By: Aimee Wilson
Hello and welcome to the fourth post on the Calico Catch-Up monthly column!
I’ve spent the first three posts doing a bit of an introduction in talking about the three cats I’ve had/have in my life. In this post, I thought I’d begin to discuss the challenging behaviours I’ve experienced with cats and how I’ve helped the cat to overcome them.
Now, I’m know I’m no professional (although I do have a qualification in Feline Psychology!), so I won’t be giving any advice – especially not when there’s so much of it available on the Cats Protection website! I’m simply sharing my experiences with the wish that they encourage other owners not to lose hope if their own cat is displaying challenging behaviours.
The first instance of such behaviours that I can recall was with the second cat in my life; Dolly.
Although I’d been discharged from the psychiatric hospital after being an inpatient for over two years, I still struggled with my mental health and because of this, just a few months into owning Dolly, a miscommunication led the Police to caving in my door.
Unfortunately, Dolly – still just a kitten – was home alone and whilst this means I don’t know her exact reaction, I was told that the only reason the Police knew I had a cat was because of the toys and the litter tray, so she must’ve hid very well!
When I returned home, it was to a bed that was covered in cat urine. This became a regular occurrence, to the point where I was having to lock her out of my room, and then I had to have a plastic covering over the mattress because she learnt how to open the sliding doors. I hated leaving the house because I knew that when I got home there’d be urine on the bed and I was upset at the thought that she was doing this because she was stressed and traumatized. I blamed myself for the miscommunication with the Police and so I thought myself responsible for her starting to struggle.
The other behavioural change that Dolly began exhibiting was aggression toward visitors and even with people she’d known and had bonded with before the trauma.
My friends became very reluctant to spend any time at my home and it after she scratched one of my support workers, they were told n0t to enter my home again!
Dolly’s deterioration was having a big impact on my life, but I think that’s because I blamed myself for it; giving her up wasn’t an option. It also probably helped that I hadn’t had the easiest time with my mental health and experience of traumas so I sort of identified with her and understood how something upsetting can change you. No one gave up on me so why should I resign my efforts with Dolly?!
After a few months, Dolly ended up attacking me for no apparent reason and drew blood from a scratch across my face. I called the Vets in tears and was told that she would have to be put to sleep because she couldn’t be rehomed. I understood their response but I was very reluctant to go down that route before trying everything I possibly could to help her first.
The other behavioural change that Dolly began exhibiting was aggression toward visitors and even with people she’d known and had bonded with before the trauma.
My friends became very reluctant to spend any time at my home and it after she scratched one of my support workers, they were told n0t to enter my home again!
Dolly’s deterioration was having a big impact on my life, but I think that’s because I blamed myself for it; giving her up wasn’t an option. It also probably helped that I hadn’t had the easiest time with my mental health and experience of traumas so I sort of identified with her and understood how something upsetting can change you. No one gave up on me so why should I resign my efforts with Dolly?!
After a few months, Dolly ended up attacking me for no apparent reason and drew blood from a scratch across my face. I called the Vets in tears and was told that she would have to be put to sleep because she couldn’t be rehomed. I understood their response but I was very reluctant to go down that route before trying everything I possibly could to help her first.
So, I hired a Pet Behaviour Therapist from the Vets, and she came to my home to do an assessment of Dolly to determine how they could best help her.
One of the biggest things she told me was that Dolly always seemed to be ‘on edge’ as though she were just waiting for something to happen. The Therapist said that Dolly never seemed to relax or become distracted with a toy or something out of the window; she could be watching a bird but her mind was never fully in it because there was always a part of her that was anxious and nervous.
This was so upsetting to hear and when the Therapist recommended that we start Dolly on a mild-sedative medication (Clomicalm) I didn’t even have to think about it; I was prepared to do whatever it took to help her in the same way that she’d helped me in providing me with company, love, and affection. Fortunately, the medication really helped and after slowly reducing it over a year, Dolly was back to being the friendly, curious cat I’d always known was still in there!
I had two happy years with Dolly before her kidneys began to fail and she had to be put to sleep.
Within a week of losing her, I adopted my little Calico kitten; Emmy (who inspired the title of this column!) and since she was a rescue, she struggled to adjust and settle in to her new home and exhibited some challenging behaviours initially.
Fortunately, her confidence is more established and she’s a lot less nervous; but she still hasn’t picked up how to use a litter tray! It’s the strangest thing; she urinates in one but won’t pass faeces… I’ve gotten so much advice from different professionals and have tried so many different tricks and methods to encourage her to use the litter tray – she has three different ones, one is hooded and the others are not, I’ve tried different litter and even sawdust and soil(!), the trays are in different places around the home… the list goes on!
It’d be incredibly easy to feel fed up and hopeless that nothing will change, but I love her so much that I’ve come to accept she might never learn what to do; and I think that the most annoying aspect of it is being unable to understand why she’s doing it!
Out of everything I’ve learnt over the years in managing a pet’s challenging behaviour, I have three top tips:
- Always stick to your instincts
- Seek professional advice from your Vet, your local Cats Protection centre or an online resource
- Try to get into the mind of your pet and understand why they’re behaving this way
I hope that this post has reassured people that you’re not alone in experiencing challenging behaviour with your cat and has encouraged owners to take positive, productive steps to helping their cat.
Aimee is 29 and lives in Northumberland with her calico cat; Emmy, and Lionhead rabbit; Pixie. After being admitted to a psychiatric hospital for two and a half years, she created a mental health blog and it now has almost three quarters of a million readers. Aimee wanted to start this column because she’s very passionate about illustrating the benefits animals can have on your mental health.
Cats Protection Tyneside Adoption Centre 