Feline Mental Health

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Corey & Kitty

Corey & Kitty

Member Since 2022
Hi everyone,

I haven't really seen this topic discussed much on here, but I was hoping to talk a bit about our kitties' mental health which I think is just as important as their physical health. I always want to keep my Kitty as happy and comfortable as I can. I think it's a bit more of an issue for indoor cats.

My Kitty isn't much for cat toys, so I always get concerned that she is bored. When she was about 1 year old is when I adopted her "brother" because I wanted her to have a companion. They get along for the most part, but I wouldn't say they are best friends, although I do catch them napping together at times but they have a limit as to how much of each other they will tolerate. Her brother will entertain himself. He grabs toys out of the basket and throws them around. He will also run laps at top speed around the house. He loves to lay on the back of the couch and stare out the window for hours. Kitty on the other hand never seems interested, which is why I get concerned. She doesn't play or have an interest in looking out the windows (which she used to enjoy watching birds and squirrels at our previous house which we lived in about 6 years ago), but in this new house she barely has any interest in looking outside. I don't know if she just doesn't like the windows in this house or what it is. I have noticed lately she has been having these bouts of energy when she seems like she's excited about something and she will run a little bit on the carpet but it doesn't last more than a few seconds. She just seems like more of a sedentary cat and I'm not sure if it's something I should be concerned about. I don't know if cats experience boredom the way that we humans do, but perhaps some members can share what fun things their cats enjoy and how they help their cats with boredom.

On a slightly different topic, I'm wondering if any members have experience with cats and anxiety. I'm not sure if this is what is going on with my Kitty. A little bit of history: Kitty has always loved my shoes. I don't know if its because they are smelly and they remind her of me :woot:, but she will lay on top of them if I leave them by the door. Also, there is a shoe rack that she will pull my shoes off of. It got to the point where I have to keep an eye on her because she will chew through the laces sometimes. The past few weeks I noticed on 3 occasions she has followed me upstairs when I'm getting ready for work. She doesn't go upstairs much. On these occasions she seemed a bit excited/agitated. It was nothing too concerning but she did seem bothered, almost like she was scared of something. On these three occasions I found her laying in my room next to where I keep some of my shoes. I don't know if she is experiencing separation anxiety because she knows I am getting ready to leave and wants to lay near something that smells like me. This has happened in the past where she will follow me upstairs and into the bathroom and not want to leave my side but it just seemed to be happening a bit more frequently these past few weeks. I'd just like to hear other's thoughts on what might be going on.

Sorry for the long post, I just find it a very interesting topic and not sure if any of these things should be terribly concerning.

Have a nice day everyone!
 
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I think this is a really important topic and am glad you posted about it. I too feel like my Howie is just bored. He lays on a blanket in the kitchen all day until after his and my supper and then he’ll come and lay in my lap until bedtime. He has toys all over and sometimes will chew on them a bit. I got him some kitty kick stix for Christmas with catnip and he loved them. Now, not so much. I certainly acknowledge the pickiness of our felines and their toys! He doesn’t run around anymore but I just attribute that to his age (probably 12-13). As for anxiety, I think definitely has bouts of it. If I go upstairs anytime around his food times, he follows me. I assume he’s trying to make sure I will come back down to feed him. And if I take his blanket from the kitchen to wash or even to clean the floors, he goes crazy and starts pacing.
 
I suspect that cats are like people -- they each have their own personalities. My older male cat tends to hang out with me. He's very social and has never met a person he didn't like. My younger female, is the proverbial scaredy cat. She will hide if a stranger is in the house. In fact, she gives me panic attacks given how well she hides! She has certain favorite spots where my male can't bother her -- he can be a pest. On the other hand, they will chase each other around. They don't really cuddle together but they each have their area of the bed and will cuddle with me. They both love watching birds especially the neighborhood cardinal who comes to visit.

One of my friend always sends cat toys as Christmas presents. My cats could care less. There are very few toys that they like -- mostly ones that have catnip involved.

My male likes my shoes, too. He especially likes a pair of fleece lined boots. They both like shoe laces! I don't view this as anxiety. It may be more comforting to have something with your smell nearby. I would just keep an eye on Kitty. You're a good observer and a cat's behavior can tell you a lot.

One FD observation. Kitty has been in largely normal numbers for a week. With TR, you can reduce the dose if a cat's numbers are mostly below 120 for a week.
 
Charlie has a big attitude problem. He tends to be a bully to the other cats. Recently I started adding Rescue Remedy for Pets to his food several times a day. It has cut down on his bullying. I also noticed that it seems to also have started bringing out a playful personality. He has started playing with toys and frequently has the zoomies where he races around the house. I am not sure if it will help your cat but it may be worth trying. It took about 2-3 weeks before I noticed the change in him and I give it to him 3 times a day.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
Charlie has a big attitude problem. He tends to be a bully to the other cats. Recently I started adding Rescue Remedy for Pets to his food several times a day. It has cut down on his bullying. I also noticed that it seems to also have started bringing out a playful personality. He has started playing with toys and frequently has the zoomies where he races around the house. I am not sure if it will help your cat but it may be worth trying. It took about 2-3 weeks before I noticed the change in him and I give it to him 3 times a day.
Click to expand...

very interesting. We have a rescue that last year suddenly stopped getting along with the other 5 kitties. We now have to keep her seperated from the others or they will fight, not just quarrel but full on war-cry howling and fur-flying.

The vet gave us Prozac but I'm not thrilled. 5mg once a day and she basically stopped eating. So they had us switch to every-other-day. Don't know yet if it's really going to help her be chill around the others or not but this rescue remedy stuff sounds interesting to try instead. Wildflowers:
  • Made from a combination of five flower remedies, including Star of Bethlehem, Rock Rose, Cherry Plum, Impatiens and Clematis

https://www.chewy.com/rescue-remedy-stress-relief-pet/dp/135502
 
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Hi, I believe play is essential to cat welfare. my 2 cents is to try as many cat toys as possible.

At the time Monkey was recovering from diabetes, and he had shown no interest in cat sticks and many toys, like 20. Then I buy another cat stick with many shiny reflective plastic papers on it, and Monkey finally shows playing behavior, and eventually shows more and more.

The lesson I learned is don't give up, try as many toys as possible. I even buy live locus and birds to have a Monkey watch. He was quite interested. Depends on your value of animal welfare, I think using live animals as stimulation has a very high chance of success. Also, catnip can also stimulate some cats.

Also, you may seek advice from experts such as cat behaviorists, I know there are cat behaviorists in this forum. One cat behaviorist recommended Ripple Rug, and I would recommend it too it, because it is very versatile that you can combine it with other toy to multiply the fun.

This is a robotic arm I build for my cats with Ripple Rug.


Also, I want your home to be optimized for cats, to lower their stress and improve their well-being. Like humans, animals show play behavior in low-stress environments. This is a big topic, but I also show you the high ground I build for Monkey

 
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I agree this is really important and something we sometimes just take for granted. There's a lot of alpha male issues here, two who pee on almost anything just because they can and all five have been at least mildly abused. We don't slam doors, play loud music or have grandchildren who pull tails but it doesn't always work out. Lewis is the worst, a real bully and to be honest he can be hard to love.
I call my PTSD "lite" because I've never served in the forces or been a first responder, it was just a lot of crap that piled up over the years until it was one cat too many. I've also been bullied. This must be the same for cats and dogs to some degree.
What works for me is what we do for the cats. Take out the trigger points, positive reinforcement and as much physical love as possible. Some do better than others. I've had no luck with Feliway.
Our Border Collie was a classic "too smart for your own good" and her separation anxiety was something I never did get a grip on. Everyone wants a smart dog but I never expected that.
 
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My Bear demands lots of attention and has significant separation anxiety. He has never once hidden from people in my home, even when we've had parties! Photo attached of him playing poker with the guys ;)

I found a pet sitter who "gets" him and showers him with affection and that's really helped when we go away. Since he was just diagnosed last month, I've noticed he's been pretty depressed by the changes in routine, frequent vet visits, and probably the change in my demeanor (I'm trying to be better about that). He's just starting to rally from a bout of pancreatitis and I have to assume that his stress level played a big role in the exacerbation.

I'm doing my best to keep things as "normal" as possible at home right now, and he's still not back to where he was before all this started, but would like to introduce some new toys to cheer him up. I think many cats are like small children in that they grow tired of toys they're used to - it's certainly the case for Bear! Something unexpected will become the hot new item for a little bit and then he never wants to play with it again.
 

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I'm projecting my own emotions on the cats and dog when I do this. The internet is full of 'could be' and 'it's possible' if you query the more serious things like PTSD or depression. Personally I equate things like trust with intelligence so if I'm giving them that amount of credit how can I say they don't get seriously bored, jealous and even petty. Lewis does things I would call childish that brings out the worst in me and quite simply he's just a bully. If I knew why I'd be halfway there, he has the least abusive past and is an Angel with his foster brother Andy but everyone else is in danger of losing an eye.
 
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