my cat is very emotional. when i went away for one week last summer, i had a pet sitter here. my cat refused to eat. then when i came back, she got diarhea all over the place for 2 weeks.
recently i went away for one night. she looked completely destroyed and depressed. her eyes were miserable. and her hair looked terrible. and then she got a little diahrea again.
the next day, she is so happy.
i just feel she is too attached to me. im worried, because there are going to be times when i cant stay here with her. thats just the way life is.
im kind of afraid that if i leave her, shes going to die one of these days. she kind of has a psycho expression on her face sometimes like shes going to die when i leave.
no its not in my head. i have another cat and he doesnt care about me one way or another. she is a very unsual cat. i dont think its good for her to be that way.
what do you think i should do?
2007-03-02 02:42:12 · 10 answers · asked by wcarolinew 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
wow, i guess the 5th graders are out tonight.
2007-03-02 02:50:36 · update #1
What a poor litttle bug. No, it's not in your head... Some cats (like some dogs) are more prone to insecurity/separation anxiety. Sounds like yours has very low threshhold for worry. Options: don't ever leave her alone overnight (would deal with symptoms but not realistic); get a tranquilizer from the vet (which may deal with symptoms but could lead to other issues); OR: work on being gone and help her deal with it. For instance, make plans to stay away one night at a friend's. Tell her about it in advance (a couple days) "I'm going to be gone Friday nite but will get back Saturday morning at whatever time." Then tell her it's okay, and try not to be anxious yourself - they can read emotions and if she feels you are worried, boy then she'll think there's something to REALLY worry about. The day before you leave her alone, or the morning of, give her a good jolt of organic catnip. It'll help her take the edge off and be at a more relaxed state to start dealing with the stress. When you leave, tell her again when you'll be home. I'm not going to debate on whether they understand every word or not, but she'll hear that you are trying to tell her something and that's what'll stick. When you get home the next day, make a big deal of it "I'm so glad to see you, I missed you, I didn't think I'd ever get back home" - she will see that you are just as happy to be home as she is to have you home. Then give her a special "treat" (I recommend a small amount of people tuna) - not too much in case she urps it up. Tell her what a brave, good, etc. girl she's been while you were gone. She may (or may not) be really talkative. If she is, listen attentively and give her positive feedback. If she's not talkative but very needy, hold her and cuddle her. And try it again after a couple of weeks/months. Help her learn that your absences are temporary and you'll always come back to her. I don't know if you had her from kittenhood, but maybe she was abandoned at some time and worries this is a repeat. Anyway, keep at it. She will probably never like you going away, but you can make it easier for her. I had a cat who would "ignore" me pointedly (like sit in front of me with her back to me) and refuse to eat her "treat" for a certain period of time (like 15 minutes for one night, 30 minutes for a whole weekend). Then when the "punishment" time was over, she'd eat and then come and sit on my lap and "forgive" me by lots of cuddling and purring. I made a point to follow her timing in this. Yeah, I know sounds dorky, but hey, worked for me. Let me know how it goes.
2007-03-02 04:02:54 · answer #1 · answered by holly_a_johnson 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
My mom grew up with cats I had 3 different cats died young or ran away Its hard to tell you what to do but why not call the vets office & ask him. I do think you are reading some emotions into your cat that arn't there Play with her when you get home so she can look forward to that. I am a dog person myself but love all animals
2007-03-02 03:00:40 · answer #2 · answered by hobo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well there isn't much you are able to do, I understand that you cant be with the cat 24/7 but she will just have to get used to you being away. She will eventually. Good luck!
2007-03-02 02:50:13 · answer #3 · answered by Tink 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
not a lot you can do really.. i mean like you said life is life. my guess is just try and spend a lot of time with her before you go and when you return..
maybe she was left when she was a kitten and she's worried your not going to return.. so maybe eventually she'll realize you'll be back and she has nothing to worry about
2007-03-02 02:50:46 · answer #4 · answered by steph 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you don't mind having a doped-up cat, you can get a prescription from a vet for Valium.
2007-03-02 02:54:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Maybe you need to take her to a pet psychiatrist. . .LOL!!! I dunno what to tell you. . .thats strange, but reminds me kinda of my grandmas dog that used to pee or poop in the house when she'd leave, just to show he was angry with her. . .like seriously, that dog was psycho, I could be down there all day with him, and he'd hear her car pull in the drive and he'd have to run to the door and crap, even if he'd been out just moments before. . .animals are STRANGE!!!
2007-03-02 02:58:13 · answer #6 · answered by Smiley 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
omg, amarjot, you are so rude! obviously the cat loves her..... maybe you should take the cat with you so she doesnt freak out.....
2007-03-02 02:51:08 · answer #7 · answered by KateMcKenzie. 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
find a new cat
2007-03-02 02:49:19 · answer #8 · answered by Michael K 5 · 1⤊ 5⤋
EUTHANASIA!!!
2007-03-02 02:49:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 5⤋
MORE MEAT.
2007-03-02 02:46:09 · answer #10 · answered by Kwadwo B 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋