Ella’s Angst Is Defused By Lock-Down - Carole Wilbourn
Carole Wilbourn, The Cat Therapist, has been the leading voice in feline therapy for over 5 decades. She has helped thousands of cat moms and dads explore, face, and resolve cat behavioral and health issues. Carole is truly the most trusted Cat Therapist in the United States.
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21 Aug Ella’s Angst Is Defused By Lock-Down

Posted at 18:50h in Blog by

Ella’s Lock-Down Is A Paw In Right Direction …
(Inter-Cat-Hostility, Female Rivalry, Separation Angst,
Litter Box Gap)

Ella with fave guardian in temp basement lodging

“So Ella’s been quarantined to our furnished basement after she repeatedly used the couch as her litter box,” said Kathy. “ Farah, one of her companions, had been attacking her. No litter box gap now, but we want her to be part of our family again. So we felt a FaceBook consult would solve this dilemma.”

Pandemic Has Something Positive To Offer
– Ella’s Kittenhood
“Sounds like your basement’s access to feline social distance is Ella’s silver lining for now.”
They had found Ella six years ago as an abandoned kitten under a trailer. I went on to tell Kathy that this was residual trauma triggering Ella’s post-traumatic stress, brought on when Kathy’s husband and fave guardian was deployed by the military to another state. Her angst pumped up Farah’s attacks, and Ella dissed the litter box to communicate her discomfort. Her stress targets are her bladder and rectum.
Kathy nodded and told me how Ella never really bonded with Farah when she introduced her as a kitten. That was five years ago. Fortunately, toleration prevailed. Ella’s relationship with Reza, their five year old male companion, was more compatible. He’s a lover and lives to play.

Farah is the international femme

– Ella’s Diagnosis
I explained that female rivalry was an issue with the two females, whereas Reza’s energy was less of a challenge.
Separation anxiety was a key ingredient to Ella’s deviant behavior. With Kathy’s husband away, she feels abandoned once again, and that old muscle memory of her kitten abandonment kicks in and she becomes very vulnerable. The basement is a good band aid and .…
“So now that you’ve given your diagnosis, what’s the treatment to relieve Ella’s stress?”

Reza is woke to the dapper look

Ella’s Treatment Plan

  • Play the link to the music I sent 24/7. This will recreate the relaxation of their session and desensitize Ella’s angst.
  • Line their food up on either side of the gate to the basement entrance so they will gradually become used to each other at a distance.
  • Play with them with toys on either side of the gate which will reinforce their acceptance of each other.
  • Whenever you interact with Ella, mention Farah’s name so she’s acknowledged, “Right Farah” and vice versa with Farah, mention Ella, “Right Ella.” If Reza seems to be neglected, you can say “Right guys”.
  • 1/4-1/2 powdered teaspoon of brewers yeast can be added to their food to enhance their skin and mood. Some cats chill out on the tablets.
  • You mentioned how Ella is attached to a toy bear. Build A Bear with a recording of your husband’s voice. That’s a genuine keeper for Ella.
  • After they can repeatedly accept each other at a distance, you can remove the gate so they can hang out at intervals.
  • Remember to separate them, before there’s an incident.
  • Be sure to tell them they’re becoming so mellow. This will gradually defuse the association of the negative connotation of their relationship.
    I ended their session with a distant Reiki treatment and asked Kathy to be in touch with progress reports.

Progress report — two weeks later
“There has been major improvement! They are now eating about 8 ft apart with no hissing or growling. I actually brought Farah into Ella’s area and got them 1 ft from each other with only 1 hiss.”

I fired back my congratulations to Kathy and trio and reminded her to distract or refocus with a toy or sharp noise if there was the start of an incident.
All’s well that flows well!