Question
Amos and Puddles the f
I have a 13 year old Siamese female that I just got a week ago, she apparently was in heat when I got her because she was very cuddly and whiny, I have a male cat who she got along with for the first week. She is now very mean to both me and my male cat, she won't let me walk into the room without her growling, hissing, and acting really scared. Do you have any suggestions? My male cat is fixed by the way. Thanks.
AnswerHi Jennifer. Since she is still going through heat cycles, it may still be worth it to have her spayed. Although cycles may become less regular as they get older, cats can go into heat their entire lives, no matter how old. And with this come hormonal fluctuations that can make them sweet one day and aggressive and moody the next. I have found that spaying is a great mood stabilizer. The oldest I have had a cat spayed was 12, and it was worth it, as she lived to 17. Siamese are also noted to have especially long life spans in many cases, so Puddles may be with you for some time. If spaying ends up helping the situation, it will have paid off.
But there is a possibility she's fallen ill, and she's grouchy because she's not feeling well. The stress of the move to her new home could have lowered her defenses against germs enough that she's picked something up, or even compromised her so that she can't compensate for some underlying issue that she's been hiding for a while. It would be ideal to have her checked out by a vet to be sure. At this time, you could have some preoperative blood screening done to make sure she's okay to go through with a spay surgery if this is something you're considering.
This could be anxiety-related, and time may help with that. It's not uncommon at all for cats to react aggressively when introduced into a new home, and most cats aren't comfortable with other pets for at least a couple of weeks. As a general rule, it can be expected to take adult cats 2-3 weeks before they'll tolerate each other without attacking, and a separate room should be made available for the new cat to stay in when close supervision can't be kept over the pets. In my experience, Siamese are even more reserved than this because they have made such strong ties to their previous owners and pets in the household. They can be slow to form new bonds, and it takes them a few more weeks than average before they start to feel fully relaxed in a new household. Puddles may need a little more time in an isolated room before she feels ready to handle the whole home and the company of Amos.
I think that spending some quiet time around her simply acclimating her to your presence should probably help. You may want to try feeding her some special treats. I always boil half a chicken breast and feed a few bits of this several times a day to earn a nervous cat's trust. If you think she's too aggressive for you to hand-feed it to her directly, make sure she sees you put it down for her so she knows who's provided it.
Something that might help with her anxiety is a product called Feliway. I've used the product every day in my household for years. I use the plug-in diffuser in each room, because it's easy. It simulates pheromones, a calming facial hormone, which may help reduce her aggression if it's anxiety-related. I know in my household that when the product has run out, cats have become "not nice". I have made it a priority to never let it run out, because it takes a couple of weeks' use to regain its full effect. You can learn more about Feliway at www.feliway.com and purchase it at pet stores, lots of websites and through some veterinarians.
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