Y’all are familiar with Tiny Kittens, I hope. (Home of Grandpa Mason!) Well, they have Pele, Elliot and Birch, rescued from the BC wildfires, who still need a home. They are shy kittens who will warm up in time, are very bonded, and looking for a home together. Check out the video below, check out Tiny Kittens on Facebook, watch the kittens live, and if you’re looking for three sweet kittens to add to your family, apply to adopt ’em. Please spread the word!
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Speaking of kittens who still need homes. How ON EARTH has this boy not been adopted yet??
That is Hubble, son of Mercury, who somehow just keeps getting better looking every single day. He has NOT been adopted yet – SOMEHOW – so if you or anyone you know is in the market for a GORGEOUS, adorable, sweet, friendly, playful boy, drop an email to Forgotten Felines and get started on the adoption process!
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From Andrea in ATL:
My 2 year old bottle kitty has developed some anxiety and has licked himself a nice white racing stripe on his back. My vet suggested a thunder shirt and the feliway spray/plug ins & I’m not even sure my little buggar will wear it. So my question to you is have you ever had to use a thunder shirt for a pet that has anxiety or know anyone who has used one? I don’t relish spending $40+ on a shirt my fur kid won’t use. I’m kind of at a loss. I appreciate any suggestions you or anyone in the L&H community might have for me.
We tried a thunder shirt (thunder shirt link for reference) for Kara several years ago because she’s so high-strung we thought it might help. Unfortunately, as soon as we put it on her, she fell over onto her side and wouldn’t move until we took it off. I’ve never tried it on another cat, though.
Okay, you guys – surely someone out there has used a thunder shirt and has an experience to share. Please chime in!
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FYI:
Someone was looking for the red quilt backing fabric from Joanns. I saw it in the clearance section there so get it while you can!
Thanks, CW!
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The other day I glanced into the guest bedroom to see Jake, Dewey and Newt on the bed – Dewey and Newt up near the headboard, and Jake in the middle of the bed on a self-heating cat bed. A couple of hours later, Fred told me I needed to bring my camera upstairs.
Apparently Jake either got cold or lonely.
“What? Newt’s butt is comfy!”
Happy little loon.
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Speaking of Jake, I made this video when we were still at Crooked Acres. I believe it was time for their evening sprinkle of treats (which is how we got them to come inside when it got dark, so we could shut them inside). Any time he senses there’s food in the near future, Jake gets VERY happy and walks around head-butting whoever’s within range. Lucky for him, almost everyone puts up with him when he does it.
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Khal Drogo discovered the washstand, and has decreed that it is a good place to hang out.
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Previously
2017: Rickles.
2016: I guess he’s got me trained.
2015: No entry.
2014: “Hallo, shweetheart.”
2013: “I can’t believe I had to wear a stupid tie to work today. Stupid meetings. Stupid ties. Stupid bosses.”
2012: Someone asked in the comments yesterday if Lucy is still “cockeyed”, and the answer is that yes, she is still slightly cross-eyed.
2011: It was a slipper. No wonder it wouldn’t purr.
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: The Annoying of the Poo.
2007: She follows him downstairs and hangs out, giving him the Eyes of Love and all the other cats the Eyes of You-Go-To-Hell.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Has Khal ventured out to the catio yet?
Yes, he goes in and out all the time. It didn’t take him long to figure out the cat door. 🙂
I use a Thundershirt for my cat Hobbes, who the vet thinks has hyperesthesia. So he did at first think that he was paralyzed when I would put it on him, but after a few days of me putting it on him at meal times, he got used to it and now he’s fine with it and actually purrs when wearing it (weirdly, he tries to bite me when I take it off but not when I put it on). A few things to note: it does seem to make them rather clumsy, so I never leave it on him when I’m not around so I can make sure he doesn’t hurt himself. Also, somehow Hobbes is able to roll over and get his arm through the neck hole, no matter how tight I make it. And obviously you have to be careful in the summer that they don’t get overheated. I put it on him when he starts acting out or when I see his fur start jumping and it definitely helps. It takes a while to become an expert at putting it on so have patience. Finally, I originally ordered a medium for Hobbes but that seemed a bit small so I went up to the large, which was way too big, so be aware if your cat is on the high end of the medium size. I got the ones make specifically for cats, which seem to be much longer than the canine version.
I bought a cheaper shirt on Amazon called Calm Cat. I use it on my nervous kitty when there are fireworks outside or I’m taking her to the vet. I also use it on her sister when she’s going to the vet, though her disposition is less nervous than the other one. Yes, they act paralyzed when you first put it on, but they get used to it. Having something snug on their bodies seems to make them feel less nervous, like we swaddle human infants to help them sleep. It does take practice to learn how to put it on, but it gets easier when you do it a lot. Feliway didn’t seem to help, but I know lots of people like it.
Don’t you mean TinyKittens instead of Tiny Cats on the first line? And I love that site and how they help the feral kitties of the Happy Forest!
Come on Hubble’s people!! This boy is ready for takeoff with his forever family!
ACK! Yes, I meant Tiny Kittens. I even proofread this post!
Speaking of kittens needing homes, my friend’s cats had kittens recently. She is in IL (near Decatur I think). Anyway, if anyone wants any I will try to put you in touch if you leave a comment here of find me on Facebook.
Also, if you need a laugh today’s 2013 post is great. Robyn really helps the cat’s personalities shine through.
Hi Andrea,
why don’t you try putting a preemie or newborn baby onesie on your Kitty to see if she will tolerate it. It is cheap to try, and maybe it will even do the trick. Just google how to put a baby onesie on a cat – and you will see how to do it. My Tiger had issues some years ago and I knitted him a kitty sweater – that worked until his issues were resolved.
I bought a thunder shirt for my skittish cat. I got it on her once, and she flopped over and wouldn’t move until I took it off. The next time I tried to put it on…well, I still have the scars. She wasn’t even scratching me on purpose, just desperately trying to get away from the thunder shirt. I eventually gave it away but if I had been less of a procrastinator I could have returned it. I’d try with the baby onesie first to see if your cat will tolerate wearing anything.
Search for DIY Thundershirt. There are pictures and directions on how to make your own from an Ace bandage. I did this with my dog because I, too, didn’t want to spend $40 on something that might not work. But it did so I bought him the $40 version. Works like a charm. And if you buy from Petsmart you can easily take it back if it doesn’t work.
What kind and where do you get the heated cat beds…there were so many on Amazon I wasn’t sure which to choose?
The one in the picture is one that I picked up in Maine (I don’t know the brand off the top of my head, but I’ll include that in Friday’s post) – but we have several of the Milliard thermal mats, which I bought off of Amazon. They’re good beds, the cats like them, and they get surprisingly warm. The only thing is that you want to be sure to wash them on gentle and hang them to dry, or the inside gets all bunched up. Which, to be honest, doesn’t bother the cats, but it bugs ME.
Andrea – we haven’t tried a thundershirt (and doubt anyone here would wear it), but Rescue Remedy makes a pet version that we have used (DO NOT get the human version – it has an alcohol base)
I used the human version long before they created a pet version. There isn’t much alcohol in a dose so it isn’t that big of a deal.
If you can find the animal one, get that.. it is glycerin based so it is a little thicker and I find it a little easier to dose because the cat doesn’t react as viscerally from getting a couple of drops of alcohol in their mouth, but if you can only find the human one, I’d recommend you give that then not at all
Kind of annoyed that Hubble’s this big and grown and his family still hasn’t shown up.
What the heck?
They must be something special, taking all this time to come get him!
Andrea:
Re: Thundershirts or similar garments on cats. Kara’s reaction is the classic feline response to wearing something unfamiliar. Vets and techs call the phenomenon “bandage paralysis” (happens when you bandage a leg too; suddenly that leg doesn’t work!). Cats do usually get somewhat used to wearing the shirt, but keeping it on all the time would be quite restrictive, and the process of familiarizing may add to her stress, rather than reducing it. A slightly looser baby grow would be less restrictive, so could be worn all the time. It would still be enough to prevent her from being able to lick herself.
Have you tried Zylkene? It’s a milk protein-based calming supplement. Available online, e.g.
https://www.amazon.com/Vetoquinol-Zylkene-75mg-30-capsules/dp/B00GYHPAFI
but takes up to two weeks to see the benefit.
Feliway can help too.
Some very stressed cats, where the above doesn’t work, need fluoxetine (Prozac) which can be very effective alongside other stress-reduction measures.
Also measures to reduce feline anxiety (environmental enrichment, positive play, separation and duplication of resources) can help too. See the International Cat Care website for more info:
https://icatcare.org/advice/problem-behaviour/anxious-cats
There’s now pretty good evidence that anxiety and other behavioural problems are more common in cats who were separated from their moms before 12 weeks of age, and bottle babies are the worst. They seem to need to stay with momma cat until at least 12 weeks to learn how to cat!
Good luck!
I had a thunder shirt for Kit (aka super small) and it didn’t help her in the least. if you had asked about it a couple of months ago I could have sent you mine, but I’m fairly certain I donated it.
I have found that CBD oil is helping my paranoid kitty quite a bit. Eli is so scared of us if we are standing up that if we walk toward him he runs, but it is really helping him realize the world is not out to get him.
Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to last beyond the dose. When I miss a dose he gets paranoid again, but it is pretty easy to dose so it isn’t that big of a deal.
Thinking of Michelle and her family, including Roseanne, when reading the 2017 post about the loss of Rickles…and of all things, I got the Rickles hug banner just now. He was a special kitten who lived his life with great joy and wonder…and had great jazz hands!
Oh, I know. I thought about them when I re-read that post. I hope they’re doing well.
We had a senior dog with several mastic tumors. The vet tecommended udder cream to keep the skin intact and a thunder shirt to keep her from rubbing them against everying. Well, I looked at the prices and ended up just buying toddler shirts at Goodwill. They had the additional benefit of actually being thunder shirts during storms. So would a newborn or preemie shirt be small enough to do the trick? It’s *got* to be cheaper.
Snagged the Joann fabrics red backer ….thanks to you guys!
Yay!!!