Why it's hard for me to get out

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valentinaxxx

Tags:

cat

cats

separation anxiety

mr. snuggles

There are days and nights, times, when I can't leave the house. It's sometimes due to laziness or anxiety, but it's not just my own I have to contend with...

Mr.Snuggles pulls fits when I attempt to leave sometimes. I have to share with you, in photographs, just how cute and severe his anxiety separation from me can be!

It starts with Mr. Snuggles blocking the door and giving a disheartened howl.

If the howl doesn't get my attention, he soon puts his claws to use and begins to climb up my legs...

It's not as painful as it looks. His claws are sharp, but he manages to only catch my clothing, careful not to sink those needle toes into my flesh!

Yeah. A 14 pound cat climbing up my pants. Pretty soon I have to pick him up so he doesn't claw my tits to shreds!

He start to settle down once I pick him up, but he knows I might set him back down, so he grabs hold of my neck real tight.

He always wins me over, of course, but it's still a struggle to calm him down sometimes. Look at that triumphant look on his face! He lifts up his chin in defiance and ultra-cuteness.

So eventually I'm not in such a hurry to leave the house. If anyone wonders what keeps me home, you're looking at him right here! My kitty is so manipulative.

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wonderingsoul on

Re: Why it's hard for me to get out

LOL!!! My cat sits in front of the door that leads to the garage when she can tell I'm getting ready to leave. She has this pose, I'll have to try to find a pic of it sometime....but she firmly plants her kitty butt and it's almost like she thinks that her mere presence will be enough to block that big ol' door. I often tell her "sweetie, mommy has to go to class so she can better herself and earn the kibble." Sometimes she moves. Other times I have to shoo her away. There are other times I'm not paying her enough attention and she does the same things Mr. Snuggles does - the howling (which my cat also does when she poops on the floor), pawing at my legs, clawing at them - I have scars to prove it, lol. They are manipulative little furry angels aren't they?

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valentinaxxx on

Re: Why it's hard for me to get out

I try to explain to Mr. Snuggles how long I'll be gone and that even if I could bring him along with it would be too stressful for him or just boring for him. It doesn't always work, but I do my best to communicate with him! This last anxiety attack of his was especially hard for him because he had me all to himself for nearly a full week. I had a week long migraine that kept me in bed and that meant he got to walk all over me! So when I finally left for a much needed walk outdoors, this is what happened.

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wonderingsoul on

Re: Why it's hard for me to get out

How does he do outdoors.....can you take him on a leash with you? Maybe that would help with some of the separation anxiety. I'm not laughing or making light of it, but I've never seen or heard of a cat that has had panic attacks....but when I was at PetSmart a month or so ago with my friend who got a new puppy, there was this toy. It made a heartbeat type sound, and it was made for dog separation anxiety. I wonder if something like that would help, and if you put some of your perfume on it, or had it in your clothes or somewhere so it smelled like Mommy, if it would ease Mr. Snuggles's worries? Have you asked a vet or anyone like that what they think, if there's anything you can do for him? It's hard when they don't speak people and we don't speak cat.

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valentinaxxx on

Re: Why it's hard for me to get out

He does well, but last time I took him out on a leash he leapt too hard and nearly knocked the wind out of him, so I don't take him out on a leash anymore. I just hold him like a baby, carrying him around, letting him sniff the air and trees. Occasionally I'll let him walk around on his own, but never too far from my reach.

I don't leave Mr. Snuggles alone for too long. He developed some separation anxiety after the trauma of a serious illness this summer (he had bladder stones -- it was awful) and I think he got the anxiety mostly from me because I was panicked over him, plus he must've just gotten to like being babied. To relieve his anxiety (and my own when I'm away from him for more than a day) I leave treats in the closet (his favorite place to retreat), toys all along the floor, and give him plenty of old clothes of mine for him to lay on. I even will leave messages on the phone for him! Too cute, I know.

Cats are very emotional, so I communicate with him as emotionally as I can, constantly reassuring him.

This weekend I'm going to visit friends and hopefully he'll be fine. Last time I left for the weekend, he seemed well and neighbors (who are also cat owners) told me he didn't howl at all. However, when i got back home, he was jumping all over me with joy.

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wonderingsoul on

Re: Why it's hard for me to get out

I hope Mr. Snuggles did alright without you last weekend. It sounds like everything you do to relieve his anxiety helps as much as it can!

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valentinaxxx on

Re: Why it's hard for me to get out

He did amazingly well. He seemed to know I was going to leave for a few days and we made sure he got a lot of hugs and kisses before we left. He didn't leap for me at the door as I left. But he was there waiting when I got home! He did what I call the "kitty floor dance" where he rolled around and mewed for attention, then when I bent over to pick him up, he leapt away and jumped around then sneaked up to me later. Too cute.

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wonderingsoul on

Re: Why it's hard for me to get out

How adorable!!

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