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Old August 1st, 2014, 04:54 AM
ikur ikur is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3
Unhappy Howling cat (bonus: he sprays!)

Hi guys,

I'm at my wits end because of this issue. We have a lovely 3-year-old Arabian Mau who loves us to bits and pieces but his behaviour has taken a turn for the worst.
Let me start from the very beginning.

His name is Felix Felicis and this is his story.

Approximately three years ago, we heard this pitiful meowing in the back porch. Being the animal lover that I am, I decided to investigate this sad, little meow and I found the source of it in the form of a severely dehydrated and malnourished kitten.

We nursed him back to health and he soon became the Alpha Male of the neighbourhood. We got him neutered when he turned 6-ish months to prevent any unwanted kittens from happening. He loved his life and he was a mostly-outdoors cat, coming indoors occasionally when he wanted to get away from the heat (he would sleep inside at night, because neighbours complained about him starting fights at 3AM).

When we started restricting his night-time activity, his behavioural issues began. He started spraying around the house and howling (yowling, growling and sounds that seemed to come from the depths of hell) to be let out. This happened when he was approximately 1 1/2 years old.

When he was 2, he got poisoned. The chances of him living were very very slim but his willpower overcame that and he survived! After that traumatic ordeal, I kept him under house arrest for a week so he could fully recover but he wouldnt have any of that. He became Lucifer's Cat once more and we caved in and let him out.

Fast forwarding to the present, we recently moved houses. From a spacious villa with ample outdoor access to a restricted 3-bedroom apartment with a balcony, we prayed and hoped that Felix would settle.
The first few days, he was quiet. Not a single hum and he would over-eat. After a few days, he would start pacing around the house (and settle himself near the balcony and front door) and start yowling again.

The howls are worse than they were when we were in the villa; he pulls his ears back and gives deep, guttural howls. It's quite scary.
This happens throughout the whole day (and at night we have to restrict him to one of the bigger toilets and invested in some earplugs because we were losing sleep for weeks on end).

We fixed a shelf under one of the windows so that he could watch the birds but he just sits on that and gives low, pitiful meows.
One day, I put him in a harness and took him to the balcony (we live on the second floor). That wasnt very smart of me because he tried to jump out of it!
I tried taking him for walks in the corridors outside but he stopped near one of the neighbours' doors and started sniffing at it like crazy. That's when the spraying started.

Even back then, Felix loved to fight. He lived for fights. So I'm guessing he can smell the neighbours' cats and the friendly, building cat two-floors down.
It's been four months now and the howling has reduced by a small fraction (or maybe I got used to it?) but it's still there. My parents are fed up and they want to put him back at our old place (we have a security guard there who used to take care of Felix when we went for the hols) or give him to a family-friend of ours.
They keep telling me that I am torturing him and he deserves his freedom. They've given him a deadline; December. If his behaviour doesnt stop by December, I will have to give him way.


I've tried everything; spraying him with water, playing with him (he hates this; he thinks play-time is for babies and he refuses to react when I try to use the laser-light or feather-toy), making scary noises when he howls and other similar activities.

I honestly dont know what to do and time is running out. I'm truly sorry if I made this such a lengthy post. I love Felix a lot and I hate thinking about what will happen when December comes around.
Do you think he is likely to improve? It's been four-months already!
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