How can I help my cat settle after the cattery?

[DontTellMama]

DCat came home today after 7 days at a cattery whilst we were away. He has been there before and in the past clearly been stressed in the car on the way home (miaowing loudly, panting, sometimes weeing in his carrier), but settled quickly once back at home.

When I went to pick him up today, he had a very large and vocal cat 2 cages down from him, and DCat was hiding under a little curtain in his cage :(

Since we’ve got home, he’s been VERY vocal, miaowing at me every couple of minutes, not wanting me to go too far away from him, being very skittish (he hasn’t slept since we got home at 11am). He is an anxious cat anyway, but it feels much worse since he’s been home.

Any ideas how I can help to settle him back home?

Cat tax :)

Just give him time, extra cuddles and strokes and maybe cooked chicken?

Cute photo btw.

You will be punished for a considerable time for locking your little darling away !

Yes, a well deserved punishment awaits.

Oh dear! I’d better apologise in advance to the neighbours…

Tomorrow, get in some feliway plug ins for all the rooms he uses - I'd say 4 in a typical house: 1 each for hallway & landing, plus his main rooms downstairs & upstairs.

Lots of love and gentle attention, keep close and keep reassuring him. Try and get a cat sitter next time you go away, he doesn't sound suited to catteries, poor thing.

He’s finally settled next to me on my bed, laying on my clothes.

I’ve had people in to feed him when I’ve been away for a few days before, and that’s been ok, but anything more than 4-5 days feels a bit much. As well as being anxious he also doesn’t really like people (he likes my DS, and just about tolerates me), so I don’t know how he would be if someone moved in to house sit - I worry that he wouldn’t want to come home at all. I guess I don’t know until I try. Either that or I never leave the house again!

We stopped going away unless DS was available to stay with the dog. He just got too old and anxious for kennels. Even with DS, ten days was too long- we came home to him having chewed a hot spot on his rear. We kept it down to a week after that.

If he’s clingy tomorrow, can you wear him in a sling? He might relax a bit then.

You could use a timed feeder. I have one that takes about 3 days of food (2 meals a day) with ice packs in the bottom. Then a sitter only needs to come in every 3 days to top up the feeder.

This may be a sign of how obsessed I am with my cats. I have a very anxious one who gets separation anxiety from my DH. They are better off in the cattery together- it seems to be less triggering than at home without us. Vet prescribes gabapentin which the cattery administers once a day to keep him calm.

The other thing that works really well is they always get a very high value treat that they only ever get after a trip to the cattery… a cooked chicken breast which they have over a couple of days and we hand feed them. Generally the excitement overshadows any other feelings! We also try and make sure at least one of us is home for a couple of days once we get home.

Ah hes gorgeous. My two were exactly the same op, we were away for 9 days and even on the way to the cattery one was already very stressed. Took a few days for them both to settle in there. The day I collected them they both howled the whole way home. They are 2 sisters who are usually the best of friends but for about a day they were hissing at eachother and doing a lot of crying. Back to themselves again since yesterday. But like that I have listened to a lot of telling off (theyre both torties so quiet vocal) and they've laid on the guilt with a trowel! Lots of sleeping on our beds and treats seem to be working! But I dont think I could put them through that again. It'll be a house sitter next time, if i can get one!

Cute, he's using his tail as a sleep mask.

Poor darling. He will recover gradually. Lots of routine and nothing unexpected will help. I wouldn't send him away again, being a bit lonely at home is better.

I have a similar anxious cat, I don’t put her in a cattery, I remember what she was like in the rescue and I can’t do it to her. If it’s 5 days or less I get a cat sitter in each day for 20 minutes, I tell them not to bother trying to play with her, she only hides under the bed anyway. More than 5 days I get someone to live in. It’s hit and miss with the live in, sometimes she takes to them, sometimes not. I tend to do short holidays these days, which is OK but I do feel a bit tied down by the situation.

The little darling... don't you wish we could tell them in ways they'd understand? Not that they'd accept our puny human excuses...

I'd just say, don't strive to 'do' anything different - puss needs routine routine routine, the reassurance of a normal home environment. Make sure you relax yourself, as I imagine you'll be anxious about the changes, and he'll be picking up on that.

A few grooming sessions and he'll have licked the smell of the horrid cat prison off him and will start to relax again...

🤗

We also get a pet services company in twice daily. Our cat only likes us so they don't really interact with her, but she is very pleased to see us when we get home. However we don't now go away for more than 8 days, as we worry (probably more than necessary). We find the cat company needs very detailed instructions about feeding.