd cat. Seriously. My husband and I actually wonder
about the stability of her mental health. I've had 10 cats in my entire
lifetime and she is, by FAR, the strangest creature I've had the privilege
to know. (Oh, don't worry, no matter how mentally challenged Miss Chloe
is,
we're not the kind of people to toss her out.) We're just trying to
figure
out the best way to make her less anxious, without making the other "kids"
feel left out.


Yes, they can be anxious or have OCD. I saw someone say their cat was on
amatryptaline. That is certainly a possibilty. I think you should definitely
talk to a vet about it before your surgery. It's not a bad idea to make a
plan.

Karen wrote:
"kilikini" wrote in message
...
Can cats get anxiety? I would think if a peson can, why can't a
cat? She is a really, really odd cat. Seriously. My husband and I
actually wonder about the stability of her mental health. I've had
10 cats in my entire lifetime and she is, by FAR, the strangest
creature I've had the privilege to know. (Oh, don't worry, no
matter how mentally challenged Miss Chloe is, we're not the kind of
people to toss her out.) We're just trying to figure out the best
way to make her less anxious, without making the other "kids" feel
left out.


Yes, they can be anxious or have OCD. I saw someone say their cat was
on amatryptaline. That is certainly a possibilty. I think you should
definitely talk to a vet about it before your surgery. It's not a bad
idea to make a plan.

(sigh) This is assuming you have money for vet bills and prescription
medication. I can't speak for kili but I'd have to work out payment
arrangements if I had to take Persia to the vet at this point.

Jill

Karen wrote:

Yes, they can be anxious or have OCD. I saw someone say their cat was on
amatryptaline. That is certainly a possibilty. I think you should definitely
talk to a vet about it before your surgery. It's not a bad idea to make a
plan.

The thought hit me that maybe she is picking up on your condition and it
is upsetting her. In that case, there's not much you can do about it, is
there, except hope for the best and see if she calms down after your
surgery. Calming purrs on the way for Miss Chloe.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

JB wrote:
In ,
kilikini shouted to everyone in earshot,
Can cats get anxiety?

apparently. my little Buck gets something along those lines, acts
like she's going into heat even though she's spayed and at an
inappropriate time of the year (late fall, mid-winter). amitriptyline
helps her. she's currently on 5mg/day, and 30 10mg tablets costs just
under $10 around here. of course, there are side effects, but Feliway
doesn't help her problem on its own, so we have to make do. lethargy
is the biggest side effect for Buck that I'm aware of, and she's put
on about a pound in the year she's been on it. increased appetite is
also a side effect, and that's probably why she acts so insane at
feeding time nowadays.

amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant that's also used to treat
anxiety, insomnia, and chronic, inflammation-related pain. its brand
name is Elavil. side effects besides the ones I notice in Buck are
dry mouth and rapid/pounding heartbeat, both of which I experienced
when I was on it for a short time for pain/insomnia reasons. I was
taking 50mg/day, and adjusted for body weight, Buck's dose roughly
equates to twice what mine was. (this after she was on 10mg/day for
the first month.)

She is a really, really odd cat. Seriously. My husband and I
actually wonder about the stability of her mental health.

I know what you mean. Buck's a complete screwball, too, and not
necessarily in an "oh, cats are so funny" way.

best wishes to you and her for this problem. I hope you can get her
to a vet and get to the bottom of the problem. I do understand that
it's probably not easy for you at the moment, though.

Jeff

Wow, okay, so my husband and I aren't crazy, it's just the cat! I wish I
could take Miss Chloe in now for testing, but given the current
circumstances, I'm going to have to wait a bit.

Still, you have no idea how much you just helped. Thank you!

kili
--
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini