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PRINCESS CHLOE MEETS HURRICANE IRENE by Linda Gavitt (US)
Princess Chloe is one of my 3 kitties (I like to call them kitties because cat sounds a little demeaning to them) 2 boys and one princess. She lived a tough life before joining my clan. Her mom was a drop off stray who delivered 3 kittens by herself alone outside in some harsh New England weather.
Her mom and 2 siblings were lost to the road before my sister was able to rescue them. She did rescue little Chloe at about 1 year old who became a princess after she joined my group. How she survived that year is a mystery, but it had to be very hard on her. She runs the boys who have either fear or respect for her. I'm not entirely sure which. She also has rules for me. I simply can't walk up to her and pick her up. That is not allowed and she responds with a quick exit and manages to arrive at a place that is unreachable by me. She also has some quirks. She is afraid of change. I know all cats resist change, but she wins the award for best performance of a kitty in a new house. Hiding during the day and banshee screams during the night if she saw one of the boys or a shadow or lights from a passing vehicle. I had to close her in the rec. room with me and a litter box and leave some lights on, and needless to say I didn't get much sleep. That went on for about 2 weeks. Then my daughter and her family came to visit from FL. Sleeping arrangements were altered and Chloe hid from them (especially the kids) almost 24/7. When they left, she started to relax a little allowing me to pet her occasionally and chirping a little. Then came Hurricane Irene and we went all the way back to square one. We were without electricity for about 5˝ days. So it was very dark at night and her anxiety level must have been high. The screams began again of course, and again I found myself sleeping in the rec. room (which is in the basement) with her. Fortunately it didn't flood, but I had to leave my flashlight on all night on the floor where she could see it from under the bed where she was hiding. If I turned it off she screamed and the boys dived for cover. Well my batteries were getting weak from all the use. So I decided to use my hurricane lamps and candles, figuring that was their intended use (during the aftermath of a major storm). That worked well for her, but not for me. I was up all night checking them because I was afraid of burning the house down. The lamps also left an unpleasant smell in the house all day even after I turned them off. One night I didn't use them and managed to coax her into my bed. She didn't scream as long as she was on my arm, but I wasn't allowed to move all night so that made sleeping pretty much impossible. I went back to the lamps and candles. The power finally came on and the princess kitty calmed down. Now almost 2 weeks after Irene graced our little community she is almost back to her quirky little self. Screams have stopped, but she still snubs the boys from time to time. She does like to sleep on my bed, and I'm required to leave night lights on all night. That's not so bad, and it does get me a fairly good night's sleep, though I'm a little concerned about the next change that might come her way. Cats know your every thought. They don't care, but they know
Linda has a blog which you’ll enjoy reading – click on the link below: http://lmg-scatteredthoughts.blogspot.com/
ED'S NOTE: I suggested that Linda tried Feliway diffuser to help Chloe feel more relaxed and Walnut Bach Flower Remedy to help with change. She has reported back that the Feliway has worked and Chloe is less manic now. Good news! |
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