[Poetess]

I had heard of calming collars before, but I've never tried any.

I had my Em for 9 years, and she was always very mellow. I got her from a woman that owned a plant nursery that had a female, unspayed cat that lived in/around it. Em was a malnourished runt that I nursed back to health; she was 8 weeks but looked about 4, but I never had behavioral problems during any part of her time with me.

Finn on the other hand, is a sweet, cuddly, loving cat, but he can be naughty, stubborn and troublesome. I don't trust him left alone. He's 8 months and was a shelter kitten. He can be high-strung or just off the wall. Curtains, cords, paper and recently a door frame. I was going to take my laundry basket out the door to the laundry room for this building, but he kept tripping me, so I put him in a room for 5 minutes and he chewed the door frame. So... I'm going to buy some bitter apple soon.

But what I've really been thinking about is calming collars as well - maybe a combination of those two.

Have any of you had any experiences with calming collars? Could you give me some names and experiences, please?

Thanks so much.

 

[LaurulFeatherCat]

He is an eight month old kitten with no other kittens to play with. You do NOT need a chemical to calm him down; you need to play with him to calm him down. At least three times a day, Poetess. Four times a day would be better. If he is going to chew wood, then you may have to crate him for his own safety; spinters in his mouth and gums can be fatal if he develops infections in the splinter tracts.
You are going from having a laid back old cat to this young sparkplug and I am sure it seems a bit overwhelming, but you really do not need to give him chemicals. It will not help, he is just being his crackerjack self, really. I do not use calming collars and I have never head they worked for the few people I know used them. It always turned out to be active cats in need of exercise. So get yourself a wand and play with him several times a day and wear him out of some of that kitten energy. OR get him a kitten playmate.

Oh, yeah. I use cayenne pepper flavored water (boil cayenne powder in water and boil it down to the strenth I want, then put it in a spray bottle and spray it on like you would bitter apple. Cats HATE hot flavored foods.

 

[marie73]

My neighbor uses one on her cat from time to time and she says it works wonders. At this point, you have nothing to lose by trying it. There are also some calming chews that might help. Lisa (Doodlebug) sells them at her store, I can't think of the name right now.

 

[Poetess]

He is an eight month old kitten with no other kittens to play with. You do NOT need a chemical to calm him down; you need to play with him to calm him down. At least three times a day, Poetess. Four times a day would be better. If he is going to chew wood, then you may have to crate him for his own safety; spinters in his mouth and gums can be fatal if he develops infections in the splinter tracts.
You are going from having a laid back old cat to this young sparkplug and I am sure it seems a bit overwhelming, but you really do not need to give him chemicals. It will not help, he is just being his crackerjack self, really. I do not use calming collars and I have never head they worked for the few people I know used them. It always turned out to be active cats in need of exercise. So get yourself a wand and play with him several times a day and wear him out of some of that kitten energy. OR get him a kitten playmate.

Thanks for the advice. I have been around/had kittens before, and they did play and were definitely kittens, but the behavior part was different. I suffer from Fibromyalgia so I'm almost always home, and I play with him multiple times a day. I use the laser pointer, wand, and I will play fetch with him using his favorite mouse that has a bell in it. As for a kitten playmate, the lease I'm under allows only one pet per apartment. You said the collars contain chemicals/drugs? From my understanding it was all natural. Maybe I'm wrong.

My neighbor uses one on her cat from time to time and she says it works wonders. At this point, you have nothing to lose by trying it. There are also some calming chews that might help. Lisa (Doodlebug) sells them at her store, I can't think of the name right now.

Ahh. Thanks for the info. Maybe I should ask her about it.

 

[Jacq]

So are you breaking your lease, or is Finn just a temporary resident?

 

[Poetess]

So are you breaking your lease, or is Finn just a temporary resident?

Neither. I am allowed one pet. I only have Finn. I had my Em in another state and she's getting older and set in her ways and doesn't do well with trips; she would've been in a moving truck for 9 hours and then she would've had to stay in a house with a large dog for 2 weeks (she's terrified of large dogs and won't eat if around them) while I was waiting for my apt to come available. My mother also had recently lost her dog and really liked Em and she asked me if she could keep her, so I said yes as I thought it may be best for them both.

 

[LaurulFeatherCat]

Please remember all natural remedies are still chemicals. Digitalis (Digoxin) is the chemical from the foxglove plant that is the treatment for heart problems. All natural remedies still have potentials for side effects and overdose, so just because they are obtained from natural sources does not mean they are always safe. I do a fair amount of herbal medicine and don't believe in using a chemical of any type when some other option is available or effective.

Certainly try the calming collar if you wish. I only said I did not use them and my one experience with them was not effective.

I am sorry to hear about your fibromyalgia. It is great he gets so much play with you. He must be a really active guy. To bad the second cat to keep him busy is not possible.

 

[Jacq]

I'm sorry I misunderstood your circumstances, Poetess.

He might just be really high-strung, and have some kind of kitty ADHD. The solution seems to be kitty Ritalin (ie - calming collar).

I just wonder if it's possible to train him to channel all that energy into safer play. What I mean is, if the bitter apple/cayenne and all the other stuff can keep him away from the truly dangerous part, maybe it's alright to have him tear around the rest of the time. Personally, if a cat's only 8 months old, I think the collar might be a little drastic (if for no other reason then the financial cost if it's something he'd need his whole life).

I think it might be worth it to try one and see if it calms him down. Then you know the option's there if he's having a really rough time, or needs to go to the vet or something.

 

[Poetess]

Please remember all natural remedies are still chemicals. Digitalis (Digoxin) is the chemical from the foxglove plant that is the treatment for heart problems. All natural remedies still have potentials for side effects and overdose, so just because they are obtained from natural sources does not mean they are always safe. I do a fair amount of herbal medicine and don't believe in using a chemical of any type when some other option is available or effective.

Sorry about that. I think I misunderstood what you were meaning to convey. I thought you meant by that that it could be/is dangerous. My fibro-fog has struck again. :lol:

He might just be really high-strung, and have some kind of kitty ADHD. The solution seems to be kitty Ritalin (ie - calming collar).

I just wonder if it's possible to train him to channel all that energy into safer play. What I mean is, if the bitter apple/cayenne and all the other stuff can keep him away from the truly dangerous part, maybe it's alright to have him tear around the rest of the time. Personally, if a cat's only 8 months old, I think the collar might be a little drastic (if for no other reason then the financial cost if it's something he'd need his whole life).

I think it might be worth it to try one and see if it calms him down. Then you know the option's there if he's having a really rough time, or needs to go to the vet or something.

Yes, it was my hope that maybe if I got bitter apple to apply to cords and such, then the calming collar (perhaps put it on him at night and when I leave) so he could safely have the run of the house and let me sleep at night and knowing he isn't doing anything dangerous. At this point, he stays in one room at night and if I go to pay a bill or get groceries (that's usually just a couple times a month or so - not often.)

So I was hoping to get some experiences people here have had with collars and which worked best.

I heard from someone that they put one on their cat when it was stressed, but had tried a couple before one worked. However, they couldn't remember the name. Thought maybe asking here would be good.

 

[6cats4me]

Sentry 02101 HC Good Behavior Pheromone Collar for Cats

I use the calming collar on Graybee; have been for the past year and a half. He is my
alpha cat and is the most aggressive cat I've ever shared a home with! I believe the
collar does help, but for about twenty days per collar not for a full month. So I change
Graybee's calming collar every three weeks.


I did try the calming chews and they were a hit at first then my cats just turned their
noses up at them so they were not a success in our house.