Natural stress reliever for cat?

[jennifer2000]

Hello,
I've had an issue with my kitty for quite a while now. My vet. is suggesting trying Prozac for her. I'd like to try something more natural before I go that route. Any suggestions? She's been on Bach's Flower Essences Rescue Remedy for a while now without much success.

Thanks in advance.

[shelley]

Animals will always tell you how they feel about something. They can't lie. You have to find the root cause for the behavior and change it if you wish the behavior to change. Changing the diet to a high-protein diet is a good start too - cats can really only digest protein. NO cheap, grocery-store cat foods for crazy cats!

[jennifer2000]

Thanks Shelley. My kitty's been on an all natural anti-allergenic food for over a year now at $1.00 a can. Cheap is not in my vocabulary when it comes to her
I have been mystified with her excessive licking that has caused loss of fur and bleeding for years now. She has had steroid shots (which are successful but NOT good for her!), blood tests, allergy tests, fungal tests, homeopathic visits with internal cleansing throughout. Thousand of dollars later, she is at no relief from this issue. Is she licking because she is itchy or does she lick from boredom/anxiety/stress? Nobody seems to know. I try to monitor when she licks and encourage positive behavior modification through distracting her with a toy or attention. This works when I am around but unfortunately I have to work
So, right now I am leaning towards her being anxious/stressed. I just want her to be relieved from this situation, and feel I've exhausted every option.

[shelley]

Ah, constant licking, okay. You can put stuff on her coat to discourage her that tastes bad but is harmless while you find the problem.

Check your so-called healthy food and read the label carefully. If it has Flax seed oil in it for the Omega 3's, stop using it. Animals are highly allergic to flax. Give her food that only has 5 ingredients or less, and practically no vitamin supplements. Just pure fish, pure meat. Try feeding her canned tuna, raw steak, for a few days and see if it helps. I had to search a long time for a healthy food that my dog didn't react to, most are too rich.

Cats can also get candida imbalances and parasites like mad, so see if you can get her some acidophilus and consider a parasite cleanse.

[jennifer2000]

Well that is interesting because I am supplementing her with EFA's for Cats, which contain flax.
Could you make a suggestion on what to put on her coat?
The food doesn't contain flax but certainly has more than 5 ingredients with vitamins.
If the tuna is helpful, is that safe to give her every day from now on? Can cats live off tuna? Is mercury overdose an issue?
I will look into acidophilus. She's had a parasite cleanse but probably time for another one. Thanks!

[shelley]

Yep, mercury is still an issue even for cats. Albacore tuna is the safest but only for a week at most.

You should be able to find something at the vet's or a good pet store that has a spray bottle of icky tasting no-lick stuff. Or Google for a home made version.

I'll bet it's the flax, though. One of my dogs ate all the fur off her leg because her foster parents put flax oil on her raw turkey.

[jennifer2000]

Thanks Shelley. The problem starting way before I started supplementing with the EFAs but I will definitely stop using them anyways!

[beachbuminthecountry]