I need cat advise!

[hatredisnotavalue]

We are finally down to one cat, after rescuing and rearing dozens of cats. I can't have any more cats because I have developed a nasty skin allergy to them which even shots won't stem. Personally I am not upset cause we have raised and buried a couple of dozen cats which all lived to at least 15. The oldest was 21 when she died. I feel like I have done my time and it's time to pass the torch.

Anyway, we got this last cat when we had five in the house. After our stray Siamese died this month, this cat cannot get enough of us. He is in our face 24/7. The poor thing went five years with little or no attention having to compete with the other cats, and now he is a truly becoming a pest. He begs to be held from 7 am to midnight. And then he sleeps in our bed. He gets nasty when you don't pick him up and gets nasty when you push him off your lap.

I don't want to give him away. But I also don't want to be an activity director for this cat and spend my day thinking of things for him to do. We have a great dog who tries to entertain him, but the cat just isn't all that interested in him. Here is the devil: Mr. Bubbles

[Sanity Claws]

1. No good advice, sorry

He sounds lonely but it seems it would be impossible for you to get another cat.
I felt I had to comment on his photo. He has an interesting face - he looks like a minature striped puma. I can't put my finger on it but he looks more like a panther than a house cat. Does he have extra toes?

[hatredisnotavalue]

2. Yup, he' had 24 toes when he showed up at our door

We had to have two amputated cause he was stepping on them when he walked and digging into his pads and causing really bad abscesses. I just feel so bad for him. I think he's scared that the other cats have left.

[bicentennial_baby]

3. Does he like other cats?

I almost want to offer to take him in...He's beautiful.

[hatredisnotavalue]

4. I wouldn't give him up

he's a great cat, a great mouser, I am just looking for something for him to do. Should I get fish or a hamster maybe? Thanks for the offer though. :)

[yellowdogintexas]

5. Mr Bubbles is a very handsome dude. I bet he is feeling isolated with all the

other kitties gone. maybe he needs some kitty zoloft or something.

talk to the vet

[hatredisnotavalue]

6. I agree n/t :)

[TexasBushwhacker]

7. Have you tried Feliway?

It's helped my cats calm down when we moved.

http://www.petco.com/product/10533/Comfort-Zone-Diffuser-with-Feliway-for-Cats.aspx

I bet he'll come around to playing with the dog if you give him a little time.

[Lil Missy]

14. Feliway greatly helped one of my cats too.

When my girlfriend moved in with her cat, one of mine had some severe behavioral problems and aggression. The Feliway (a hormone) helped tremendously.

[suninvited]

8. He is gorgeous !!!!

[harmonicon]

9. no advice

I'm jealous. I'd love to have a cat like that... I travel too often to have a pet though :(

[astral]

10. Yeah, sometimes I think my cat

needs a buddy too. He seems to get bored and restless even though he is an older cat. And he can be needy and a pest too, but I find if I indulge him in lots of affection then I can just ignore him sometimes or just say "no" and he lets me be.

I'm just guessing it might work for your cat too, but your cat is suffering the loss of his friends, his family members, so it's understandable he'd become a bit clingy.

For instance when I get home from work, it's pretty much All About the Cat. He gets picked up, I walk around talking to him about what a great cat he is and listen to him purr, and then I feed him his dinner. Sometimes I give him some loose catnip, just around a teaspoon over on the rug where he can snort it, roll in it, eat it, and just in general tune out and drop out. He usually doesn't want my attention when he is on catnip.

There is this Waaay Coool Cat Toy that I don't know where to get it or anything, but it's some feather thingys on a little black rod about 2 1/2 feet long, on about 4 feet of black string. You whiz this around and it literally makes the feathers spin and makes a sound in the air, probably compared to a very soft hummingbird just from the sound of the air around it. Cats go absolutely nuts over this. You'd think they were stalking a live bird in the house.

This of course also gives the cat much-needed attention, but I believe if you show him lots of QUALITY affection, you can show him boundaries and make him accept "no" when you really want him to give you a BREAK.

Does your kitty have his own 'place' to go too? My cat has a deluxe cat bed on a living room shelf -- they like it high, even if it's just moderately high -- and he likes to go there and hang happily when I turn him down for lapcat time.

Just some thoughts. I love your cat pic too. You can tell he's got one hell of a personality.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

11. He's a beauty!

We're in the same boat...down to one cat after many years. When his brother died, he was kind of clingy for about a month. He definitely does not mind being the only kitty; and I'm not anxious to have a playmate for him.

Maybe Mr Bubbles is trying to help you get through your grief...

[Flaxbee]

12. wow, he is beautiful

we have a very large male cat (a tuxedo) and he has a similar face - very leonine, or big-cat-like.
Poor Mr. Bubbles. He just sounds a little lonely and insecure, maybe, with his buddies gone. If it's been less than a month, he's probably just still adjusting. Others have posted good advice - Feliway, a special new bed just for him, etc. And maybe a small aquarium as kitty-tv -who knows? I also think you should ask your vet. Mr. Bubbles is grieving, and doesn't quite know what to do / how to handle it. I know when I'm going through a hard time, I hate to be alone, too.

[CraftyGal]

13. When we first got Snowball, I ended up making a hot water bottle cover for her.

I used the hot water bottle for the heat. She loved it as it was the closest thing to be near her mother. She was an abandoned cat. I did the same trick with patches, who incidentally has extra toes on her front paws, when we got her.

[Lil Missy]

15. You said you lost, your Siamese this month, and he is now the only cat left. THAT'S the problem.

And it seems pretty simple to me. You adopted him when you had several other cats, and now he is the only one left. He is traumatized right now with being an "only child". Even if it didn't seem like he was getting any attention with the others there, he still had company, and "family" with several other cats around.

My feeling is that he will eventually settle down. And perhaps with a little TLC and extra attention. That doesn't mean you can't set some boundaries, like shut your bedroom door when you go to bed.

I just feel like he is feeling traumatized right now, and probably because he is the only one left. Try to think in cat logic rather than human logic.

[Callalily]

16. Sorry, no advice here

but you may try posing your question to "Calling All Pets".

http://www.wpr.org/pets/

[skater314159]

17. Chaplain's advise...

... Mr. Bubbles is mourning the loss his friends. I know you don't want to give him away, but a good idea would be if you know an elderly man or woman who has recently experienced the loss of their spouse, you could share your lovely kitty with him or her. It would be great because the two of them are both sad over the loss of someone they love; the two of them could bond and heal together. I think Mr. Bubbles would really enjoy a nice Grandma or Grandpa lap! The older person would benefit from having a nice kitty to care for and love - having pets is good for your health and well-being. You wouldn't have to totally give your kitty up, as you could visit both Mr. Bubbles and the older person, and see how they are doing.

I hope that helps! :loveya:

:hippie:

PS - he is a beautiful cat!

[stuntcat]

18. he's precious!1!

I can't help, except to hope you and he both come to a happy solution :loveya:

[ThomCat]

19. He's beautiful! And no doubt lonely.

:(

I don't have any good advice for you. It sounds like he misses having other cats around.

[LynneSin]

20. How about adopting an adult cat that is close to his age

There are so many adults out there that need home. Since you're already dealing with the allergic suffering, perhaps there is a 2nd adult that you can give a good home to. And hopefully they'll both pass away around the same time. If you could find one closer to his age it would give him a companion and perhaps, hopefully, their passings wouldn't be too far apart.

[applegrove]

21. You could try and adopt another cat older than this one. Then he'd have a friend.

I have a critter who wails when he finds himself in a room alone. My baby loves to be near others. She was raised with another critter around her all the time. She's never been alone. I hate to think what it would be like if my older cat passed. She'd do what your cat has done I'm sure.