Problem

Charlie is a rescue cat from a local charity. He had been taken in to them after he had been hit by a car. He had extensive surgery and a long period in foster care. Now that he has been adopted, Charlie never leaves his owner alone. He follows her at home, demands constant attention, kneads excessively, never goes out unless it is to toilet and never goes beyond the garden fence. The owner has been reluctant so far to push him away.

Advice

Having researched this matter, Charlie is nowhere near as bad as some reported cases where the cat cries continuously during the night, has exaggerated hiding behaviour or sprays the house. There are even reports of self mutilation due to over dependence. Nevertheless, we would obviously like charlie to lead a normal cat life after his terrible start in life

Bringing a Kitten Home

Introducing new Cats to the household

Protect your cat from common diseases

Using Bach flower remedies

Using Catnip

During the first few weeks of their life, kittens require frequent handling to teach them the rewards of human contact. Encouragement by owners of behaviours such as kneading and suckling can lead to learned behaviour that is difficult to grow out of.

More likely in Charlie’s case is a dependency borne of intensive nursing. There is evidence to suggest that cats that undergo excessive trauma such as a road accident may enter a second phase of sensitivity to socialisation. The way they are handled during nursing can have profound effects on their future relationships as they have become over reliant on the owner for food, comfort and even cleanliness.

It is necessary for the owner to become far less available to the cat, without causing further stress.

Treatment and Progress

A number of recommendations were made to the owner who was then given time to implement the changes. We are pleased to report that whilst he still has a way to go, Charlie is now spending more time outside and less time anxiously following his owner.