I posted this in 'pets' by mistake and have reposted here. I have a stressed cat.
He has always been a bit jumpy. We have had him and his sister since they were kittens, adopted from a cat rescue. They are now 2.5 years.
We live in a fairly quiet house (just 2 adults) and they are very affectionate with us but leave whenever we have visitors. They'll stay away until they are gone. We have a huge garden and neighbours have similar so they stay out a lot. I have seen no evidence of them fighting with other cats.
Recently our boy cat has become even more jumpy. We had some work done on the house which meant he didn't come in during the day because of the builders. This lasted for two weeks and he had access to food and water in the conservatory. The work finished 6 weeks ago.
He developed bald patches on his neck and back a few weeks ago. Took him to the vet as he looked like he had mange and vet thinks he is anxious and over grooming. My partner attributes this to having the building work done but I'm not sure. He had an anti-histamine injection which was meant to last 2 weeks and is due to wear off this week. He is still grooming a lot. We are not sure what to do next. I have ordered some plug in feliway for the house, but worry about the long-term consequences of this. Will this adversely affect him in anyway, and what about his sister, who is fine?
Would be grateful for advice.