[Katlady]

I have 4 cats and 1 dog in my home. My concern is for my 12 year old cat. She has always been shy and timid, but lately she has been very reclusive. She makes her home behind our couch. Most of the time when I'm home and probably when I'm not, she doesn't even come out to eat, or to potty. She does come out in the evening when everyone else is passed out. My two male cats, who are almost 7, tend to harass her when she does come out of her hiding place. I've tried to break them from this habit, but it doesn't seem to work. I figure to them it's play time when she comes out, but instead she just runs back behind the couch. I'm concerned for her health. She hasn't lost any weight and she acts okay when I do see her. I just don't want her last years to end behind a couch. I would love to see my baby girl out more.
If you have any suggestions I would appreciate hearing them.

[lovingmemory]

I had a cat who loved being in my closet, you couldn't find her anywhere else. I ended up taking her to my moms house which was a lot bigger than our one bedroom( we had three cats at that time including Gabby) Anyway, she's so much more active at my moms, it's been four years now. With your males harrassing her I might advise you to give her her own room if you can, that way she can stay out and play more, she's at an age where she needs peace, lots of sun and sleep. There's one thing I do still do, I put one of my cats in the bedroom for 30 minutes or so while I play with the other, I've always done this. it's just a way to give them one on one. They don't mind being put in the bedroom, I put in a cat video that plays mice,fish,gerbils and such they love it. I hope it works out for you

[Katlady]

Thank you for replying to my post! I did try to talk my mom into taking Gypsy so she could live out the rest of her life in peace, but my mom didn't want the responsibility of having a completely indoor cat. I'm sure Gypsy wouldn't have been much happier at my mom's, at least for a while. The problem with putting her in her own room is, I just don't like to isolate her like that. Then again, that might be what she needs right now. I dunno, it just hurts me to see her so reclusive. Thank you for your advice!

[QueenAngie]

Maybe you need to let her have freedom in the main rooms for an hour or so, and place the other pets in the beddroom for that hour.

Doesn't seem fair that an older, less active cat has to stay behind the sofa all the time. She's the one you've had the longest.

All the best!

[PetScribe]

My Mr. Meow went through that when we first got Tabby. (About this time last year in fact.) At first they were fine, then Tab went bonkers. Turned out she was prego and it was hormones.

Took her a while to restabilize, and a lot of monitoring. Because Mr. Meow was hiding behind his leather chair all the time much the same way as how you described your cat doing.

I found a way to use positive reinforcement to help the situation. Every time they were out together I paid them both attention and compliments for getting along. I also kept toys handy to distract Tabby if she did chase Mr. Meow. I'd toss those at her and encourage her to get them while telling Mr. Meow what a good cat he was. (The key was keeping my voice playful and not being tense about it.)

Remarkably, it eventually worked. Took a few months to really get them to gel, but now??? Oh man, they are play buddies.

Here's some blogs I wrote about the situation. Maybe my trials will help you???

What is Positive Reinforcement?

The Tabby and Mr. Meow Sage: Huge Strides

The Great Cat Rehabilitation Project: Even Further Progress

Tabby and Mr. Meow: Friends (And Playmates) At Last

[lovingmemory]

Katlady, it's surprising how much they come to mean to us, it is hard keeping one in a room all by themselves( we did this when the cats were kittens to keep them from getting into trouble). I agree with the other ladys that maybe putting the others into a room for awhile and playing with her might be best. I really hope it works out for you

[Katlady]

Thanks for your replies concerning my cat. Placing the other cats in a seperate room is not a bad idea. The problem is, she is to the point now she avoids us also. at least during the day. She does tend to come out late at night when everyone else is passed out. That's when she tends to eat, use the litter box, etc. but as soon as one of the "boys" would come in she would run back to her hiding place. I know older cats aren't as active, I just worry about the shape her bladder is in after holding it for at least 12 hours. I'm worried also about the possiblity of diabetes.

[sankarababy]

Hello my Dear.



My name is miss. Tessy Sankara i saw your profile today and became intrested in you,i will also like to know you more,and i want you to send an email to my email address so that i can give you my pictures, for you to know whom i am.
Here is my email address(tessy.sankara@yahoo.com)


I believe we can move from here!
I am waiting for your mail to my email address above.I am miss
Tessy.
(Remeber the distance or colour does not matter but love matters alot in life)

(tessy.sankara@yahoo.com)

[starky_tb]

I don't have cats so I'm not sure what I could tell you except good luck. Maybe placing her away from the males will be best.