For all you Cat-People...

[Emily]

@Robinne Weiss , I really hope the housing situation works out... not just for the cat! I know it would be miserable and difficult (but perhaps less so) but could you get a mobile home or something along those lines and live on site? Then you could use the shed to store your stuff and have a "home" too. We moved five years ago and had a 7 and a half month homeless gap (all eight of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) because the bank was just.... a bank and there was a massive mess-up. We lived with my parents (they are still recovering) (And so am I) It really rattles you. Thinking of you

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Have you heard of Feliway? It's a spray you can use on their bedding. It calms them down. I spray it into the carrier when I have to take mine to the vet.

I will definitely look into that!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

@Robinne Weiss , I really hope the housing situation works out... not just for the cat! I know it would be miserable and difficult (but perhaps less so) but could you get a mobile home or something along those lines and live on site? Then you could use the shed to store your stuff and have a "home" too. We moved five years ago and had a 7 and a half month homeless gap (all eight of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) because the bank was just.... a bank and there was a massive mess-up. We lived with my parents (they are still recovering) (And so am I) It really rattles you. Thinking of you

Yikes! And I thought living with the in-laws for four months with just my husband years ago was bad! I actually think we're lucky we don't have family nearby--saves everyone the awkwardness of having to take us in out of a sense of familial duty.

Unfortunately, the mobile home option is the most expensive one But there's always pitching a tent on site, and a coworker who lives round the corner from the new place has offered to let us shower at her house (though I don't really know her well enough to feel entirely comfortable taking her up on that for two whole months). Something will work out somehow ... once we've got something sorted, I'll feel a lot better, even if what we end up doing is less than ideal. The real killer issue at the moment is the cat--he makes the move a thousand times harder and he's not exactly a great pet anyway (I haven't slept more than a couple hours at a time since we got him 8 years ago, because he refuses to let me sleep, on top of his aggressiveness). So the obvious thing is to get rid of him. But how do you even give away a cat that's such a lousy pet? A friend who's a vet is encouraging me to have him put down, but that just seems so wrong...

 

[Barbara]

A friend who's a vet is encouraging me to have him put down, but that just seems so wrong...

Yeah, that is wrong, completely. I'm amazed a vet / friend would suggest this. There's always someone who takes difficult pets. Check with the vet or your local pet behaviourist. They may know someone or be willing to have him. Or ask the rehoming shelter to take him but offer to take him back when your house is sorted should he not find a home. Or he might quite like living in your tent too. An outside hut for him. Cats are territorial. As long as they are with you (read: food source) they don't care about a sofa.

 

[Emily]

Oh crikey @Robinne Weiss , your cat sounds like "A Real Personality" I've used homeopathy, not just for physical ailments, but for mental/emotional ones too, with great results. Our neighbour had a cow who was vicious, and then she had a calf and the calf was dying and she was so nuts they couldn't get near her (she was also in difficulty). The vet was saying they would have to put her down, but we tried homeopathy first, the remedy diluted in a spray bottle of water and kept spraying it at her face. She calmed down completely after about half an hour; both her and the calf were treated and both are still out in the field behind their house Might be worth a try. Is he well wormed? Cats (and children) who need to be wormed can be monsters: aggressive, wakeful at night, nasty. The specific worm dose remedy (homeopathic) works very well, even if there is no sight or physical indication of worms. A homeopath would prescribe on the behaviour. To get a good nights sleep would be worth the try!!

 

[Leonora]

I keep seeing a spray recommended at the vets' which claims to calm 'all mammals'. Maybe you'll all exist in a state of zen-like serenity. I keep thinking I should get the plug-in version!
As for the house, what a drag. Will it be winter?

 

[CageSage]

I will definitely look into that!

You may not have much time, but there's a relatively simple option with the cat. I've used it multiple times (animal foster care - works on dogs and horses, too. Maybe on kids ... but don't tell anyone I said that).

Clean your hands (no soap), lick one hand and pat the cat with that hand. Around the cheek/whiskers is best, then the ears to tail wipe. Use the other hand and do it again. Do this twice daily, and the smells you mark the cat with make him part of your clowder. Also, give him a piece of (well-used) clothing of yours (not, not smalls) to sleep on. Cat's have an amazing sense of smell.
Another thing to do - often - is the slow blink when he's looking at you. It's a signal of 'I'm not going to harm you, I'm calm and trustworthy'. However, if you do this during an altercation, it won't work. Things must be calm enough for him to notice it. He must trust that when you do that, no harm is going to come to him.
And an extra that works even if the others take a long, long time, is play therapy. Play the games where he chases a bit of paper on a string, wear him out (before meals; remember, it's chase, catch, kill, eat - make him work for his dinner). Best before meals, but can be used at anytime to distract from a confrontation.
Luck! I think his attitude is one of being fearful, not aggressive. He can be redeemed.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

You may not have much time, but there's a relatively simple option with the cat. I've used it multiple times (animal foster care - works on dogs and horses, too. Maybe on kids ... but don't tell anyone I said that).

Clean your hands (no soap), lick one hand and pat the cat with that hand. Around the cheek/whiskers is best, then the ears to tail wipe. Use the other hand and do it again. Do this twice daily, and the smells you mark the cat with make him part of your clowder. Also, give him a piece of (well-used) clothing of yours (not, not smalls) to sleep on. Cat's have an amazing sense of smell.
Another thing to do - often - is the slow blink when he's looking at you. It's a signal of 'I'm not going to harm you, I'm calm and trustworthy'. However, if you do this during an altercation, it won't work. Things must be calm enough for him to notice it. He must trust that when you do that, no harm is going to come to him.
And an extra that works even if the others take a long, long time, is play therapy. Play the games where he chases a bit of paper on a string, wear him out (before meals; remember, it's chase, catch, kill, eat - make him work for his dinner). Best before meals, but can be used at anytime to distract from a confrontation.
Luck! I think his attitude is one of being fearful, not aggressive. He can be redeemed.

Yeah, I wish he were fearful. It would make it easier to deal with. But his aggression is more likely territoriality--he usually attacks when you're sitting where he would like to be. He hates it when the staff takes breaks. He's actually a really mellow cat a lot of the time. And he's definitely bonded with us (follows me around like a dog outside). We've come to the conclusion he's just a jerk.

 

[Barbara]

But his aggression is more likely territoriality--he usually attacks when you're sitting where he would like to be. He hates it when the staff takes breaks.

Aha, a trip to Ikea to buy a few extra chairs and problem sorted. It just shows that all the world is a cat's stage and us mere humans are purrh-ly there for their play...

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Aha, a trip to Ikea to buy a few extra chairs and problem sorted.

The tragedy is that there's no Ikea in the entire country!! Closest one is an ocean away.