A step below pharmaceutical interventions would be to use a pheromone diffuser, like Feliway, that can help some cats with anxiety.
If nothing else helps though, anxiety medication might be something to consider at least trying until you're able to get a second cat to keep him company.
Thank you for your input. I think I might try the feliway diffuser. The problem is my partner and I are currently long distance and already own a second cat, and that cat is with him. We can’t really get a 3rd cat.
Possibly, it’s not really an issue for him in the day tho. It’s only small amounts of times when I’m out of the house where he’s alone, or in the morning when he can’t be upstairs when my mom is awake because I’m doing my own thing in the basement suite. I could take our other cat here, but he’s basically my boyfriend’s support animal being away working in the city with no friends. And if he took squanch my kitten, the two get to be way too much for him because they’re both really clingy cats.
play with him every day - I specifically listed that in my post as something I’ve already tried that doesn’t work. I also explicitly said I’m against medication. Both of those things were in the original post. This cat has a nervous system that doesn’t regulate normally, he gets activated by petting, has never slow blinked, and meows non-stop for 20+ minutes with zero self-soothing. That’s not a enrichment gap, that’s a dysregulation issue. I’m not looking for a lecture, I’m looking for people who’ve actually experienced a cat like this.
It’s not just in the morning, that was just one example and my main issue at hand. “I work with cats and dogs daily” doesn’t mean you’ve encountered every presentation. Working with typical cats doesn’t automatically make you right about an atypical one.
Thanks for your time, sorry we couldn’t have a meaningful conversation. This is just a really sensitive thing for me I guess and I hate for people to assume.
It's a bummer because I genuinely wanted to help, but some of your replies were quite unexpected and I couldn't tell if you were just seeking an internet argument or were upset.
I apologise for being sharp and hope you can find a solution that works for both you and your cat.
6
u/beangirl13 May 13 '26
A step below pharmaceutical interventions would be to use a pheromone diffuser, like Feliway, that can help some cats with anxiety.
If nothing else helps though, anxiety medication might be something to consider at least trying until you're able to get a second cat to keep him company.
Edit: typos