Any Cat Shrinks Out There?

[Sheryl]

I had to leave my beloved cat behind for 2 three week periods with only a brief return in between, ending about a month ago. I hired someone to stay with her (and the dog) and do some yard work etc, have done this is the past and while the cat hates it when I'm away she's always been able to tolerate this arrangement. Well for whatvere reason this time she did not; I came home to find her thin and miserable and the cat/dog/house sitter reported that she refused to sleep with him and spent all her time curled up in my closet, and in the final week stopped eating much.

She greeted my return with uncharacetristuic displays of affection, cuddling up at my side continuously. Unfortunately I had to leave the next day juist for one night, but I know that unsettlerd her just when she was feeling relieved that I was back.

In the ensuing days she still wasn't eating well and I noticed she was pulling out her fur, leaving bald patches. Took her to local vet who basically said it's either flea allergy dermatitis, scabies or stress; gave ivemectin and some other injectiosn and a course of steroids. Week passed and with much (guilt-ridden) coaxing and affection from me she began eating normally and puting weight back on and generally seemed better exceopt for one new bald patch on her back, I assume from pulling out her hair. Brought her back to the vet who gave another does of ivemectin but said he really though it was just stress as the skin visible in the bald patch didn't show any sort of lesion. He had taken some skin scrapings so I assume scabies were ruled out and besides I give her Frontline regulalry.

Now another few weeks have passed, she is definitely eating normally and back at usual weight and normal behavior but that patch is still hairless. Looks like some new hair coming in, but I alsio have found a few hair clumps so she may still be pulling hair out at that spot.

I've tried to examine the spot, she doesn't like to have it touched but in sofar as I can see the skin is clear except for a puncture mark which I think is from the vet's injection. Since this particular bald patch developed after I took her to the vet I am thinking that maybe she found that experience traumatic (well, I know she did, but I mean traumatic enough to have started to pull hair out at the injection site)...

Now I don't know what to do. I've considered either bringing her back to the same local vet or to a higher grade animal hospital in Bkk, but then I start thinking that the vet may have been right that's it is all due to stress, in which case doing that will only worsen matters and it might be best just to hang in there and work on soothing her nerves...........

Ideas???

[Patsycat]

Sheryl,

One of my cats (Jimmy) disappeared over two weeks ago, never to be seen again. He went out in the morning and didn't come home. I am missing him desperately but have come to the sad conclusion that I will not see his sweet face and silly antics again. Gonna be a sad Christmas...

My other cat pined and cried for days on end - she sat in the hallway and stared at the kitchen window (where he comes in) for hours on end, which didn't help my sorrow either.

What i did do is give her lots of cuddles and affection. I even let her sleep under the duvet which was always a no no! She also went off her food.

Now she seems ok - back on her food. But following me around everywhere, if i even go out to buy ciggies for five minutes she greets me as if i have been gone for weeks.

But we still miss him so much - Shit, i'm crying as i type this...

Conclusion - it takes time for them to get used to any situation that is different - whether it be moving house, owner away for a long period of time, or the loss of a playmate. Just like us, i suppose!! (except the owner bit!!)

Have a good Xmas.

Edited December 24, 2007 by Patsycat

[Sheryl]

Thanks Patsycat. I wouldn't be so distressed if she weren't (quite literally) tearing her fur out. "Pyschogenic alopecia" being the medical term and it is apparnelty not uncommon in cats and thought to be a variant of OCD, often induced by stress but them becoming a compulsive behabior in itself. Actually the cat seems to have emotionally recovered to a larghe extent...she just hasn't stopped tearing out her fur.

She is now on Zoloft (I kid you not). Apparently SSRIs frequently work for this and other forms of OCD in cats.

The only problem is that she hates being given medicine so that has caused the introduction of a new stress into her life.... anyhow it's too soon to tell if it's working so I'll give it a little longer and then re-evaluate.

I feel for your loss and know just what you mean. Many many years ago I had 2 cats from the same litter that were absolutely devoted to each other, one tragically dies while being spayed (anesthesia reaction) and the other never really did get over it, although she went on to live another 10 years or so. She didn't remain in acute grief, of course (altho she did mourn seriously for about 6 months) but she was just never quite the same, and she never came to love another cat in the same way.

For some reason people have this notion of cats as cold and aloof, because of their independent nature. They don't realize how deeply cats can love and how strongly attached they can become.

The hardest thing is that of course they have no way of knowing where the missing human or cat has gone or why, or if they will be returning. No wonder they develop anxiety.

In my experience many, many cats have abandonment issues/anxieties, usually stemming from some type of loss. Including now, alas, my own Scully. Yesterday I ghad to make a trip into Bkk, was home by nighttime but she still went into a funk, probably thought I'd vanished again. Refused to sleep with me and is still giving me the evil eye. I used to make day and even overnight trips all the time with no problem -- she'd get annoyed and let me know it when I returned but bounce right back -- but thios last separation really seems to have done a number on her poor feline pysche.

Stay tuned....

[Sheryl]

Well I realize this topic is not as compelling to others as it is to me, but for the benefit of anyone following this saga...

5 days into treatment with an SSRI and she has stopped tearing out her fur as far as I can see and no eivdent adverse effects except maybe a trifle less active than usual. Still goes outside to play and demands (and of course gets) play time with me but seems a bit less than before with more just sitting around. May or may not be the meds.

I'm going to keep her on it at least another week as I have to bring her to Cambodia and 1) worried that the bald spot will get the notice of the vet at animal quarantine and cause a problem in getting the health certificate for the airplane ride and 2) I know the trip will stress her so don't want a relapse.

once settled in Cambodia if she seems to have recovered from the stress of the trip I may try tapering off. I certainly don't want my cat on long term pyschotropics.....

The one potential fly in the ointment here is that I was planning on having dog and cat together with me in Cambodia and due to the housing logistics dog would have to stay inside with me & cat. A situation she has never remotely come near to accepting (she barely tolerates the dog's existence outside the house, and that has taken almost a year to achieve). I am hoping that since it will not be on her official home turf she'll be able to tolerate this, but no guarantee..........

Hope I don't end up having to put the dog on psych meds (and myself on anti-psychotics!!) as a result...........

Stay tuned!

[Sheryl]

Well in case anyone out there is actually interested....

The Zoloft workled like a charm, she stopped tearing out her fur and I have been able to take her off it with no recurrence (knock on wood) despite the new stresses of travel to Cambodia and now sharing an apartment with the dog.

About which she is far from happy (understatement) but since it's new terrirtory and they both entered it at the same time, we're managing. It's clear to me I did the right thing in bringing her here, despite her dislike of travel and living with the dog, she's cross but nor traumatized the way she got when I went away. It's clealry better for her to be with me even if it means less than optimal living situation.

[Nienke]

Hi sheryl,

It's not that I'm not interested, on the contrary, but I just didn't know how to help. And I think I definitely speak for some of us as well.

I'm very glad that things work out well so far for both you and your master.

Do you realize that she is carried now everywhere, like the old emperors?

Nienke

[sbk]

Good luck with the cat Sheryl, my parents moved their cats a few times and it was traumatic at first, but they got over it. Cats usually do

[bina]

traumatized the way she got when I went away. It's clealry better for her to be with me even if it means less than optimal living situation.

thats what they told us when we had the scuds falling on us in the last gulf war also; better for our kids to stay with us then send them to safer areas far from us (the parents) it would be less traumatic for them...

guess thats the correct method..

bina