How do I help my cat with his anxiety...?

[amitten]

I've had this cat for a few years and he goes through bouts of incessant meowing. Like NOTHING will appease him. It's like he becomes very nervous and just can't calm down. (He is apparently healthy and has good vet visits.) Sometimes the meowing lasts for a couple of hours or more--NON-STOP.

I don't want to get rid of him but he's driving me and my roommate insane! Can cats be given Benadryl or something to calm their nerves? Any advice is appreciated.

[fizzgig]

1. talk to your vet

i know that there are some products designed to ease pet anxiety, but i don't know anything about them.

[HopeHoops]

2. Catnip - LOTS of catnip.

I'm not kidding. It weirds them out for a while but then they crash for hours. It is also natural. Don't try pot for that - that just gets them paranoid.

[amitten]

3. He doesn't do well with catnip, sorry to say.

It just freaks him out and actually he won't even go near it anymore. I guess it gives him a "bad trip".

[HopeHoops]

13. Well then go with the pot.

[Betty88]

4. Rescue remedy

http://www.preciouspets.org/newsletters/articles/bach.htm

just found this link real quick do a little googling and see if this might help

[hamsterjill]

9. I've used Rescue Remedy with one kitty

I've used it with several without any noticeable improvement, but I did have ONE kitty that Rescue Remedy really seemed to help. She was the survivor of a bonded pair and was having a hard time acclimating to life without her long-time companion.

I found it to be more successful to rub a drop of Rescue Remedy on the insides of her ears, rather than putting it in water, etc.

Just my thoughts...I concur with the other posts that you should consult a vet.

Does this behavior happen at a specific time? Is there something in the cat's environment (even something outside can be a factor) that might be causing the cat frustration or anxiety? Is it after he eats, etc.?

In any event - good luck!

[amitten]

21. Thanks for this--I will probably give it a try. I'm assuming that

the remedies for pets are the same ones sold in the store for humans...? I hope they are completely safe for a cat!

Also, do you know anyone who has had success with these?

[Haole Girl]

5. What do you do when your cat does this?

Do you comfort him? :shrug:

I agree with the advice about talking w/your vet.

[amitten]

22. I try hard to comfort him. Sometimes I ignore him, hoping he

will stop if no one pays attention. NOTHING works.

He gets on a tangent sometimes where he just can't seem to stop, not for food, attention, going outside, or anything.

[Lance_Boyle]

6. cat bong. n/t

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/02/national/a125932S34.DTL&tsp=1

[DeepBlueC]

7. Feliway

It comes in an aerosol can or a plug-in infuser. It is odorless to us but to a kitty is is cheek pheromones. You know how they mark stuff by rubbing their face on it? It gives them a secure feeling. I have heard of a vet who pops a couple of shots into the room atmosphere to deal with fractious felines and it settles them right down. I have used it to head off some inappropriate urination. The infuser might be best for you. They have it at pet stores, expensive, but a godsend and I swear by it.

It is strange. What does your vet think? If you have a video cam you might film a bit of that and take it in the next time he has a visit. Also to help the vet you might keep a diary of when and for how long he does this (and any circumstances that you think MIGHT precipitate it) for a week or so.

I would not recommend Benadryl although they do have specific drugs for anxiety that come in a gel form that you apply to the ear flap. Very easy to medicate a cat in that way.

[amitten]

19. I might try that. Is it expensive...?

Thanks!

[DeepBlueC]

24. kind of ...

Google Feliway. Between $25 and $30 it looks like. You want the diffuser with refills probably.

[Dogtown]

8. I agree completely with DeepBlueC, Post #7

I'll add that cats will fight the effects of benadryl; it apparently makes them more fearful if they feel it making them lethargic. Their fight/flight response kicks in.

Catnip is an acquired taste with cats. I've seen cats salivate prodigiously on 1st contact, rejecting it completely, and later learn to love it. I'd suggest you buy some good quality from a specialty store (not the cheap, dried-out 'ditch-weed' you find in the grocery), tie a small amount in a sock you've just taken off (so it smells like you as well as catnip) and leave it somewhere it can be discovered.

A 2nd cat is something you should consider also. A playmate may relieve some tension and focus attention away from what's troubling him, and a nervous cat will sometimes sit close to a more confident cat to feel calmer.

[DeepBlueC]

11. I like your thinking...

A second cat is just the thing! And the catnip/dirty sock bouquet garni....brilliant. I'm going to grow some nip this summer. Not all of my cats go for the plant ... but them that do even gnaw happily on the dried out stalks all winter.

[Dogtown]

12. I grow my own.

Pretty plant, if it doesn't go to seed. Most of my cats like the flowers as well.

Grows very easily, my plants get palm-sized leaves. The fresh stuff has a very clean, minty smell.

I also give my guys grass clippings from the yard, piled on a TV tray. They love it, then I spend the rest of the day looking for yak. Definitely helps w/ their furballs, though.

Nice to meet you, DeepBlueC.

:hi:

[DeepBlueC]

14. Do you really want to keep it from going to seed?

Isn't that how you get more catnip? Mine came from wind-blown seeds. :hi:

[Dogtown]

20. I allow a plant or 2 to go to seed

that ensures a continuous crop.

The plant is perennial in this climate anyway and grows most of the year. I've clipped fresh stalks at Christmas most years I've lived here.

:hi:

[emad]

10. Food usually gets to the bottom of things.

Low-cal kitty crunchies might do the trick.

[Moondog]

15. We have a 26 lb Maine Coon and a 6 lb Abyssinian.

Both respond favorably to tuna.

[triguy46]

16. Try this:

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU YOU MISERABLE FUR BALL??????? SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Insensitivity on the part of the human might shock it back to reality.

[Brigid]

17. !!!

That just brought up a vision of somebody screaming at a cat and getting a blank stare in return! :rofl:

[amitten]

18. Believe me, I'm close to that point. But I can't stand to yell at him.

Nothing seems to help, no matter what I try though.

[Are_grits_groceries]

23. I have a cat who began to drive me wild

by grooming incessantly. She has always had allergies and skin problems, but at one point she started licking and wouldn't stop. I took her to the vet, and he tried several things to find a possible cause. She wouldn't stop, and he couldn't find anything.

She would sit by me on the bed and it would be nonstop movement. The vet suggested that she might just have gotten into a habit and wouldn't stop. OCD cat or something. He gave me amitriptyline (Elavil) for her - 5mg. It stopped it. She tolerated the med and wasn't zoned out on it.

Her name is Mouse or Miss Mouse as I call her when she is in her diva phase. She is very friendly but also nervous as hell. she'll be lying beside me, and I'll reach over to pet her. As soon as I touch her she acts like I scared the hell out of her and jumps straight up in the air. She forgets I am there or something. Her sister, Scat, is the opposite.

[MissMillie]

25. my vet put my cat on prozak once

it's expensive