Cat Behaviour Problems: Settling into a new home

Depression & Lethargy:

Question: I have had my nine-year-old rescue cat for almost two years and she seems quite content in most ways. She has always been an indoor cat and, in order to make her environment more interesting, I left cupboard doors open for her to explore, cut holes in cardboard boxes and hid food for her to find.

However, recently she hasn't been interested at all and seems to spend most of her time lying on her bed. She doesn't seem depressed or off-colour, nor is she getting fat. Has she just, at the ripe old age of nine, grown out of playing?

Answer: No, nine is no age at all for a healthy cat and she should be just as active and playful as she has always been. Ageing is a gradual process and you shouldn’t notice any sudden reduction in activity. I would take her to your veterinary surgeon and have her checked out thoroughly.

If there is nothing physically wrong with her, think through any changes you have made to her life since her new routine of laying in her bed started. Have you introduced a new person, pet or decorated? Sensitive indoor cats can find that sort of thing too much to take and may prefer to lay low for a while.

Have you changed your routine lately and do you spend the same amount of time with her? Try spending more time with her for a while, coaxing her out to play with a tasty treat and spending time using toys to exercise her and encourage her to be active.

Question: My 5 year old cat has recently become what I can only describe as depressed.

He isn't eating, is drinking a minimal amount and has lost all interest in coming downstairs. We recently caught another cat in the kitchen and thought that this was the problem. Even though we've washed curtains, walls, floors and everything else that can be washed, he's still behaving in the same way. Help! I thought he had gone off me because I am pregnant. I need advice.

Answer: He is very unlikely to have gone off you because you are pregnant. You may smell a little different because of the changes in your hormones, but this doesn’t usually affect cats adversely. It is much more likely that the other cat invading his territory has caused a dramatic lose of confidence.

Cats don’t deal with conflict very well and most cats try to keep their distance from others. Having another come into thier ‘nest’ where they should be safe can be very disturbing. You will need to block up the cat flap by taping a piece of opaque board over it for the time being so that he can see that the breach in his defences has been sealed.

Washing any areas that the visiting cat may have soiled with biological washing powder solution and then wiping over, once dry, with surgical spirit will help remove all traces of smell. Then you will need to help him overcome his fear. Tempt him downstairs with food and stay with him while he explores.

Be patient and let him run back upstairs if he wants to.

If you conduct this process slowly and carefully enough, he will begin to realise that downstairs is safe and you should begin to notice a change in him. Play with him with toys to increase his enjoyment of life again and treat him gently until he overcomes his fears.

You may like to read What is my Cat Thinking? for more information on understanding how to deal with other cats in the territory & their effects.

Question: I have a 12 year-old tabby and white domestic female, Cleo, who is spayed.

She was my first cat and although we have had others since first owning her, she has never hit it off with any other cats. I think she just tolerates them. We have one other cat at the moment, a five year old spayed tom. About twelve months ago, she became very nervous and withdrawn and went off her food altogether. I took her to the vets, and after various tests they could not find anything physically wrong, but suggested she had suffered some kind of trauma.

She subsequently recovered her appetite, but will now only eat dried food. She has also gradually withdrawn from going outside, and soils inside the house, even if the door is open. I don't know what to do with her, we've tried scolding but it makes no difference. She has always been an outdoors cat, and I would hate to have to go back to using litter trays. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: With limited information it is difficult to say for certain, but it sounds as though she is being challenged by another cat in the neighbourhood. This is not unusual, particularly in built-up areas.

You say that she does not find it easy to get on with other cats and it is therefore very likely that she would be unable to cope with a domineering cat outside. At her age, it is also likely that she has resigned herself to not going out rather than risk attack from a younger and more capable opponent.

If she cannot get out and there is no litter tray inside, she has no choice but to soil the house. She probably doesn’t like this any more than you, but she probably feels she has no choice.

Scolding will not help as you have found out, but will just serve to make her feel more nervous and miserable.

I think you may have to give in and go back to litter trays despite how unpleasant they are to clean out. Your only alternative which may or may not work would be to accompany her to the garden at set times of the day so that she can go while you are there to protect her.

In addition, if you do not do so already, feed your two cats in separate rooms so that Cleo does not feel that she is competing with your other cat for food. This may make her feel more relaxed at meal times and more likely to eat whatever you give her.

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