advice please x

[JackSpratt]

Hope your Mum agrees to the cat flaps. 

[Elanor3]

thank you all for the advice.  At present we are doing the following

1. Ember is sleeping in our room (other two are not) she is being an absolute angel and curls up at our feet for the night then comes for a snuggle before i get out of bed  she has a hooded litter box and water bowl in the room as well as a few toys 

2. I am trying to feed her separately but this not really working yet ( I will keep trying tho) i tried feeding her in the bathroom and the dining room as both places are not too far away from where the other two eat but she just looks at me confused then wants to share indie's bowl 

3. am trying to find somewhere to put some shelves so she would have higher up places to go

4. i am going to get a cat tree - at present they have 4 scratch posts doted about the house i stopped buying the cat trees as indie always breaks them!! 

5. i am continuing with rescue remedy and will be using feliway as soon as it arrives aswell

6. i am currently looking at how to sort conservatory as we are renting the house from my mum but she can be a bit funny about putting cat flaps in the house - we have a shoe cupboard which i have re-organised for the litter boxes a while ago  but then my mum wouldnt let us put a cat flap in her door so we have to buy a new door then put in the cat flap  i am going to speak to her later about a cat flap for conseratory.

7. i am also trying to get my hubby to agree to letting them out more ideally with a cat flap in back door (my mum agreed to this when we moved in) but he is reluctant as we get a lot of foxes and human morons around here and he worries - as do i but feel that open space would benefit all of my furbabes so much even if we only let them out when we are in the house

8. i have meds for her from vet to help her bladder which is taking really easily ..... i'm notgonna lie this kind of freaks me out as i expected her to be difficult 

Has she still got the UTI? the overgrooming is probably directly related to it, cats with UTI's often overgroom in area of abdomen and legs as their way of dealing with the discomfort and/or pain of UTI. Hopefully when the UTI is gone, the overgrooming will stop too. 

they don't know if she still has UTI her urine sample showed nothing.  She isn't showing signs of UTI so feels like were playing the waiting game to be honest. i have to go back with her after she has finished the tablets to see if they are working 

i will look at Zylkene too! i will try anything for my baby to feel less stressed and stop making herself bald!! she is my little angel and i love her to bits  so will do whatever it takes and hopefully the things im doin work

[Gillian Harvey]

Has she still got the UTI? the overgrooming is probably directly related to it, cats with UTI's often overgroom in area of abdomen and legs as their way of dealing with the discomfort and/or pain of UTI. Hopefully when the UTI is gone, the overgrooming will stop too. 

[JackSpratt]

Hello,if she's in the conservatory to get some peace,does she need to have a cat flap,if she has a litter tray?

The point to the cat flap is that it will be a microchip one that only Ember can access - this means SHE chooses when she gets her alone time rather than it being decided for her.

I think it's a very good idea. I'm currently waiting for a friend to put a cat flap in our outhouse so my cats have a "bolt hole" if they feel the need to get away from the other cats.

All the things you mentioned in the PM are a good idea.  And it's definitely worth looking into Zylkene; knowing Ember I'd say she's a good candidate for it helping her. (For anyone that doesn't know, Ember is one of the "Freecycle babies" that I took on and found a home for. She's VERY loved indeed. )

Cats are masters at hiding things. The place Ember groomed is a typical place for this sort of behaviour because it's somewhere you don't notice as quickly as some of  the other places she could overgroom. She's a smart cat, that girl. A beautiful one too. 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

These links might give a bit more info on food intolerances

http://www.pet-food-choice.co.uk/pet_food_intolerance.htm

http://www.wellbeloved.com/hypoallergenic.aspx

[CatGirl]

Hello,if she's in the conservatory to get some peace,does she need to have a cat flap,if she has a litter tray?

[Liz]

There are so many things to try before anything else

I like the idea of giving her her own place in the conservatory so she can have some on my own time and the others can't bother her, the water fountainms are a great idea we have 4 here and 12 water bowls in different places and the cats love them, they wash their paws in the dogs water bowl in the lounge

We have a feral Sparkle she has a tendancie to over groom when we have visitors or when her Daddy is sway for 3 weeks or more at a time and I feed a mix of wet food and dry food and she has some Zylkene on th ewet food and is much better and happier, we have also had a steroid injection in the past to

I would feed her seperately and if you can could she sleep in your room with the other 2 shut out so she feels extra special, it does mean a litter tray in the bedroom - we have a hooded one and that helps the smell should they go!!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

As far as I know vets know very little about behavioral problems and I dont agree with whats been said at all.

I think there are many things to try first before even contemplating rehoming anyone.

Feliway is the first thing, then zylkene mentioned by Liz.

If she is insured she can be referred to a good behaviorist  by your vet.

Most cat flaps will go in windows but would need a glazier to do.

Wet food is preferable over dry food but some of each is nice for the cat.

Sorry no smilies, it looks so dead without any.

[Elanor3]

I have been to the vets this morning and have been given cystease tablets to trial for two weeks.  she thinks it is a bladder imbalance of some kind and says the tablets will help to do something to the lining of the baldder (will look the meds up to see what they actually do).  She also suggested i feed them seperately and give ember more alone time - not sure how i will do this yet but am thinking best way to accomplish this. 

the vet then said if it doesn't improve i may have to consider rehoming her ormyother two!!!! 

I can not even contemplate this! now feel like i have let her down 

my plan is to feed ember in the bathroom and the other two in the kitchen

Question: can you get cat flaps for a window?? i am thinking if i got a microchip cat flap to allow only ember in the conservatory she would have a room just for her.  There is already a heater in there which i would just keep turned on for her so the temp didn't drop to low.  Then i could put her some shelves in there and beds and her own filtered water supply.  Do you think this would help her??

I will get Ember some different food to try aswell.  Would it be better for herto have just wet or just dry food??

I really don't want to have to think of her not being with me so any suggestions are more than welcome.

[Liz]

If she eats wet food you could try Zylkene or Kalmaid crushed and mixed through her food, it tends to take the edge off and we have used bith successfully on our ferals and the freaky feral kittens and it does work a week at 2 capsules a day split on to the wet food usually works

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

She does sound very stressed so hopefully feliway will help but Sam is right about the food and tright now there seem to be a lot of cats with problems with food.

[Elanor3]

they usually have whiskers or purina dry and go cat or whiskers wet food

didn't know food could itchy skin and will look at this thanks 

it does seem more behavioral though as she grooms if she is told off or if the other kitties annoy her too x

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

have you tried changing her food.  What does she currently eat.  She may have intolerances .... if she has a high cereal diet it may be making her itchy scratchy.  Something like james wellbeloved is very good. 

[Elanor3]

have ordered one off amazon for £15 but could be a week for delivery x i just want to do anything i can to help her and wondered if there was anything else you guys could think of?? also her tummy is looking a little red after she finally stops licking it 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Have you tried a feliway defuser?

[Elanor3]

hi all,

sorry haven't been on in a while but between my wedding and problems at work i have been super busy x

I could use some advice though ... Noticed a while ago that was Ember by black princess was grooming around her abdomen and back legs.  (she has had a recent UTI which has taken some time to clear and i have already beaten myself up for not noticing this sooner  the poor angle had the infection for about 6 weeks we think and we only noticed abnormal behavior after she started peeing in the bath) - sorry baby girl.

Anyway vet thinks stress may be causing her to over-groom (and she is a very vocal emotive and bossy little lady) so i am trying to find ways to help her relax!!  i have tried rescue remedy which hasn't really done anything and i have ordered some feliway.  I have always ensured Ember has alone with me daily as she has always needed a little extra mummy cuddles  but wondered if anyone could suggest anything else for me to try for her?!  She gets A LOT of furballs and is quite sicky too so if there is anything for this two please let me know.  I feel awful for not noticing this problem sooner but is now going thin/bald on her legs and tummy