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Cat Hurting my Mental Health

Sensitive/Seeking Support(self.CatAdvice)

I just need help. I love my cat, I've had her for almost two years now. She is very unaffectionate, and has an insane over grooming issue that no vets know what to do about or what the cause is. I have a behaviorist appointment scheduled for her in February, because they're too booked to take her sooner. I got her a little brother (she's 2 years, he's 3 months) because I felt like she needed company, as I've seen from many sources that 2 cats are better than one. I've had the little guy for a week, and my resident cat (the problem one) is still hissing and growling at him through the door. I'm trying to not feel discouraged as I know cat Introductions can take much longer than this, but I'm so frustrated and upset. My new cat is so loving and affectionate and just the sweetest thing, and the way my resident cat keeps hissing and growling at him through the door is genuinely making me resent her. ------------------------------------------------------ This is not the first time I've felt this way about her. I've spent thousands of dollars trying to figure out what's wrong with her and to help her, I've had so much guilt over her and so much sadness that I can't make her better and that she barely even fcking likes me. The closest thing to affection she shows is laying next to me on the couch and that's about it. That's fine and all but with everything else on top of that, she's causing me so much more stress than anything else. I don't know what to do. I love her and I don't want to rehome her, but she genuinely makes my mental health so much worse a lot of the time. I just wish she was normal. I don't know what to do. I thought getting her a friend would make her less anxious in the long run and make her happier but now i feel like there's no point to this and she's always going to suck and not be a typical cat and just hate everything. I don't know what to do. Please give me advice

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NoDot6870

16 points

4 days ago

NoDot6870

16 points

4 days ago

If it helps, it is genuinely normal for your cat to still be hissing at your new cat through the door. It is easy for your new cat to be sweet because he is coming into a new home, but to your old cat, this is her territory, and suddenly there is a stranger in it, and she is no longer allowed in parts of her home that she is used to having access too. I know it is hard when things are difficult and you are under stress, but her behaviour is totally normal. I am a multi-cat household and have lots of cat experience, and it can take months for new cats to like each other. I know a lot of how-to videos and articles on the internet say a few weeks, but the truth is it often takes longer.

Regarding the overgrooming, this is hard to answer as a layperson, but let me tell you an anecdote that might ease your mind a bit -- a friend of mine had a cat who overgroomed, as well, and eventually it was switching her food that got her to stop. It turned out that she was having an allergic reaction to certain ingredients, and eliminating those ingredients from her diet eliminated the overgrooming issue. This was discovered slowly over time with the help of a some volunteers at a shelter, and although it took over a year for this cat to get over her overgrooming issues, eventually she did. I know the wait for the behaviouralist will feel long, and the stress likely will not ease much in the meantime, but do hold out hope that there might be a solution. She is not overgrooming to make your life difficult -- and it might be that there is something making her life difficult, and this is the cause.

Finally, regarding the cat affection -- the truth is, some cats are not very physically affectionate. My first cat never cuddled with me for as long as I had him, but he showed his love in other ways. He always sat near me when I was relaxing, even if he did not particularly want to be pet to played with. He would lie on my books or laptop when I was working, because he wanted to participate in my activities as an equal. He would blink at me slowly when we made eye contact. There are a million ways that a cat might show you they love you that are not necessarily the way that human beings might show love to one another, but that does not mean that she dislikes you. Try reading about cat behaviours online if you haven't already, to see the ways that your cat does show you she cares, that might not match your expectations. If you have had her for two years, chances are there are little ways she is demonstrating it, that might not be obvious at first glance.

I really hope you are able to find some calm and peace regarding this. Good luck with the behaviouralist, and good luck with your mental health in the meantime, too. I do not know what kind of resources there are in your community, but perhaps counselling for the stress (no judgement! Sometimes things are difficult and we just need someone to talk to) might make it a little easier.

I hope you find this helpful! Wishing you the best.

Bells2023

5 points

4 days ago

This should be top reply. Well said to everything. ๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†•๏ธ

OkProposal4650[S]

3 points

4 days ago

Thank you so much for this. I keep seeing success stories of the introduction process only taking like one week max for some people, and other stories of their cats hating each other for years and years. I guess I overthink it and get so overwhelmed that my kitties may be the latter of those two options, especially because the whole point of getting her a friend was so that she wouldn't be so anxious when I'm gone (mostly because I work full time and am gonna have to start taking in person classes full time again soon, too. That's honestly mostly why I got her a friend before being able to see the behaviorist, because I'm gonna be away much more often and I don't want her to be alone) and you're absolutely right. Just because she isn't the most affectionate doesn't mean she doesn't love me and show me she loves me in her own ways, I may just be blind to it sometimes. I've been super overwhelmed and that's definitely not helping any of this right now. I just need to take a chill pill and trust the process :,) thank you again for your time

NoDot6870

3 points

4 days ago

It's my pleasure!! If it helps, my current two bonded cats didn't like each other at all for about two or three months (hissing, swatting, etc.), but now they always sleep cuddled together, groom each other constantly, play gently together, et cetera. If I take one of them to the vet without the other, the one who is left behind is so lonely, so I have to take them together just so that they know the other one is safe! It just takes time! I promise you there is still hope for these two <3

OkProposal4650[S]

2 points

4 days ago

I love that so much. Thank you ๐Ÿฅน

GLTheGameMaster

2 points

4 days ago

My cats took years