Depressed cats?
 

Hi we have just moved from Australia to Texas and our cats have come with us. I left them in a cattery for 2 weeks while we moved over and then they were sent over. They arrived nearly 2 weeks ago. In Australia we lived in a house and they went in an out of the house at their leisure. Here in Texas they are confined to an apartment. One of the cats (Coco) seems to be settling in ok, not really happy, but will play and talk to us. But our other cat, Muffin is not handling the move at all. He spends most of the day hiding in the cupboard and I need to bring him out to get him to eat and to drink. When I bring him out, he does eat and drink fine, and then he goes back into the cupboard. When I pick him up, his tail is between his legs, like when a dog is scared. I have never seen this from him before. He is also licking one spot on his leg, that is getting very red. Is there anything I can put on this, or do I need to take him to the vet.

I am wondering if he is depressed and what can I do about it. I hate seeing him like this. He is a little scaredy cat at the best of times. He was a rescue cat, so has never been the most outgoing cat.

We are on the second floor and I do not feel comfortable letting them out. We are going to be here for another 4 months and then will get a house and they can have a lot more room to move about.

I am hoping that someone can help me.
Thanks
Sharon

Could he have gotten injured in the transit from Australia? I have no cat experience, but I do know they tend to hide if they're not feeling well or are injured. Plus the fact that he's licking just the one area on his leg... I think I'd be inclined to take him to the vet, if only to put my mind at ease.

Is he coming out to use the litter box normally?

Yes he uses the litter box normally and he does not seem to be limping at all. I might just take him to the vet. It will be more stress for the poor little guy though.

[QUOTE=aussiedudette;1044614]Hi we have just moved from Australia to Texas and our cats have come with us. I left them in a cattery for 2 weeks while we moved over and then they were sent over. They arrived nearly 2 weeks ago. In Australia we lived in a house and they went in an out of the house at their leisure. Here in Texas they are confined to an apartment. One of the cats (Coco) seems to be settling in ok, not really happy, but will play and talk to us. But our other cat, Muffin is not handling the move at all. He spends most of the day hiding in the cupboard and I need to bring him out to get him to eat and to drink. When I bring him out, he does eat and drink fine, and then he goes back into the cupboard. When I pick him up, his tail is between his legs, like when a dog is scared. I have never seen this from him before. He is also licking one spot on his leg, that is getting very red. Is there anything I can put on this, or do I need to take him to the vet.

I am wondering if he is depressed and what can I do about it. I hate seeing him like this. He is a little scaredy cat at the best of times. He was a rescue cat, so has never been the most outgoing cat.

We are on the second floor and I do not feel comfortable letting them out. We are going to be here for another 4 months and then will get a house and they can have a lot more room to move about.

I am hoping that someone can help me.
Thanks
Sharon[/QUOTE]

I would bring your cat to the vet right away before he get an infection on his leg. And see if he picked up cold or something . Once you do move to a new house you will need to keep your cats inside for at least 3 week so they will get use to their new home. I hope you cat will get use to his new home soon.

Is it a sore, or just looks like it is irritated from constant licking from a rough tongue? Some cats soothe themselves by licking and this may be all it is. If it is not swollen, oozing, open sore, etc. then I believe a trip to the vet would cause more stress on him. Normally I would recommend a vet trip, but because Muffin has been through so much lately, and if it's not an emergency it may not be in Muffin's best interest.

Just like people handle stress differently, cats do too. Hiding is a common reaction to fear and most cats don't like change, especially a change in their "territory". I, personally would allow him to stay hidden, as long as it is in a safe place. Muffin will come out when he is good and ready to. In fact, I would even place some food in there and perhaps slowly move it to just outside the cupboard. Forcing him to come out will only get him more upset. Cats like to be in a hidden in small places that they feel safe from danger.

Under NO circumstances would I ever recommend for your kitties to be let outside. I think that could lead to a disastrous conclusion for them.

Good luck! :goodvibes:

Hi:

I've been looking at problems you are having with Muffin, and I have some ideas to run by you that could be of benefit. The move has sure been a traumatic experience for him and basically it's going to take a lot of time and TLC to get him back to some sort of normality, and another move in about four months will not help the matter too much either.

First, the cats have been separated from you for a period of 2 weeks while you moved. Then they are in strange surroundings, even though you are there. Cats are creatures of habit and familiar things - just move a chair or some other object and see what they do. So these compound everything.

We've been through the move bit 3 times in 4 years, so we know some of the stresses that they can go through. ( 5 cats).

I would be setting up safe rooms both in the new apartment and the new house when it comes time to move. It's just a small room that would contain the litter box, some food and water and bedding, to house the cats while the movers are moving and setting up the furniture. In this way the cats will be in a closed room sheltered from the activity and are less apt totake flight and runaway.

Right now I'd be looking at a product called Feliway it's a feline synthetic pheromones, that is said to help reduce stress in cats. It comes in either a spray or a plug-in, and from what I understand from some people they've had good results with it. It might be worth a try. Here's a website to have a look at. [url]http://www.feliway.com/us[/url] I haven't used the product, so I can't give you my opinion. Maybe someone else who is using the product will give their opinion.

Something else that will help relieve stress is Rescue Remedy. I have used it when I take my animals to the vet, and out in the car. It will not remove motion sickness, but it does take the edge off the stress of travel, and if it doesn't work for the cats you can always take it yourself. It does take the ragged edge off the stress. Here's the website to have a look at. [url]http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm[/url].

Now for the spot on Muffins leg. Not wanting to stress him out by taking him to the vet I would be awfully tempted to use a product called Colloidal Silver over the sore spot. It has the ability to act as an antifungal, antibacterial and a antivirus, and it won't affect any other medications, and the neat thing is, that it can be used internally as well as externally. I would be looking for a strength of something that would be around 10 ppm. so that it can be used in the eyes and ears if required, and it's really great for taking the sting out of cat scratches and burn out of insect bites. I have used a lot of it over the years, and have had good success with it. It has a myriad of uses. Apply it with a wet gauze about six times a day to the red spot on the leg. Here's another website have look at. [url]http://www.ehow.com/about_5369874_colloidal-silver-cats.html[/url]

If the spot doesn't improve in a few days, I would be taking the cat to the vet.

Keep us all up to date with your progress.