Can a cat have MH issues? TW

[ZeroFuchsGiven]

Honestly, I'm not a troll and this is a genuine question.

I got my girl nearly a year ago, it was really sad circumstances.

I already had a big boy (didnt realise how big till I got her) He is very independant and out a lot of the time, we live rural and he is a hunter, sometime goes walkabout for days.

I ended up with my girl when my stepsons mum died, he (my stepson) already was living with us full time but when his mum died there was no way i was going to see this cat get rehomed anywhere else, obviously should be with family (stepson), I had said for years no more cats!

Anyway, I wonder if she has seen/had trauma, I know dps ex could have possibly been dead for about 5 days before being found and i think but dont know for sure that the cat was probably locked in there with her.
This is what she does:

I can not have her in my bedroom at night anymore as she constantly sniffs my mouth and nose , its really strange but its as if she is checking im breathing, she does this with no one else.

She follows me everywhere, I can not explain HOW MUCH, I mean EVERYWHERE,!

Its like I have gained a stalker, I can not wee without her being at the door waiting, I cant nip next door or hang the washing out or anything.

Its not a major problem but I do wonder if cats can suffer from trama, mh issues?

How awful for your step son, I'm so sorry :(

Yes, cats can suffer trauma - although waiting for you at the loo door is fairly typical behaviour. Hopefully she'll settle as she starts to feel more secure, the poor thing.

I firmly believe cats can be traumatised and this can affect their behaviour. I found my girl cat on the side of the road in a downpour, aged approx four weeks. She was covered in mud and soaked. I nursed her with a bottle and luckily my older boy cats accepted her. However, she has MAJOR hang ups about food. She runs between all three food bowls eating as much as she physically can despite their being no shortage. She Hoover's up crumbs, leftovers, everything. And still remains tiny! I'm convinced.its due to her traumatic early start.

Of course. Anything with a brain can have mental health issues.

My cat has ptsd type stuff going on.

Sounds like my car. She's just a space invader!

Food is another issue!

She is the same age age my big boy but when i first got her within 2 days I had her at the vet, she was screaming in pain and could not eat even soft food, she had to have a lot of teeth removed.

She eats ok now BUT is very strange with it, its hard to explain. She will pick bits out and leave it on the floor and she would NEVER eat any kind of 'human food'.

My vet and I are pretty sure my boy has "issues", the vet refers to him as borderline special needs! He and his sister were part of a large feral colony and were about a year old when the colony was trapped by the rescue, then all the others found new homes except mine who were at the rescue a year. Took me 6 months before I could touch Girlcat and a year before touching Boycat.

6 years down the line they still have trust issues about anybody apart from me, and Boycat is a complete bundle of nerves if anybody comes to the house, hiding in the wardrobe upstairs. He's very jumpy at any unexpected noises, and gets separation anxiety. We think he MAY have had an accident while he was still feral as well, as he's very very thick with the attention span of a pissed gnat and very clumsy to boot, plus he has a scar on his face.

In the early days of them coming home, Girlcat was very clearly looking after him - checking things were safe, making sure he had his share of treats, checking he'd covered his poos OK in the litter tray etc. Nowadays she pushes him around & steals his Dreamies of course!. He's still not great at climbing high up, windowsills are his max height and he has been known to fall off those (and arms of the sofa, my bed, seat of the sofa etc) so Girlcat gets most of the cat tree to herself.

Honestly it sounds like fairly normal if clingy behaviour. Some cats are like that. My cat always goes looking for me and follows me around. No privacy in the bathroom, sleeps on my hip, gardens with me.

I did think people may say this is normal but ive had cats all my life and this is different to 'normal'. whatever normal is, this is why I asked :)

Yeah mine sniffs my face a lot its how he knows its me for sure and not a pod person I do have gum issues and he visibly winces if I've not kept up my mouthwash routine when I had a gum infection I caught him trying to put his head in my mouth 🙃

I've also had a clingy cat clean a metal splinter out my finger middle of the night wake up in a bit of pain dcat pinned my hand down removed the splinter spat it out cleaned my finger I went to the Dr who said the cat did a great job next time don't leave it to get infected 🤣

Clingy cats are great

Is she a tortie/calico?

I've had many cats and my latest rescue is a calico and those pesky tortie genes definitely set her apart from all previous cats, even though they were all very different.

Mine does the in my face when I'm sleeping thing, and will stick a paw in my mouth or eye to wake me, she will only eat if one of us humans is present, she's both the soppiest and most attacky cat I've ever had. She's also a magnet for all the local cats who come to call for her to play.

Yes, one of my cats has been on anti depressants!

One of my pair died. Dcat has never been the same. He is quite frankly bloody irritating now!! Loud. Loud. Loud.

Yes they definitely can. We rescued a cat that had been dumped in a sealed container by the bins. I was the first person he saw when let out of the container and he slept in my arms his first night. He is absolutely obsessed with me. He will not leave my side when I'm in the house and he sleeps on my chest all night.

Yes, my cat has been prescribed anti depressants :(

Ohhhh, this thread is breaking my heart!

My little rescue cat was found in a bin as a kitten and used to try to sleep in bins all through her life.

Our latest dkitten was from a feral colony but rescued very young..
Happy ending for her... Luckily she has no issues.

My rescue cat, who we think was abandoned as a stray when the previous owners moved away leaving him to fend for himself, was very clingy with me at the beginning. I was the person who spotted him, as a stray, and rescued him and I think he was just worried that he was going to be abandoned again. For a good while he would follow me everywhere including the bathroom but he eventually settled down when he realised he wasn’t going to be abandoned again. Your new cat may settle down too once she feels stable and safe - she may need a bit more TLC for a while.
I do have a cat with MH issues and she takes half an anti depressant tablet every day.