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01-07-2013 at 11:13 AM
growbeangr...
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growbeangrow is not online. Last active: 05-10-2013, 10:38 AMNewbie

My cat! Help!

Ok, I firmly believe that when you adopt an animal, it is yours for life to take cre of. You can't give it away when you feel like it. We've had our cat for 9 years and she has brought us so much happiness. That is.. up until I got pregnant. During my pregnancy she started vomiting. We brought her to the vet who believes it is behavioral. She never vomited before I was pregnant (I mean she literally vomited 5 times in 9 years!). The vet told us to try this pheromone plug in etc etc. Anyway, nothing is working and she is still constantly vomiting on our rugs.

Since we had the twins, she is also coming over when I am pumping and biting my legs for wet food (we give her wet food once a day in addition to her dry food). Again, this is a new issue. Mind you this biting is for additional wet food packets, not for the one packet a day that she was accustomed to.

I'm at the end of my rope with her. Between constantly having to clean her puke and her biting while I pump, I've just had it. She is causing me so much stress, on top of having two new babies in the house. What would you do in my situation?


 
01-07-2013 at 11:48 AM
Mrs&Dr2b
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Mrs&Dr2b is not online. Last active: 05-16-2013, 3:52 PMBronze

I too have a cat that I love dearly. Thankfully he doesn't seem to mind pregnancy or the baby but he is very curious while i pump and nurse. He will jump up on my lap while I am pumping or nursing. I let him sniff but otherwise I generlaly try to pump or nurse in the nuresery so that he can't get to me (with the door closed). I do try to limit him from going in the nursery.

 I know how hard this is but is there anychance you could limit her to one room of the house?


 
01-07-2013 at 12:11 PM
Kemare20
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Does she enough to do to keep her stimulated? Maybe hide little treats around the house (in corners, on top of cabinets that she knows how to get onto, etc) and make sure she has opportunities to get up off the floor as I am sure you know that cats like to get up high. I would do as much as you can to keep her days stimulating. Sounds to me like she is bored and annoyed that she isn't getting the attention anymore and is acting out. Negative attention is better than no attention! Invest in /make some toys for her. I am sure if you google ways to stimulate a cat there would be lots of ideas you can try! GL!

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01-07-2013 at 12:13 PM
SamiandEri...
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SamiandEric913 is not online. Last active: 02-24-2013, 7:17 PMNewbie

I know this sounds odd, but has your vet mentioned an anti-depressant? I know that's sort of the point of those Feli-way plug-ins, but some vets will also prescribe an actual medication for a disturbed cat.

I'd also try googling about it to see what's worked for other people. It's annoying when the cat has a crazy spell; I have three cats, and one has a touchy stomach when he's nervous. He used to get explosive diarrhea that would shoot out of him if he was upset, so I feel your pain (he got over his issue with Fortiflora and eating separately from his brothers).


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01-07-2013 at 12:14 PM
Lori_n_Lio...
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Lori_n_Lior is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 9:52 PMBronze

We bought an extra tall baby gate for her room and our bedroom so we have some pet free zones in our house and it's where Noa eats and sleep so I don't have to worry about it.

Our pets have been fine with the new addition but I still like having places where I don't have to worry about all the pet hair and dirt they may track in. 


 
01-07-2013 at 4:29 PM
kerbear135
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kerbear135 is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 8:50 PMBronze
I know you're busy, esp with twins, but make sure either you or DH is allowing some kitty time into your schedule...for us, that's right before bed (our cats sleep with us when they want to, but they almost always get in the bed when we're getting ready for bed b/c they want some pre-sleep petting). Maybe make 20 mins when the babies are sleeping to pet kitty, brush him/her, or play with him/her...perhaps kitty is just feeling ignored...i would definitely try to pump somewhere kitty wasn't, or invest in a spray bottle and spray kitty in the face every time he/she starts bothering your leg...if your kitty is like mine, it will only take 2 or 3 sprays to learn not to do that anymore. Cats are weird creatures some times, and they don't always take kindly to change, so it may be one of those things where you're just going to have to wait it out...sooner or later kitty should adjust to the new creatures in the house...just try to give him/her plenty of positive attention in the mean time.

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01-07-2013 at 5:09 PM
sadsadie
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sadsadie is not online. Last active: 01-31-2013, 8:58 PMBronze

kerbear135:
I know you're busy, esp with twins, but make sure either you or DH is allowing some kitty time into your schedule...for us, that's right before bed (our cats sleep with us when they want to, but they almost always get in the bed when we're getting ready for bed b/c they want some pre-sleep petting). Maybe make 20 mins when the babies are sleeping to pet kitty, brush him/her, or play with him/her...perhaps kitty is just feeling ignored...i would definitely try to pump somewhere kitty wasn't, or invest in a spray bottle and spray kitty in the face every time he/she starts bothering your leg...if your kitty is like mine, it will only take 2 or 3 sprays to learn not to do that anymore. Cats are weird creatures some times, and they don't always take kindly to change, so it may be one of those things where you're just going to have to wait it out...sooner or later kitty should adjust to the new creatures in the house...just try to give him/her plenty of positive attention in the mean time.

yes, this. Pay more attention to kitty, but also give her clear boundaries.  


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01-07-2013 at 6:59 PM
newly_naug...
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newly_naugler is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 6:49 PMBronze
Did your vet do any bloodwork? I would have her thyroid checked and rule out any medical conditions before you make anymore changes to her enviroment. Has she lost weight? I've worked at a vet clinic for 11 years and we have a lot of feline patients who have thyroid problems. If it is, it's an easy fix with meds.

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01-10-2013 at 10:51 PM
NapJunkie
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NapJunkie is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 6:49 AMBronze

My older cat sprays even though he's been neutered since he was a kitten.  He used to only do it when stressed, so I would find the source and fix it.  Also I used the pheromone diffusers constantly and they really helped.  That is, until they didn't.  This last move just pushed him over the edge I think, and he sprays non-stop so I finally put him on Prozac.  As long as he takes his meds he is a good, sweet, non-spraying kitty.  If he misses a few does he starts spraying again, so I think this is going to be a lifelong thing :(

Since you obviously can't eliminate the source of stress and pheromone diffusers aren't helping, I'd ask about trying Prozac or something similar. 


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