Quelling Anxiety in Cat Feeding Frenzy

Hello Sheffy, Mimoza and Cherry,

Just following up on my promise (made in the previous entry, Feeding Frenzy, to give you some suggestions for dealing with pre-meal anxiety:

Suggestion #1: chamomile. This is probably your easiest, most inexpensive remedy to try.

 There are two ways to receive it:
a) Get your Herself to purchase some good-quality chamomile tea and brew up a strong cup. When it has cooled she can offer it to each of  you in a bowl or saucer. Some of us love it that way. And this might keep you occupied while she is preparing your food.

OR

b) Alternatively, she could just use 1/4 teaspoon (no more) of the dried herb (taken from a teabag, for example) and gently rub it between her fingers until it is a fine powder. Then have her mix it into your meal. Obviously it won't settle you before the meal but its calming effects could carry you past your dinner.

Suggestion #2:  Rescue Remedy (a general stress remedy) OR Agrimony (a remedy for anxiety) one of the Bach Flower Remedies .

Either  is available in drops (often sold at health food stores and some pharmacies) and you can receive it as follows:
a) have a few drops added to your water (not as effective as I might like);

b) have a few drops added to your food (fine as long as you are okay with it). Start with 1 drop once a day, then go to twice a day, then go to 2 drops twice a day, etc. until you work up to 4 drops twice a day. This helps Herself to monitor your reaction because it may be quite effective at a lower dose (or you might find it a bit overwhelming and need to cut back).

c) have Herself rub a drop or two into the top part of the inside of your ear (no, NOT inside your ear, just on the inner ear flap so it is easily absorbed. Again, start with 1 drop once a day; then go to 1 drop twice a day; then increase to 2 drops, twice a day. Because it will be so readily absorbed into your body this way, I'm not convinced you need to increase the dose any further. You might like to receive this prior to meal preparation, but make sure Herself gives it to you when it best fits her schedule (because we don't want her stressed!).

If you like this, then she can extend the remedy by diluting it as follows:
- get a small dropper bottle (a one-ounce or 30 ml size) from the pharmacy and clean it well;
- adds good quality water (spring water, never distilled and never sparkling); even good quality tap water will be fine.
- fill it with water to the neck.
-  add 4 drops of the original remedy and gently shake the bottle.
It will last for a week in the refrigerator this way; after that, any unused portion can be thrown out.
This is a great way to extend the life of the original remedy (and thus reduce the expense) and does not affect its ability to do the job.

So think about these and let me know what happens.

Purrs,
Greyce

Feeding Frenzy

Dear Precious Greyce,

We are eating machines who gulp food down. We would eat everything and all the time, if we were allowed. We raid our companions' bowls. Themselves cannot eat in our presence because we get on their plates and nothing can stop us. If they try to eat standing up, we just jump and climb on them to get at the food.

Other than that, we are very affectionate, cuddly, playful and energetic. Herself says we are just purrfect. And we agree. But when it comes to eating, we are like small tornadoes.

The Urine Marking & Cat Fighting Combo

Dear Greyce,

I am a beautiful, 9-year-old, spayed female with a complicated problem: I pee all over the house and I fight with my feline sister, Cassie. And this has been going on for a long time.

Keeping Cat Safe from Cats Outdoors

Dear Eli,

Finally I get to the last installment of my advice to you! This time, I'll deal with roaming cats.

As I recall, there are several toms who have the nerve to visit YOUR property. And this can be of concern, since you like to attend to your toilet needs outdoors via your own purrsonal cat door.

I've offered advice about roamers before, particularly about discouraging them (see, for example, my entry, The Invading Stranger). But that advice applies largely to North American situations where the cat in question is an indoor-only cat and is bothered by the visual or olfactory presence of another of his species.

In your case, the very methods I would suggest could backfire, that is, they could end up being used against you as well and thus make the use of the yard quite distressing for you. You wouldn't want to wander about and suddenly be sprayed with water or come to a favourite area and find it sprinkled with awful citrus smells, for example.

However, I do have a few suggestions for your consideration.

The first is an electronic cat door ( click here for an American site or try one of these for the United Kingdom Cat Flaps or Infra-red Cat Doors ). If there is a strong possibility that one of the visitors might very well try to enter your home, then you best lock the door. An electronic cat door can do this. Keyed to your collar, it allows you to open and close the door by your very presence near it. But others, who lack the key, cannot. As long as you don't decide to play host to a party of cats by standing near the door while they let themselves in, all would work well.

The second is a cat enclosure, a dedicated, safe space for your purrsonal use that cannot be broached by others. Such things are ideally directly linked to a cat door or cat window of your home. An enclosure would be ideal for your favourite outdoor lounging area (inclusive, of course, of your toilet). You would, of course, still see other cats but they would not be able to get at you. If interested, consult my entry: An Outdoor Room for Cats. And if Themselves and you wished for more outdoor experience, that could be provided in other ways.

Sorry that I could not be more helpful in this regard.

I do wish you the best,
Greyce

New Cat Introductions: A Plan for Eli

Dear Eli,

When I last responded to you, I promised to get back with ideas about introducing you to a new cat companion, assuming that Themselves would be bringing one into your territory in the not-too-distant future.
So here goes.

First and foremost, follow my entry, May I Introduce . . . A Cat! It is a slower-than-most introduction process because I find most humans to be in too much of a hurry and thereby they set the stage for future trouble.

So take my advice and go slow. You are the resident cat and the elder, and thus you set the pace for the process. Tell Themselves to be patient. The newcomer (likely a kitten or very young cat) will be more adaptable.

Other than following these instructions, there are only three things to keep in mind. First, you need unrestricted access to important parts of your existing territory to the extent possible. This means that if the living room is a key viewing area for you, it should not be the newcomer's domain. Instead the newcomer should be set up in another, safe room. And second, you will need assurance. So at least one of your purrsons should commit to giving you sufficient daily attention of the kind you desire - regardless of how tempting it may be for both of them to focus on the newcomer. Besides, this will be a good way to monitor your status so that the process proceeds at a pace you can handle. And third, the best time for a newcomer is when things are stable in the household - no renovations, no emotional crises or anything else to turn everything off-kilter.

That's it for now, dear. As for you question on roaming cats, I should be able to get back to you much more quickly on that.

Purrs to you,
Greyce