Cat Chat Feline Forum

Our Lovely black moggy Vincenzo (7 years old)unfortunately had a bad spout of stress which prevented him from peeing. He frequently got blocked and had to have catheters.. It was very painful for him and upsetting for us but through out it all he stayed our amazing, loving boy. We gave him lots of different medicines, acupuncture and de-stressing therapies and eventually he stopped getting blocked and, although it was still hurting him a little to pee, life went back to normal. As luck would have it a bug worked its way through our other cats and eventually got to him. Vinnie reacted with very bad diarrhoea that obviously hurt as he would growl a lot. We are currently trying different foods to calm his belly and it is slowly improving his stool consistency. Although his belly is getting better he has become very grumpy. He will growl, hiss and swat at the other cats and he will growl and hiss at us. He does have days where he will snuggle and be loving and relaxed, we can pick him up and he is totally fine. Other days he is just not himself. We are struggling to understand what has happened to our lovely boy and hope that his mental state will improve. We have relaxant sprays/diffusors (feliway) and playtimes and he LOVES going outside but we are worried by his foul mood. When he is outside he is completely normal but he can't be outside all the time. If anyone has any advice or suggestions it would be hugely appreciated. We are struggling right now but hopefully he will turn a corner soon. Any suggestions are welcomed.He has never done anything like this before.
Thank you!

Hi and welcome. Poor lad, he has had it rough bless him. It sounds like you’ve sorted it hopefully but has left him a bit moody, I wonder if all the attention, meds etc has stressed him a bit too. Cats can be really sensitive to changes and pick up on things, I know some cats get really stressed just going to the vets and having to take meds etc. My sister was telling me at the weekend that her cat sometimes comes in with scrapes after fighting with other cats, and as soon as he sees her put her glasses on he scarpers (even if it’s for reading), because he now thinks she’s going to examine him! Hopefully things will return to normal soon for your lad. Give him a snuggle from me.

Aaaaw The snuggle is greatly appreciated. Thank you for replying! Hopefully his mood will even out soon.

Aww, your poor man, certainly sounds like he's been through an ordeal. Is it possible that he's still experiencing some pain? Maybe ask the vet for some pain relief to try out and see if it makes a difference. It could also be that his recent illness has affected his position within the cat hierachy, which would explain defensive behaviour. You're already using the feliway, but have you considered valerian root drops? Apparently similar to catnip, it can stimulate cats, but also is reported to have health benefits including treating anxiety, and studies have found that cats exposed to valerian have had decreased aggression and improved mood. It might be worth a try.

Thank you Michelle, We will definitely try the valerian root. I hadn't thought that the hierarchy had changed but If I look now he could be feeling insecure of where he is in the hierarchy. Again many thanks for your suggestion! I'm sure it will help!