crying, crying, crying

Question
I have two cats- a female and a male. (They are both fixed and both live totally indoors.) My male cat is named Gizmo. I rescued him from an animal shelter about 7 months ago. I took him because he desperately needed a home and was about to be euthanized. He had already been adopted by two other families and returned to the shelter because they couldn't handle him.
When I first got him he was extremely unsocial. He cowered if I tried to pet him and hid whenever I got too close. I've been patient with him and he's slowly getting better. He now seeks attention and enjoys being petted. However, he still acts very insecure, and still cowers from me sometimes.
The problem is that he cries all the time. He has cried constantly since I got him. Even when he hated attention, he still cried if he was alone. He hates being in a room by himself. I call him my shadow because he follows me wherever he can. He always wants someone to be in the room with him- whether it's me, my husband, or our other cat. The crying is getting very out of control, though. I don't know what to do. If I pet him, he'll stop crying. But I'm not always able to stop what I'm doing and give him attention.
Also, I don't think his crying is physiological because he was checked out by a vet right after I got him. They didn't find anything wrong.
I will never give Gizmo away- even if he continues to cry. But it would make my life so much easier if I could figure out how to make it stop. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


Answer
Ashley,

I think that it would be wise to double check that there are no physical issues going on that may cause or contribute to Gizmo's crying. Be sure to ask that blood and urine tests be run in addition to a thorough physical exam. If no physical health issues are found then I would think that the crying is a behavioral issue. It sounds to me like Gizmo has had a rough life so far. Unfortunately just in the short history you have provided I am able to see that Gizmo has never really had security  or consistency in his life before being adopted into your family. It sounds to me like Gizmo hasn't had the normal experiences that would allow him to learn how to bond with people. The history that you have given about Gizmo tells me that he has not likely had owners who were willing to love him unconditionally or offer basic care to meet his physical and psychological needs on any kind of consistent basis prior to meeting you. Cats are very intelligent creatures of habit. They feel safe and happy if they are allowed to establish routines without being shuffled from place to place or repeatedly rejected. It takes a toll on any animal to be treated as if they are disposable. Ultimately it seems clear to me that Gizmo has had a substantial lack of consistency in his life and he has not really been allowed to form bonds with a family up until now. Since your home is probably the first experience with acceptance and consistent love that Gizmo has had in his whole life he may be unsure of what to expect because he has become accustomed to being rejected and sent back to the shelter. It sounds likely to me that Gizmo has developed a case of separation anxiety. In dealing with cats who have developed separation anxiety for one reason or another I have to admit that I occasionally felt helpless and always found it heartbreaking. I have learned a few things along the way that have worked for me. I think that ultimately the process of getting Gizmo comfortable enough that he isn't so panicked about losing the good home that he has found will take time, consistency and patience. I have found that positive reinforcement can work quite well to discourage a cat from being excessively vocal. You can reward Gizmo petting him or even offering the occasional treat when he is quiet in order to reinforce the behavior that you want to see. Basically tune out the crying and praise and reward the quieter Gizmo. I would suggest that if Gizmo seems to be panicking that you call him over and say something like "I'm over here" so that he can be reassured and quiet down more quickly. It is important that you use a calm tone of voice in this instance and that you are assertive with him so that he doesn't become more agitated. I strongly suggest that you try a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences that help to calm and reassure. I have had great success with Rescue Remedy using it to help calm anxious cats. It is safe for all of your cats and is even used in some vet clinics around the world because it works quickly and is usually quite effective. Rescue Remedy can usually be purchased in health food/natural health stores relatively inexpensively. I recommend that you use 10 drops of Rescue Remedy in fresh water every morning. Some cats become excessively vocal because they are bored or they have pent up energy. I have found DVDs for cats that my cats find very entertaining. They are called The Cat Sitter DVDs and I do believe that there are only two volumes so far. You can often find these movies in pet stores for a fairly reasonable price. They feature footage that appeals to cats and can be played with or without the soundtrack (over time you will be glad that the soundtrack can be turned off as cam be a bit annoying after awhile). Basically if you put one of these movies on and provide some sturdy chairs for the cats to sit on about 4 feet away from the TV and show them the footage they can stay glued to the TV for over an hour. The video is a series of well chosen footage of hamsters, gerbils, mice, birds, butterflies, squirrels and other critters that interest cats. Typically cats will be more apt to watch these videos if you leave the house or go into another room. I would strongly suggest that you remove anything that is breakable or can cause a mess from the top of your TV because my cats have been known to hop on top of the TV to see where the prey that disappeared one one side of the screen or the other went. I would also recommend that you and your husband try to schedule some interactive play time at a set time every day. By creating a routine to help Gizmo work off his excess energy using a toy like a kitty tease (which come in different varieties from feathers and tinsel to a fishing pole with a mouse lure with no hooks of course). Make sure that your cats play with a kitty tease  only under close supervision. Kitty teases can occasionally be dismantled by cats and small parts may be eaten that can cause choking or cause damage to the digestive tract. Initially I recommend that you play with Gizmo as long as he is willing to play so that he burns off excess energy that may contributing to his anxiety levels. It may take some time for Gizmo to completely stop crying but I do think that you will see some improvement fairly quickly. If Gizmo's behavior doesn't change at all in spite of consistency with his routines and trying to remedy his boredom and anxiety with basic ideas you may need to speak to your vet about a referral to an animal behaviorist and/or using medications to help calm Gizmo. I do think that you should be aware that the medications that are often used to help alleviate anxiety in cats are small doses of human anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medications and they are not without risks or side effects so it is important that you weigh your decision to use them carefully. I do hope that you have found this information helpful. If you have any further questions or concerns or you wish to send an update my way, please don't hesitate to contact me again.