Dear Siouxsie and Thomas:
My baby, Maynard, is a 1-year-old red male Maine Coon. I love him to pieces but I'm worried he's been very traumatized.

I'll tell you his story: I bought him from a breeder at 4 months old. He was the only kitten in the litter. The breeder was going through a divorce and a move at that time, so for Maynard's first 4 months of life, he lived in a cage with little human interaction. I worry this affected him somewhat in the beginning. Over several months I spent much time with him, getting him used to people. After many nights of letting him walk all over me, he became very relaxed and affectionate. At this point I was living with my boyfriend. We also had 2 puppies, a Border Collie, and a Staffordshire Terrier. Maynard loved these dogs to pieces -- they played together, slept together and ate together.

A few months ago, my partner and I broke up. As I had to find new accommodation I couldn't take Maynard straight away. He had to stay with my ex. At the same time, his brother's pet dog -- who happened to be a cat killer -- came to live temporarily with my ex. So poor Maynard was locked in the bedroom whenever the dogs were inside, which was most of the time. So not only was he locked away, but he was separated from his two canine mates. Also, my ex was not much of a cat person, and I fear he may have treated Maynard poorly. This went on for about three weeks.

I finally managed to get Maynard closer to me. My sister's friend runs a welfare animal shelter and agreed to house Maynard in the cattery. I felt terrible, but I figured he was better off there than being locked in a bedroom away from his friends and being abused by a cat-hating man. And at least I could visit him several times a week in the cattery. He was there for a month.

Finally, my sister, her husband, and I moved in together. We are all happily housed now with Maynard and their pet dog Moon, a large Pharaoh Hound. We made Maynard his own little outdoor cattery out of an old bird aviary (it's very large). We figured this was safer for him; we don't want to leave Moon and Maynard alone outside together, as Moon isn't a huge fan of cats. He has his own bucket of water, litter, pot of grass, and catnip in there, along with a maze of logs, branches and rocks.

Everything was going fantastically, until now. I think now that he feels safer he is letting out the stress. He is very vocal. He howls and howls if he cannot see you. When I leave for work he apparently looks for me, and meows all day. He is also very demanding with food, and quite picky. The worst thing is bedtime. He sleeps until 4 a.m., then proceeds to wake me and the rest of the house up! He never used to do this. I'm suffering serious sleep deprivation!

I don't like the idea of putting him on medication or spraying him with water. But I don't know what to do. Does Rescue Remedy work? I've been giving him much love, time, and care. I have taken him to the vet, and all physical problems have been ruled out -- he's 100% healthy. But I think he's been seriously emotionally messed up. I love him to pieces and want to help my poor baby. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks guys!
~Ally

Siouxsie: Aww, poor Maynard! He really has had a rough time of it, hasn't he?

Thomas: You're right in thinking that Maynard's behavior is a result of stress and anxiety. From the symptoms you describe, we'd guess that he was suffering from the feline equivalent of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Siouxsie: The good news, Ally, is that there are things you can do to help Maynard.

Thomas: You've gotten off to a good start by taking Maynard to the vet and making sure you rule out all possible physical causes of his behavior problems. That's the first thing anyone should do if their cat friend starts acting abnormally.

Siouxsie: The next thing you need to do is tend to his emotional health. And there are things you can do to help Maynard get back to his old self.

Thomas: We strongly recommend that you ask your vet for a referral to an animal behaviorist. These people specialize in treating cats with behavior issues brought about by trauma or other emotional problems. We also suggest that you work with a holistic veterinarian. Many holistic healing treatments do wonders for emotional problems.

Siouxsie: Homeopathy, for example, has a lot to offer for cats suffering from emotional trauma. We know some very general first-aid type homeopathy, but we don't know enough about homeopathy to make a specific suggestion for a remedy for your cat. Considering the seriousness of his situation, we feel that Maynard would benefit most from a consultation with a professional veterinary homeopath who can recommend a remedy (or combination of remedies) for him. Acupuncture can also relieve stress and emotional blockages.

Thomas: We think flower essences like Rescue Remedy can help in alleviating emotional problems. Mama has used them on us and the results have been quite positive. A company called Anaflora makes a flower essence called Return to Joy.

Siouxsie: Holistic veterinarian Robert Goldstein, in his book The Goldsteins' Wellness and Longevity Program, says Return to Joy is appropriate if your animal is exhibiting emotional or behavioral problems of any kind; seems to have difficulty trusting people or other animals; has difficulty giving or receiving affection; is withdrawn or hyperactive; has been recently adopted from a shelter, weaned, or relocated; has suffered from or if you suspect abuse; and/or is living in a home with emotional uncertainty or unrest.

Thomas: Rescue Remedy is good for trauma on the physical, emotional or spiritual level. Rescue Remedy, and any other flower essences, can be administered either by putting a few drops in the cat's water (which your cat may not like because the essence and its alcohol preservative will change the taste of the water) or by rubbing two drops into the fur on the top of the head.

Siouxsie: You could combine the administration of Rescue Remedy or other flower essences with the Anti-Anxiety Massage developed by veterinarian Pamela Wood-Krzeminski. For the Anti-Anxiety Massage, you stimulate the point called GV (Governing Vessel) 20 in Chinese medicine. The GV20 point is located in the central indentation on the top of Maynard's skull that runs from front to back and just forward of a make-believe line that connects the ears. Massage this point daily for 30 seconds to a minute in a clockwise direction.

Thomas: If you have a friend who practices Reiki (a form of energy healing), we cats love Reiki when we feel bad! Mama's given us Reiki before and it's quite wonderful. The Reiki practitioner does not have to touch Maynard -- so if he is skittish about strangers, he can still benefit from this treatment. Tellington TTouch, a type of touch-based therapy devised by Linda Tellington-Jones, can also work very well for anxious cats.

Siouxsie: You can use Feliway, a synthetic feline pheromone, to reduce Maynard's anxiety level. Feliway comes in the form of plug-in diffusers and spray. Although the product is generally sold as a way to stop urine marking and spraying, it is good for any anxiety-based behavior problem. The Feliway pheromone mimics the scents cats lay down when they rub objects or people with their faces -- which they only do when they feel comfortable and relaxed.

Thomas: Any odor Feliway produces is undetectable to humans, but we cats can detect the "happy cat" pheromones and it does wonders to reduce our anxiety level. We'd recommend that you purchase a diffuser or two and install them in rooms where Maynard likes to spend his time when he's inside. Feliway can be found at pet stores and online at veterinary retailers.

Siouxsie: As for the 4 a.m. wake-up calls, hopefully if Maynard's anxiety level decreases he will stop this behavior. But you can help him sleep through the night by having a vigorous 15-minute play session and then feeding him a snack just before bedtime. If you choose to feed him an extra meal at bedtime, make sure you feed him the same total amount of food -- give him three smaller meals instead of two large ones, for example.

Thomas: Finally, don't blame yourself for Maynard's behavior problems. You've done the best you could, and you could never have anticipated that you and he would have to go through such trauma. Give yourself some Rescue Remedy and Return to Joy, too, okay?

Siouxsie: If the holistic remedies prove ineffective, you may find that you have to give Maynard medication for a short period of time. Cats are generally not given medications like anti-anxiety drugs or antidepressants for their whole lives. But a round of treatment with the appropriate medicine can give Maynard a second chance at a happy life.

Thomas: Keep in mind that mental injury caused by traumatic stress is treatable ... and even curable. This is true for humans as well as for cats. Many mental health professionals say that PTSD is the only mental illness that can almost always be cured with the appropriate treatment. And sometimes this appropriate treatment may include a course of medication.

Siouxsie: Thank you for caring so much about Maynard, Ally. We hope our suggestions can help you to help him be a happy, stress-free kitty again. Please let us know how things turn out.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail us at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the material in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.