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Cat stressed at new baby

13 replies

Ploppymoodypants · 28/11/2018 21:50

So, my lovely hadnsome friendly Tom cat, who is 8 years old, is soo stressed at the new baby (1 week old).
The cat who is practically perfect in every way, and who gets on wonderfully with my 6 year old has weed in the house everyday since baby got here. In fact he has just come and and jumped on the bed and weed on it!
This is completely unheard of behaviour from him previously. But in the last 5 days he has weed on a pillow. In the baby’s cot (she wasn’t in it) in my old child’s bed and on the bathroom floor and bath mat .
He has a cat flap and he has never ever done anything in the house before. I am so sad he is stressed, but obviously can’t have him wearing on the baby’s stuff and I haven’t got the energy at the moment to wash and dry duvets constantly.
What can we do? He could go and stay at my mums (her cat died a few weeks ago, where it is v calm) but we love him and want to keep him really?

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ImNotKitten · 28/11/2018 21:52

You can’t send him away when he’s already in distress!

First port of call would be a visit to the vet to check for cystitis. You should take a fresh urine sample with you. Cystitis is often brought on by stress.

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mineofuselessinformation · 28/11/2018 22:05

Try a Feliway plug. It might help.
Give lots of reassurance if you can. I appreciate this isn't easy.
Use stair gates to keep him away from baby's cot - that's a big no.

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Ploppymoodypants · 28/11/2018 22:08

Okay. Vets and feliway tomorrow then. I don’t want to send him away. Just that it is very calm and quiet at my mums. He has stayed there before.
Stair gate won’t keep him out of baby rooms. He is a cat! He can jump

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Plump82 · 28/11/2018 22:12

I dont find feliway works so if this is the same for you i recommend Pet Remedy spray. I spray it on my cats bed and then rub it between my hands and rub it all over her coat and do this every 2 hrs. You can also get little wipes that you can rub on them but the spray is more cost effective. Be warned it STINKS but it does the job

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Vinorosso74 · 28/11/2018 22:22

Easier said than done with a new baby but try and make a bit of time for him each day. 5 minutes of fuss/playing etc whatever he wants at that point just so he is still getting attention.
Can you keep bedroom door shut so he can 't pee on the bed? I agree a stair gate is pointless with a cat! Pet Remedy is good too.
You sound like you are trying to find a solution which is good. Some people are very quick to get rid of the poor cat.

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Ploppymoodypants · 28/11/2018 22:31

Oh I don’t want to get rid of him, we love him. He still has loads of attention from me and my daughter. He sleeps on our beds and sofa and has strokes and cuddles all the time. It’s just that he is used to having the house to himself 10 hours a day and now it’s everyone here all the time and lots of Noise and visitors etc..

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Toddlerteaplease · 28/11/2018 22:36

I found pet remedy to be more effective with my anxious cats. Zykelene capsules on food is also very good.

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GreenMeerkat · 28/11/2018 22:51

everyone here all the time and lots of Noise and visitors etc..

I think this is probably the issue more than the new baby.

Give it a couple of weeks and see how he is once the visitors have died down and it's a bit quieter.

I'm assuming he is neutered?

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Vinorosso74 · 28/11/2018 23:12

So he's not lacking in attention then. I think he could just be unsettled if there's lots of new things/people in his home.
Zyklene of course! I was trying think of the name by.

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Papergirl1968 · 29/11/2018 08:20

Watching with interest as dd is pregnant.
I’ve just bought a cat net from amazon to keep dcat out of the Moses basket, cot etc. Mothercare sell them too.

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Ploppymoodypants · 29/11/2018 08:38

Well we have just made a vets appointment (he just peed on a sleeping bag) for today, so will see what they say. Mum says she will have him though (and he has stayed there before when we went on holiday) so we might give him some space and then reintroduce him after Christmas when husband is back at work and visitors have eased off.

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TimeIhadaNameChange · 29/11/2018 10:44

This may be unpractical (and sound OTT) but could you see visitors at your mum's house? At least some of them. Just so that there's less disruption at home. And, possibly, give him a few hours every day when you're all out of the house.

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Ploppymoodypants · 29/11/2018 11:32

Hmm. The thing is mum is 45 minutes away and I am recovering from c section and mum and dad also work so it’s a bit much for us all really.

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