My little Blitz is so jumpy that sometimes when Teddy jingles his way back inside after a potty break, Blitz scatters and desperately searches for a way out. Then, I watch him flatten out on the carpet, look up and sometimes, but only sometimes, he realizes its only Teddy and he loves Teddy. Teddy has never hurt him. Teddy likes to play with him. Teddy even licks him sometimes. Then Blitz relaxes and goes about his business, weaving between Teddy's legs and swatting at his tail.
Blitz is like that with strangers too, ever vigilant to strange sounds, even on television. Nick has trouble approaching him, but at least he can sometimes. Nick works at it. Whenever someone new comes to the house, the minute Teddy and I trundle downstairs to answer the door, I can see Blitz scattering. He has safe places, inside the couch, between boxes in the sewing room, and under my bed. If he's feeling particularly brave with company, he'll sit under the computer desk and look at them.
Can kittens have PTSD?
It's like the poor guy lived in a battle zone and at any second, the enemy, a dog or a human, can descend and take him out with whatever noise he is making.
How do you cure PTSD in a kitten if he has it?
***
Don't you love the Internet? I just found this site for PTSD in dogs. Apparently, people haven't gotten around to handling hyper-vigilant kittens. But the advice is sound. Make a safe place for them, make sure they get to play, and have lots of patience with them.
So, when my sister and all of the rest of the family come to the house this afternoon after we go tubing on the river, I'm going to lock Bitzie into my room with some yummy food and the litter box so he can feel safe and relax on my bed. Then, when everyone is gone, he can come upstairs and lie on my belly, take a deep breath, and feel the love.
Thank you for listening, jb
Blitz is like that with strangers too, ever vigilant to strange sounds, even on television. Nick has trouble approaching him, but at least he can sometimes. Nick works at it. Whenever someone new comes to the house, the minute Teddy and I trundle downstairs to answer the door, I can see Blitz scattering. He has safe places, inside the couch, between boxes in the sewing room, and under my bed. If he's feeling particularly brave with company, he'll sit under the computer desk and look at them.
Can kittens have PTSD?
It's like the poor guy lived in a battle zone and at any second, the enemy, a dog or a human, can descend and take him out with whatever noise he is making.
How do you cure PTSD in a kitten if he has it?
***
Don't you love the Internet? I just found this site for PTSD in dogs. Apparently, people haven't gotten around to handling hyper-vigilant kittens. But the advice is sound. Make a safe place for them, make sure they get to play, and have lots of patience with them.
So, when my sister and all of the rest of the family come to the house this afternoon after we go tubing on the river, I'm going to lock Bitzie into my room with some yummy food and the litter box so he can feel safe and relax on my bed. Then, when everyone is gone, he can come upstairs and lie on my belly, take a deep breath, and feel the love.
Thank you for listening, jb
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