# cat behaviourist needed Bristol



## Dozla (Feb 22, 2013)

Hi can anyone recommend a cat behaviourist in Bristol please? preferably one that someone has used to stop there cat spraying around house... not a friend that you think is good.. no offence but I am no at wits end and probably too stressed to be writing this sensibly at the moment.. my cat has just ruined my brand new dining room with his scent marking 
Needs to be with one of the following associations CCAB, APBC, or CFBA for it to be covered by insurance.
Thanks in advance.


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

There are a few on here -
Bristol and Surrounding Areas | Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors

Dr. Rachel Casey at Langford would probably be your best bet, and I'm sure the insurance company will pay out for her!



Dozla said:


> Needs to be with one of the following associations CCAB, APBC, or CFBA for it to be covered by insurance.


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## oliviarussian (Sep 2, 2010)

I think you need a recommendation from your vet for your insurance to pay out but am sure they would be happy to recommend the one you want, Good luck


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Is the Superlorin implant no longer working for him Dozla?


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## Dozla (Feb 22, 2013)

Hi, Thanks for suggestions.
No his suprelorin appears to have stopped working  he is peeing in the house again.. and has just sprayed on my freshly wall papered dining room and got wee all over the new laminated floor.. its really hard not to get mad at him some times. 
vet has said its behavioural and he is now trying kalm aid gel as well as upping my feliway plugins. 
He is banned from any room he has wee'd in as I can't afford to replace anymore flooring.
Trying to keep him tired out with extra play so hopefully he just sleeps when I cant be watching him.
considering last resort of a behaviourist, even vet has run out of suggestions.. either that or he is wearing a nappy?!


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

The vet hospital at Bradley Stoke has links with a behaviourist, she also gives talks which you then get invited to if you've been her client and they can be very interesting.


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

Dozla said:


> considering last resort of a behaviourist, even vet has run out of suggestions.. either that or he is wearing a nappy?!


Langford. Cutting edge stuff


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

If it's behavioural, what do you think is the trigger? Do you have other cats? Is he an indoor cat?


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## Dozla (Feb 22, 2013)

I honestly have no idea.. I thought it was because his implant had run out but that has been replaced about 2 months ago, then we thought it was the tom cat that was roaming around garden so garden is now as cat proof as possible.
He is an indoor cat who lives with another boy cat..other cat isn't the problem as they clean each other, play all the time and sleep together by choice.
It also doesnt happen as much now but still cant find trigger?? he is happy and playful one minute then destroying my carpets and dining room in another


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Dozla, just a thought - if the garden is cat proofed could your boy not go out?

This is one of the suggestions a behaviourist is likely to make, because generally speaking cats who spray are less likely to do so indoors if they are allowed to go outside. They are more likely to spray in the garden (or in the case of my boys - spray the bushes in my next door neighbour's garden) 

Some indoor cats seem to get obsessively protective of their territory and feel obliged to spray every new item that's brought into the home. This is why your boy sprayed your newly finished dining room probably. 

Also, new carpets and wallpaper pastes have a chemical in them that must (to a cat) imitate the scent of another cat. I have heard many reports of new carpets being "anointed" by the resident cat, as well as newly pasted wallpaper. And it has even happened to old wallpaper when it is being stripped off the walls and as a result the smell of the paste is exposed. 

I guess the best thing would be to keep him out of newly refurbished rooms until the spraying problem has been resolved. 

Also any new item you bring into the house, e.g. new clothes, put them away in cupboards or drawers immediately. 

With cats who spray clean laundry the trigger often seems to be the strong smell of the laundry liquid or fabric softener. Using a scent-free liquid such as Surcare or Boots Sensitive on all laundry, and no fabric softener at all can sometimes stop the laundry being targeted.


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## ForeverHome (Jan 14, 2014)

CM has a very good point there. New things don't smell like home and if your boy is trying to make home smell of himself you're fighting a losing battle by replacing stuff all the time. Are you by any chance a scrupulous cleaner, and do you wash the cat's beds often? Do you use strong smelling and neutralising cleaning products? If kitty can't smell himself anywhere it would be a natural reaction for him to make a bigger smell so his territory is clearly marked.

My Molly is a very scaredy cat and has to inspect every little thing that comes into her house, right down to bags of shopping, and if I have a tidying session the moment I finish and sit down she has to reinspect everything thoroughly. She doesn't pee on it, but I can see this maybe being a similar issue. 

If that's the case a behaviourist might focus on why he doesn't feel his home is quite 'his' and I would suggest maybe finding himself banned from any room in which he pees could be adding to his problems? Please don't think I'm suggesting you allow him to pee everywhere you've just re-done but in terms of addressing the issue that could be taking steps backwards. 

Another thought, my ex's parent's cat Nemesis always peed in the house and when the two cats had to be rehomed separately she was given to some friends who ran a cattery. Instead of having her in the house they adapted one of the runs to be her home and she could go into her heated chalet at night and had free run of the countryside. She also didn't have to share with the other cat! She never once peed in her run from the day she arrived.


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## Dozla (Feb 22, 2013)

No when I started letting them out on harnesses the problem got ten times worse, they cry at the doors all night and he sprays all over them every day.. the garden isn't so secure that i could let them out alone and I cant let them out ever time they cry, my last cat was run over so don't want to go through that again.
Since he has been banned from going out he has calmed down slightly.. he was peeing everyday when allowed out.. now its a few times a week.
Just wish I could pin point the problem.. when he had his last suprelorin within a few weeks he was a changed cat, the spraying stopped and he has full roam of the house and now he is a lil pee monster and banned from half the rooms in house.. which is a bit naff since he is a house cat so i prefer to let them have toys and fun stuff in every room.
wish he could bloody talk lol


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Have you had his testosterone levels checked recently? Maybe the last suprelorin implant isn't working?


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## Dozla (Feb 22, 2013)

no not recently had his testosterone checked but that is a good idea... he hasn't pee'd again for a couple days (touch wood) i have now rubbed his scent on everything! I am def not a clean freak lol.. he is now allowed in banned rooms but only supervised.. we are going to attempt to totally cat proof garden this weekend and give him one last chance of being allowed out on days that are suitable and see what happens.. fingers crossed else we are back to square one.. its a good job I bloody love this cat lol.


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