Catforge assemble! Need help

I got a new cat three days ago. She's female, around 12 years old and had quite a hard life. The last two years, she was living on a farm with five other cats. She was the only female, and she took quite a beating from the other cats, at least so I've beed told. She is small and has lots of scars. What happened before with her I can't say, only that she spent many years in an animal shelter.

She is house-trained and friendly, as far as I can tell. But she is VERY fearful. When my neighbor walks around in the flat above my own, she goes completely nuts. She eats a lot, she is very cuddly, she shows no strange behavior at all, she seems to be accustomed to humans and follows me the whole time when I'm around. but when she hears my neighbours walking around, she goes crazy, shits and pisses on the floor and hides under my bed (shitting an pissing...). Poor thing!

I will keep her because she is lovely, no matter what. But I'd appreciate some help from the cat holders here how I should deal with her. Poor thing! Perhaps it's just a matter of acclimatisation, but as I said, she completely loses it when she hears someone walking around in the house.

I think all you can do is comfort her when she starts freaking. Let her know she's safe.

She'll acclimate eventually, but there's plenty you can do in the meantime. Here's what I would try: Find an old shirt of yours and wear it while you do some vigorous physical exertion, you want to get it good and stinky so that it really smells like you. Once you've done that, place it where she tends to hide. The familiar smell of you will help to calm her down. You can also buy relaxation pheromones (don't know what the brand name would be in your neck of the woods) that will help to calm her. Finally, talk to your vet. There's anti-anxiety medicine for animals, and my brother used it on his dog that had been abused by a previous owner. After about a month on the stuff, the dog was vastly better behaved.

She'll get used to it.

Thx Tuckerfan! I have a little bit of experience with cats. I got a towel she used to sleep on when she was in her old place, and she likes it and made it her new bed here in my flat immediately... She seems completely normal and even seems to feel very at home here when there is no noise from above, but the second when she hears somebody walking around in the the house, she completely freaks out from one second to another!

I will take her to the vet in a week or two. First, she has to feel at home here. Taking her to the vet now will only be additional stress and confuse her even more. However, I will ask the vet what there is to do and if there is some good medicine to calm her down. It breaks my heart to see her freak out like that.

I've always thought that I was an expert when it comes to cats, but this poor girl is more than a match for my skills...

KJ seconds the Feliway. "It's at least worth a try. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but when it works, it works really well. She'll get used to the situation too. Feliway and time."

(but not of the cat freaking out, please)

Best to start with the basics, here is what every cat needs -

• Fresh water, healthy diet
• Clean litter-box
• Safe vantage point
• Daily exercise/play
• Veterinary care

That said, you know when your neighbors tend to come and go, that's when you should distract your cat with play or treats. Shouldn't be too tough to make the neighbor noise less interesting than fun or food.

And keep in mind there is a possibility she's simply following your lead regarding the neighbor noise.

Please post pics of said kittehs!

Shoot the neighbor.

But seriously just be there when the neighbor moves about. Your neighbor is that loud?

Aw kitty stories! I had loud upstairs neighbors also. I moved 3 times with my cat. When we lived in the apt with loud neighbors she hated it. She would also just sit in a corner too. I thought maybe she hated the smells? Not sure. When I moved to a house she loved it. I miss her. She died at 22. Happy kitty.

I wonder if playing a radio on low or having other sounds would help? Not sure, but definitely ask a vet or do more research on cat forums?

Update:

My old lady is still very frightened when she hears noises from above, but she has stopped pissing and shitting under my bed... Good girl! And Mirah: Switching on the TV definetively helps! Hell, I've even started to sing to her myself...

^Now that there looks like a happy cat in mid snooze mode.

That is so sweet. Lucky cat and owner!

Females are the more uptight yet smarter cats. She is a displaced queen, give her time and she will come around. You need to talk to her, it doesn't matter that she cannot understand, just don't leave her by herself.

Oh, I just saw the pick. She is a black cat. Black female cats do not like to be held. They are more "wild". We have had one since 3 months old and she is pretty anti social. The other cat we got at the same time was a 9 month old yellow cat and he is a ham and loves attention and purrs most of the time.

100% incorrect. zelda is a whore. she will love all over anyone who will have her.

We have a black female cat who loves to be held, but only by my daughter.
She drapes her over her shoulder and she'll hang there all day.

Indeed, let us not judge a cat by the color of its fur.

Next update:

The old lady feels at home here! She lost all fear (and respect...) and behaves like a queen. Sometimes I think she is confused and considers herself a dog, because she's following me around all the time and begs for food constantly. She loves to be around people and made friends with my buddies immediately. However, she never shows the submissive behavior which is typical for the inferior canine race. She's a cat, and she knows it. Part of the master race. She made me her butler, and she has my buddies in the pocket, too, although some of them don't like cats at all.

Tomorrow, we will be visiting the vet. The old girl never got any vaccination, and she sneezes a lot. Her claws are very long, and she can't stop scratching her ears. And there is the possibility that her digestive system is inhabited by a worm or two. But she eats a lot and seems happy.

We've a cat like that, she's about fifteen years old, and follows Mrs. Clyde all around the house. Of course by follow I mean she ends up sleeping in close proximity. Our cat doesn't exactly beg for food as much as sit and stare. She doesn't even meow. She just sits and looks at us until we give her some food.

Before anybody asks why we don't simply fill her bowl to the brim and be done with it, remember she is about fifteen years old, she will over-eat at every opportunity which always leads to vomiting.

Ask the vet about acrylic nail covers. Suppose to be better than declawing or trimming (especially if you aren't real handy with trimmers around cats).

Late to the party, but cats don't do their business where they eat. I got mine a year ago when they were 10 weeks old and boy those first days were a nightmare in that department.

Then I put food wherever they had their favorite places. End of story. 'course they are not fearful, never had a reason for it.

Don't be afraid to give her catnip when she's antsy. Preferably fresh.

but don't be surprised if she doesn't go gaga over it - there is a certain percentage of cats that don't like react to catnip at all.

Even worse if the cat isn't handy at having her claws clipped-Mine Taz's out if I even touch her paws.

I gave up on fighting her and let her take care of it herself. I've had a lot of luck with cardboard scratching pads. Mjolly would be a furniture killing carpet shredder otherwise. In case you haven't seen one, they're essentially a bunch of corrugated strips bound together with the edges exposed and scented with some catnip. Combined with a spray bottle, she's at least learned to not use the sofa for her manicure needs.

i have a nearly indestructable ikea chair. they love the old thing and never touch the new sofa. good for them

My cat is alive and well and wishes to say "hi!" to wordforge.

Glad to hear it. I love cats.

A lady down the street adopted a crippled cat - paralyzed from the waist down, so it drags itself everywhere. But the cat has a great attitude! It even climbs trees somewhat using just it's upper body. It gets scraped up a bit dragging itself across the cement, but other than that it gets by just fine.