I've been rubbing Bach's on my kitty's ears for about a month or more now and he still has issues. My questions is, if I'm using water fountains that have a filter, will this filter out the Bach's if I put it in the water?
Drugs are not an option for him, it totally zones him out.
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Using Bach's Rescue Remedy for Behaviiiioral Problems
AstiLover
Jun 14, 2005 11:12 AM
Replies (9)
gocatgo
Jun 14, 2005 10:29 PM
>>I've been rubbing Bach's on my kitty's ears for about a month or more now and he still has issues. My questions is, if I'm using water fountains that have a filter, will this filter out the Bach's if I put it in the water?
>>Drugs are not an option for him, it totally zones him out.
I doubt if it would filter out the Rescue Remedy since it's a liquid and there would be nothing to filter. I guess.
I wish I knew the answer to these seemingly never-ending cat wars. It seems like it just gets worse the older that they get. My problem is with Simba and has been ever since I got him 7 years ago. He just acts like he wants constant attention. He's so needy. It really helped a lot when Pam and the kids were here because he got a lot of attention from Paula and David and didn't pick on the other cats constantly like he does now.
He constantly jumps into my lap to be loved on and jumps in bed with me at night, pushing me, almost demanding me to love on him. He just purrs his little heart out when he's with me but then will jump down and attack one of the cats, usually Samantha or KatyKatt. Once in a while, he'll even attack the only cat who he likes, Katrina.
I wish that I had some answers. When I discussed it with the vet, he said to let him play outside so he doesn't get stressed and to give him as much attention as I can. He already gets more attention than the other cats but it just doesn't seem to be enough.
When I go to work in the morning, I have to make sure that he is kept separate from the other cats, so down to the family room he goes, sometimes alone and sometimes with Katrina. It's a nice finished basement that looks just like another floor or room and not some dark dirty basement so he isn't being punished or anything. I have food, water and a litter box down there for the cats.
I've been thinking about asking the vet about Buspar and see if that will help. I've tried Bachs and Feliway. Nothing really seems to stop this behavior. I just don't want to come home from work some day and find a dead or injured cat.
Good luck to you, Astilover. I hope that you find the answers that you are seeking.
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Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!
Tilda
Jun 15, 2005 09:23 AM
Just one question to both of you: are you only using the Bach Rescue Remedy or other Bach Flower remedies as well? Because the Rescue Remedy is for emergencies (shock, fear) and I doubt it would make any difference in cases like neediness, jealousy or other behavioral problems.
But there are special Bach remedies for all kinds of emotional and behavioral issues.
Cherry Plum is for lashing out, pent-up agression and frustration.
Heather is for the extreme need for attention.
Holly is for jealousy.
Vine is for a domineering personality.
Those might help.
Good luck!
Tilda
gocatgo
Jun 15, 2005 10:49 AM
Tilda, good question! Your inquiry had me digging in the cat drawer to find the one that I've tried and it is Rescue Remedy and you're right, it didn't help any.
So according to your advice, Heather, Holly and Vine would all be effective. Which one would you recommend that I try first? I'm getting ready to place an order with Drs Foster and Smith for some needed items in a day or two and will putting whatever you advise on the list. Thanks for the info.
And what do you think about adding it to the water fountains with filters? I have both the Drinkwell and the round dome kind, the Cat It. Both take filters.
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Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!
Tilda
Jun 15, 2005 03:16 PM
Since you mentioned extreme neediness first I would definitely go with Heather. But you can use more than one Bachflower at once (Rescue Remedy actually has 5). So, Holly would be good for his jealousy of your other cats. If he's a 'bossy' kind of cat, who likes to be in charge, you can add Vine too.
Here is a little more of the description:
Heather - the needy child, always wants attention, doesn't like to be alone, needs a lot of body contact, always wants to be the center of attention, can't let go
Holly - jealousy, sadness, frustrated, sudden outbursts of anger even violence, bad moods
Vine - dominant personality, tyrann, very self confident, bossy, hitting others
Cherry Plum - is actually more for the extreme FEAR of doing something terrible like lashing out and hitting others, and the constant terrifying thoughts of wanting to kill someone, so it's probably not really appropriate for your cat. But you decide.
I'd go for Heather and Holly first.
Sorry, I don't know anything about the fountains. But you could just try it. The good thing about Bachflowers is you can't overdose.
I wish you good luck! (Don't expect results too fast.)
Tilda
PHMadameAlto
Jun 15, 2005 10:06 PM
Tilda, thanks for all the advice on the flower essences. I didn't know there were different kinds for different problems.
Now we just have to figure out what is the real problem with the cat!
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gocatgo
Jun 15, 2005 11:40 PM
Tilda, I found that Drs. Foster and Smith have only the Rescue Remedy so I did an online search and learned a lot from reading about the different flower essences. It sounds like the Heather, Holly and Vine would all three be beneficial to Simba and probably Samantha too.
In addition, I believe that Cherry Plum would help Samantha with her tendency to overgroom in one certain spot near her tail. This might help to calm her down. The vet said that she has feline hyperesthesia and is sensitive on her right side near her tail. He said that they think that stress figures into this syndrome. It's possible that she might be stressed by having to defend herself from Simba all the time. I've been keeping them separated when I'm not home so as to not cause any more undue stress to either of them. The vet gave her a shot of prednizone about 3 weeks ago and since that time she's quit overgrooming. She also no longer flinches when touched in the sensitive area.
I found this website that gave a lot of info on the different essences. The price seem to be affordable at $10.50 for each 20ml bottle. I'm thinking about ordering the four that you mentioned.
In the following website, it is recommended that you give it to them in their drinking water, or a couple of drops in their mouth, or even a little in your hands and then pet the cat near the head area and around the ears. So........I got out the Rescue Remedy (the only thing that I have right now) and put a little on my finger tip and put it in Simba's mouth. He didn't care. Then I put a little on my fingertip for the ears of Katrina and KatyKatt. Katrina shook her head a little. KatyKatt just rolled over. Then I took a little more and put in Samantha's ears and thought to heck with it, and put it on my hands and pet Samantha's head and ears with it. It says that they can't overdose on it and if you put one on a cat (or dog, or person) who doesn't need that particular one, then it won't do anything. Anyway, since that time which was about 3 hours ago, I haven't had any cats fighting. They are all just laying around like they've been drugged or something. LOL.
I'm going to order those others and continue with the Rescue Remedy until it arrives. It looks like it might help. And thanks, Tilda, for the good advice. Do you know what Rescue Remedy has in it?
Click Here: Bach's Flower Essence
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Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!
Tilda
Jun 16, 2005 06:03 AM
Hi again!
That is a great site, I bookmarked it. Thanks! I have a book about Bachflowers for humans, so it's good to see the interpretations for animals. (I never thought to google it! Duh! Lol!)
Rescue Remedy has Star of Bethlehem, Rock Rose, Impatiens, Cherry Plum and Clematis, all are decribed on that site.
It is actually intended for moments of great shock and panic/fear, where one is almost frozen, unable to think clearly or do the right thing, either because of an accident, or a fight, or a frightening/disturbing situation. They are also used for unsconsciousness, or as a precaution - before going to the doctor/vet for example, but Bach points out they should not be taken on a regular basis, but kept for emergencies. They can also be used on a bandage on wounds.
Samantha is certainly stressed if she gets beaten up a lot, and the Cherry Plum is certainly good for her. Maybe Aspen would be good for her too? It's for when you always expect something bad to happen, as she might do if Simba is after her a lot.
It's a good idea to put it on your hands and pet them, I never thought of that! I have sometimes used the sugar pills instead of the alcohol solution and just popped them in their mouth. But I don't know if you get them in the US.
I simply adore Edward Bach! He was a normal allopathic doctor in London, and gave it all up (reputation, good income) to spend most of his time in the countryside looking for flowers and experimenting with them. He must have been so sensitive.
A few snippets from the book I have:
- you can also put the bottle with the remedie near the cat (about 8 inches away) when it sleeps.
- if you bath your cats, you can put a few drops in their bath water.
- a course of Bachflowers for animals is much shorter than for humans because they are much more sensitive than we are. The Bach Center in London says 3 - 10 days. (1 - 20 months for humans!)
- you can give up to 6 Bachflowers together.
- sometimes you can get a 'first reaction' when you start giving a certain remedy, similar to when you take homoeopathic remedies. Symptoms/problems can suddenly worsen for a short period of time before they get better. If this happens you can be certain to have chosen the right remedy. It's as if negative feelings are washed to the surface. Just continue the drops.
I wish you good luck, and if you have any more questions just ask me. And let us know how it went!
Tilda
AstiLover
Jun 16, 2005 12:00 PM
Tilda:
Again, thanks for your information! I've ordered Holly and Vine from bytheplanet.com. I'll let you all know how well it works. Now, if I can just get him to stop crying outside my bedroom door all night long...
AstiLover
Jun 16, 2005 11:04 AM
Tilda: THAnks! I did not know this, but I usually only use Bach's at night, in the morning I've been using Cat Fairies Territorial Rescue. I'll have to ck the bottle to see exactly what's in it, but it says it's used for jealousy...
