CAT DEVELOPING STRANGE NEW HABITS!!

[londoneye]

Hi

dont know if someone out there knows more about cats than I - or their behaviour.

arrived in France around a month ago - kept cat in with litter tray for a couple of days, then two weeks out with him on harness (which he took to surprisingly well!).

Now he  has been out  on his own for two weeks.   In UK he always went out at night.   After about three weeks we let him stay out one night and next morning he arrived back looking like death !! Squealed, moaned, refused to move from bed - mustered up best french to rush him to vet and discovered multiple gashes, cuts - probably bruising etc as he screamed whenever touched !   Needless to say now he stays in at night (again which he  has adapted to very well for now).

However, since incident above, and we have no  idea what happened - fight, fall - attacked by something - dont know, whenever he wants to go to  the toilet he comes in the house wailing like a banshee !!   then heads for his litter tray - however if you then say 'come on' and go outside he happily trots outside and will  go to the loo - but only  if you are there next to  him watching (trust me not a nice sight if you are just about  to have dinner!).

Any thoughts anyone ?   Either as to what might have attacked him (shot  in the darki know) or as to where to go to stop him doing this.   I dont think he really wants to use tray but is clearly scared witless of something out there (beginning to wonder what IS out there myself!!! - beast of bodmin - or french equivalent??!!!)

on second point (yes yes he is spoilt rotten - i know what you are all thinking) we are now nearly out  of 'felix tastes as good as it looks' and as per  uk - he simply refuses to eat anything else.   tried every single brand in uk - he happily moans and carries on without eating for two days or so, after which  i cant stand the noise and give up.   However, can't find the stuff here - almost at crisis point now - needless to say have tried alternatives here - same as above.    Does anyone know where to buy the stuff before he becomes thin and paranoid instead of just paranoid.   i live near st yrieix la perche in limousin in case anyone else lives around who buys it?

thanks

[TWINKLE]

Right, first things first!  Felix cat food DOES exist in France most Hypermarkets stock it eg.  Auchan, Intermarché, E. Lerclerc, Geant Casino.  You'll have to stock up if you live out in the sticks!

French night-life is very different to British night-life!  For cats and humans[:-))] 

 There is a horrible creature who lives in the ditches and around water here called a ragondin.

 It has very sharp teeth and can do a lot of damage to cats and dogs, they've been known to drag large dogs down into the water and drown them!  Most french cats know to keep away from them and their habitats.

  It's just a guess, but maybe your cat decided to explore his new territory and got more than he bargained for.  Ragondin's stay near their natural habitats so you shouldn't worry about letting the cat out, he's obviously terrified but he's learned his lesson - no way will he venture back to that night-spot!!

Just start leaving him out for short periods of time and make them a bit longer each time. Cats are very adaptable - as soon as he meets the neighbours gorgeous siamese you won't see him for days[;-)]

 

[andyh4]

Twinkle,

I don't think the "tastes as good as it looks" Felix has arrived yet in France.  However I am guessing it will arrive very soon because in Germany there is a new Felix brand that has just hit the supermarket shelves - as in the last week.

[MargaretD]

We have a cat, as does a friend of ours 4km away.  They have both settled well into their appropriate houses, but neither will go out unaccompanied.  We have both ended up saying it's the smell of the wood burning fires.  But who can say...  A meouw doesn't really tell us much, does it?

But as for Felix, Leclerc definately sells it.  Timmy only ate chicken in jelly sachets in the UK, but thinks that French sachets with vegetables in them are much better.  We now take French food to England for him if he comes with us for visits.  And by the way, at my mums house he is in and out the catflap all day!

I think the person who origanated the term 'scaredy cat' knew about English cats having moved to France!

Don't give up, we haven't yet... yet

Margaret

[Catalpa]

Could have been a marten - a fouine. They're quite small so attractive to chase... but not so attractive to catch. [:(]

http://ecologie.nature.free.fr/pages/mammiferes/fouine.htm

 

[londoneye]

thanks everyone - margaret - followed up on your cat food suggestion and a miracle has occurred - after 2 years of refusing every single food except the exceptionally expensive tastes as good as it looks he is now - grudgingly i must admit - chomping down french cat food with vegetables in it !!  mind you  he  has a penchant for olives as well come to think of it, so perhaps he is a secret veggie at heart !!

[Junlesley]

I have a feeling its the amount of feral cats in France thats the problem, my 13 year old cat always went out every night in the uk, but not here, he has his cat flap and will happily stay out most sunny days, but he will not stay out at night anymore.

[Gardian]

Two have ours have been beaten up in the last couple of months and the suspicion was a fouine in the 1st instance, but most recently it was a neighbouring cat. The latter is domestic (we think), but the difference is that out here in the country, the cats are pretty close to being feral even if they're 'owned' by someone. Anyway, we impose a dusk curfew now.

Re the Felix, we bought a new pack of pouches last week which we hadn't seen before: Effiles en Gelee, with the slogan on the pack 'Aussi bon que beau'.

Just gave the 3 of them their 1st try of it and ......... completely clean bowls, which isn't always the case. A sort of shredded meat consistency. Must say it looked quite tasty!  Maybe that's the stuff?

All that reminds me of a bloke who was in the local paper when we were back in the UK. He was the official pet food taster for one of the firms and described in graphic detail which flavours he liked best etc, etc. What do you put on your CV if you've done a job like that?     

[ali-cat]

Is it just my cats - or do they all do the following?  You discover a food they really love - buy stacks of it & then they decide they don't like it anymore & you end up with about 20 tins of food they won't look at!! [8-)]

Our lot are now on a special diet as Solomon has urinary problems & has to eat either Hills CD Diet or Walthams Urinary Diet.  If anyone has seen these for sale anywhere around Charente or Dordogne I would love to hear - it's worring me that we won't be able to get it.

[MargaretD]

Our vet certainly has all the Hills food, and has offered to buy whatever I need!  I said it was OK as our cat eats his Felix.  Vet looked sad, obviously he hoped that as a Brit I would spend the earth on the cat. (Well I do, every time he goes to England with us! - so I suppose I see his reasoning)

Margaret

[ali-cat]

Thanks Margaret,

I hoped that vets would stock it - I usually order it on-line but the company I use don't deliver to France.  It's cheaper that way - but looks like the little blighters will be bleeding us dry - again!! [:-))]

[londoneye]

sounds like the stuff - almost been tempted myself when fridge empty and no alcohol left (or perhaps after too much alcohol!)

will write name down and see if it appears in local supermarket soon .....   even in uk its pretty expensive though so i might try to keep force-feeding him the french one with veggies which he now eats if he is absolutely starving !!

[londoneye]

oh dear now i look mad (or drunk heh heh) - the above was in response to  Ian's post !!

[Gardian]

Just looked at the receipt which was still lying around - €4.53 for a 12 sachet pack. That was in Cora, which I think are a bit few and far between in France.

[londoneye]

thanks again Ian

[fionaj]

Londoneye

You seem to have sorted your food problem out so thats good news, I shall try to help with the fear problem.

It doesn't really matter what animal or thing frightened him what you need to know is that you are now dealing with a terrified being. What comes across from your post is that the cat trusts you implicitly, quite a complement! Have you thought that he may have been attacked whilst doing his ablutions, which is why he needs you to stand guard whilst he is at his most vunerable. So all things considered he needs to get his confidence back, so one of the easiest ways to do this is to priase him for not showing fear.

Maybe you could try moving the litter tray just outside the front door, or have a second one outside (put some used cat litter in it) If you see him using the tray outside praise him for being a clever lad and eventually you could move it further and further away and you start to move away from him as well, over a period of time he should gain his own confidence, and not rely on you to give him feelings of security. I do think it is lovely though that he thinks so highly of you.

It may take some time and it is very early days in a foriegn country when all the other animals speak French!! So just take him one step at a time.

Hope all goes well

Fiona