I got an unusual message from a rescue colleague of mine this past week. She’d been contacted by a local resident who had a hostile cat in their home and was asking for assistance. My rescue colleague who is not a big fan of hostile cats in enclosed spaces, referred her to me, the crazy cat lady rescuer in her friend’s list.
I made contact with the person via Facebook Messenger, introduced myself and began to gather information. I’m a not yet certified cat behaviorist from my many years of doing cat work and being a cat owner myself and often learning things the hard way. It turns out this cat was a family pet and the family had gone through a recent significant change in the household structure. She had never really been hostile before this, but she was growling at everyone and menacing and attacking the owner currently. The owner was so stressed by the situation that she was asking to surrender the cat or find help rehoming it. This situation was urgent!
I counseled the pet owner that it was next to impossible sometimes to find a home for an adult cat. Rescues and shelters are full to capacity typically, underfunded, understaffed, without enough fosters or volunteers in general. The best possible outcome is for a pet to stay in their home. This cat had been a family member for six years, since she was a kitten. So I asked the owner if I could come by and assess the situation in person and see if I could help get the situation under control. I loaded up one of my handmade string toys, some other little cat toys, some cat treats and off I went.
Upon arriving at the home, I was welcomed in and the cat met me with some curiosity and before she could growl, I produced my string toy. She was immediately interested and jumped right into action. After a few minutes of playtime with the aggressive kitty, she was comfortable enough to lay on her side and leisurely play, very kitten-like.
I took the opportunity to describe to the owner how adult cats still like to play, like kittens do, but often they won’t if the human doesn’t initiate playtime. Regular playtime and cat enrichment activities help adult cats with behavior issues and stress. I showed the cat owner how to play with the cat with the string toy and by tossing cat treats into another room for the cat to go chasing. I advised her to set up a room for the kitty to retreat to away from the main living space, making sure to have a table or cat tree in front of a window. Cats sometimes need space when they are feeling overwhelmed. They can feel emotions of their humans when stressful situations are happening and they can get stressed out in response. This can turn into aggressiveness or other behavior problems.
After a vigorous first playtime and owner instruction, the owner and I discussed rehoming the cat. She was soon to be packing up and moving to another part of the state and would be moving into a rental. We all know how hard it is to get into a rental with a pet in tow. I agreed to contact a few organizations I know that sometimes take adult cats, but mentioned that it could be many months before a cat can get a placed in a good rescue. Especially during kitten season, which is currently ongoing.
Over the next few days, I checked in with the kitty owner and the cat was making a big turnaround with the regular enrichment playtime activities that the owner was initiating.
Things were going well for them! I began to consider the possibility of an Emotional Support Animal letter for their moving situation, since they were getting along much better already. I brought this up to the kitty mom and she agreed it would be a good idea, this cat indeed had been good emotional support for her in the past. She had a doctor’s appointment coming up and she mentioned that she would ask for one. An ESA letter allows you to have your emotional support animal in rental situations. Landlords who don’t accept pets cannot reject someone with an ESA. I got word today that she succeeded in attaining the ESA from her doctor! This is such an amazing outcome for this pet mom and her kitty cat of six years! They will be able to stay together in harmony. I am so thrilled for the both of them. All of this happened in less than a week!
Since the cat’s behavioral issues stemmed from a stressful situation that just happened, I offered to continue assisting her through her move and offered some moving tips that she could start in advance of the move. Setting out the cat carrier and making it a less scary thing to the cat by putting a favorite cat blanket in it and throwing treats into it like a game and allowing the kitty to go in and out many times before the move. This makes it easier to get them in the carrier when the day comes. Also, start setting out boxes and totes now, and doing some light packing so it becomes a regular event, not just a thing that happens all at once. Going at a slow and even pace for a month or two before a move helps the kitty to not feel so stressed with the new events.
I asked the kitty owner if I could tell their story and maybe help other people going through something similar with their cat/s. She agreed and I’m so glad to share this story! Best wishes to these two as they set off on the next part of their journey together soon.
I am able to help pets, pet owners and feral/community cats because of donations that support my work. I don’t charge for this type of assistance.
-Juhl Jacobs
The Blackie Bargeld Spay and Neuter Project
Macon Missouri Area.
The Blackie Bargeld Spay and Neuter Project 
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