Help!!!

[Rosiepix2010]

My cat Pixie is driving me nuts! He has FIV but remains well. He had been a fighter in the past even though he was neutered as a kitten. I started him on zylkene on the vets advice and also give him L lysine to boost his immunity. He calmed down a lot and so I stopped giving him the zylkene and all was well for months. A cat has appeared on the scene and has decided Pixie is his arch enemy. A few weeks ago Pixie came home with bites and I assume it was this other cat. So I decided to put him back on the zylkene. Since this he refuses to use his cat flap and will only use the front door , usually waking me up with his incessant miaowing and crying this morning it was 4.30! As soon as he's out he wants to come back in , then starts crying to go out again! Other times he goes out looks petrified and hides under the car on the drive. At the end of my tether it's exhausting, any ideas please?

[Jacks]

Poor Pixie and poor you! It sounds like not only has this cat taken a dislike to Pixie but they like to prowl the same territories at the same time... He obviously wants to be out but is too frightened of the other cat to go anywhere.

One thing that strikes me is it would be worth talking to the owner of the new cat - ask around and see who he belongs to - and find out if he has a schedule of being let out. If he does, maybe you can let Pixie out at different times when he's not going to be around and if his excursions are successful (confrontation free) he might well adjust to the new routine.

If as it sounds he is kept in at night (very sensible, especially if the other cat is out) then I would try some extra-active play before bed time and then resist letting him out at 4.30, even if he's miaowing. I think if he has a positive schedule he may settle after a while. My three girls used to pester for breakfast at 5.30am until I decided to ignore it, and now they wait patiently for us to get up.

Just a thought, anyway.

[Rosiepix2010]

Thank you for your reply. This other cat looks old and not very well cared for so may be a stray as it's only been around the last couple of months. I'm on the verge of taking pixie to the vets to see if there's a medical reason this is happening. If it doesn't calm down soon I think I will have to for my sanities sake. I played with the laser light with him last night and got a lie in til 5.30! He's miaowing as I type who would have thought a cat crying could drive you up the wall lol. I'll update if there any developments.......