You might enjoy the fireworks tonight, but kitty may be hiding under the bed. There’s a new solution for helping cats through stressful situations, like fireworks, storms or other loud events, vet visits, car trips, and grooming. It’s the Thundershirt – an invention that’s been used for years to reduce anxiety in dogs — now available for cats, and it’s proving to be quite a useful tool.

The Thundershirt is a little vest that applies gentle, constant pressure to your cat’s torso, calming them and reducing anxiety. According to the Thundershirt website, “anxiety experts believe that pressure has a calming effect on the nervous system and may release calming hormones like endorphins or oxytocins.” Using pressure to calm and relieve anxiety is common practice: parents swaddle newborn babies, pressure has been used to relieve anxiety in people with autism and with children having certain behavioral problems, and vets and trainers have used gentle pressure when working with animals for years.

Here is a testimonial from a cat guardian who has had success with the Thundershirt:

“Thundershirt has been successful in eliminating Jack’s vocalizing in the car and at home, and reduced hiding at home. His symptoms of fear during noisy events, such as vacuuming and thunder, have been completely eliminated. He will stay in the same room now and even watch me vacuum. During thunder, he calmly sits beside me and will even sleep stretched out on my bed. He has expressed a much calmer nature while wearing his Thundershirt. I am so glad to have it.”

Lynnette
Lithonia, Georgia

The company gave me a Thundershirt to test with my cats. I’m trying it with Andy, who is generally high-strung, and Ratso, who is having some anxiety around the new foster kittens (she’s not a fan). You need to get your cat used to wearing the vest, which can take a little training. At first, you may get the “Freeze & Flop” where the cat becomes immobilized and falls over, but the Thundershirt website has excellent guidelines for working with your cat to get the maximum benefit from the product. Once the cats have become accustomed to wearing the Thundershirt, they can move around easily and symptoms are reduced immediately. Check out the FAQ page on the Thundershirt website for lots of useful information. I’m still getting Andy and Ratso used to it and will keep you posted on their progress.

The Thundershirt is easy to put on and can be adjusted to apply varying amounts of pressure as needed. It is made of lightweight breathable material and can be machine washed. This is a simple, drug-free solution for reducing anxiety in cats, and it’s an affordable solution, too, at just $39.95.

ENTER TO WIN!

One lucky reader is going to win a Thundershirt to try with their cat! The winner will get to specify the size (S, M, L). To enter, please leave a comment on this post telling us why you need a Thundershirt. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing and announced on July 11, 2012. One entry per person. This giveaway is limited to addresses in the US and Canada.

Thanks to everyone for your comments on the Spirit Essences giveaway! Jackson wishes he could answer all of you personally, but he had to choose five top comments that he feels represent some common issues, so hopefully you’ll see some tips here that you can use, too. Each of the following readers will receive the recommended Spirit Essences formulas. Keep an eye out for an email from me with details.

Note: Detailed instructions come with each of the Spirit Essences, plus you can find more information on how to use Spirit Essences on their website.

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1. Amanda – Stressed Out Kitty

“My 10 year old kitty has been having more issues with urinating outside his box. I took him to our vet who states he thinks my cat is stressed out due to my schedule change at work. I bought him a “cat condo” so he could have his own space, which appears to have helped him a little, but he still appears to be stressed and anxious when I leave. I can hear him crying by the front door and when I get home from work he is in the front window meowing. I really think that the Separation Anxiety Spirit Essences could be a great thing for him and would help him relax while I am away. I just wish there was a way for him to know that I will be back and for him not to stress so much. Help!”

Recommended Spirit Essences: Separation Anxiety & Stress Stopper
Use Separation Anxiety as the base remedy. Administer in food and water, and by physical application. Have Stress Stopper on hand for flare ups. Separation Anxiety keeps things grounded, while Stress Stopper is for when the cat is acting out, like when he meows while you’re home. Immediately apply Stress Stopper when you get home.

Jackson’s Tips
Don’t unconsciously support his separation anxiety. Because we know the cat thinks it’s a big deal when we leave, we tend to make a big thing out of leaving, saying things like “it’s okay, I’ll be back”, but you should break this habit. Shift your routine to take the focus off your leaving. If he’s food motivated, give him something to do while you’re leaving, like a treat ball or puzzle ball for him to play with. Try feeding at a different time or leaving music on or spoken word, like talk radio, at a low level. Leaving some lights on may help, too.

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2. Jessica – Is Benson a Bully?

“Wow, what an awesome opportunity! I loved Jackson’s show and completely trust any product he stands behind. My kitty boy, Benson could probably benefit from the Bully Remedy. He lived his first year as a feral cat, so his behavior is understandable, but he is particularly “mean” at feeding time, most likely because he is not used to knowing where his next meal is coming from. He has two kitty sisters, Kaleigh and Harper (who is new to the family). Prior to meal time he runs around and jumps on/bites them. He also tries to eat out of everyone’s bowl. Not only am I worried about the girls eating, but he is beginning to pack on the pounds. He also goes through spats where he will chase them around the house. Would love to find something to make the house a little happier!”

Recommended Spirit Essences: Feral Cat Rehabilitation
Actually, he’s not a bully, he’s holding on to the behavioral muscle memory of growing up feral. Use Feral Cat Rehab to build trust, not with humans but with the notion that his food source is secure. Use as the base remedy for 1 month, administering in food and water, misting the room, and applying topically 3 to 4 times a day.

Jackson’s Tips
Separate the cats if needed, and feed them in different places. Try using bowls that slow him down, like this one, or you can use a large rock in the middle of the bowl to make eating more of a challenge. Active play before mealtime will drain his unwanted energy.

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3. Teresa – Ubu’s Aggression

“Hi! I’m having trouble with my three cats. I love them all dearly, but they don’t seem to tolerate each other very well. Two are biological brothers and they get along famously, however their adoptive sister is another story. Her name is Ubu and she gets aggressive around cats and new people. Living with her brothers stresses her out so they are separated from each other, however, I would like to remedy this situation. Hopefully Spirit Essences will resolve this because I’m willing to try anything!”

Recommended Spirit Essences: Ultimate Peacemaker
The Ultimate Peacemaker kit is a three formula set including Peacemaker, Bully  Remedy, and Self Esteem Remedy. Peacemaker should be misted around the house and used in all water bowls. Use Bully Remedy topically for Ubu and Self Esteem Remedy topically and in wet food for the other cats. The three remedies used together help to promote getting along. The goal is to bring Ubu’s aggression level down while building up the esteem of the others.

Jackson’s Tips
Controlled reintroduction is recommended. The cats need to be reintroduced as though they’ve never meet before. Use mealtime to build positive associations.

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4. Linda – The Challenge Line

“My beautiful tabby Jules is painfully shy. I’m the only person he lets near him, otherwise he’s under the bed. Even the sound of a doorbell on a TV show or the sound of neighbors talking outside sends him running to my bedroom.”

Recommended Spirit Essences: Scaredy Cat & Stress Stopper
Jules is a perfect candidate for Scaredy Cat as the base remedy. It was acutally developed for “closet cats” or “under the bed cats.” Administer in food and water, mist around the house, and apply topically. Also, apply Stress Stopper topically as needed. Stress Stopper is a remedy that everyone should have in their kit. It’s like vibrational first aid.

Jackson’s Tips
Jules needs to have structured challenges, you can’t cater to the fear. Check out my video below where I talk about The Challenge Line. You need to challenge him everyday and not let him stay in his comfort zone. Try bringing someone else into the house everyday. Use food as an incentive, use toys, bring the bowl closer to the door. Find out where he’s comfortable and where he will go, and bring him to that line everyday.

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5. Holly – Arnold’s Trauma

“My husband and I are currently guardians to a cat clan of nine. All have been rescued in some capacity– some directly off the street, as I used to live in an area known as the local cat dumping ground– but my biggest and saddest problem is my 2-year-old shelter rescue, Arnold. Arnold came home from the shelter as a kitten with a terrible upper respiratory infection. Our vet prescribed antibiotics and lysine, and instructed us to keep him separated from the other cats until he was better. The sad part is that Arnold came to associate the arrival of humans in “his” space–especially if the human petted him or picked him up– with having to take medicine, which he hated, fought against, and cried about until we cried, too. To this day, Arnold runs away in fear when he is approached by any human, including us. He is a loving boy when he approaches on his own terms and he gets along well with the other cats, but he will run away even if we humans are just passing by to go from one room to another, and it breaks my heart.”

Recommended Spirit Essences: Trauma-Free & Stress Stopper
Arnold is trapped in a cycle of post traumatic stress disorder. He has a negative association with humans. One bottle of Trauma-Free over a month will help to peel away the layers of trauma. Use it as the base remedy in food and water, mist the house, and apply it topically 3 to 4 times a day. Also use Stress Stopper, because as the trauma is being remedied, it may get a little worse before it gets better. If there is an outburst, Stress Stopper should be applied topically.

Jackson’s Tips
Try to always make the opposite choices, for example, don’t pick him up, don’t do things that are not on his terms. Use an interactive toy for him to follow around the room. This will bring him toward you when he follows the toy. Clicker training may help. Find a treat that he loves. Put it on the floor near you until he comes to you, then use the clicker to reinforce the positive behavior.

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We hope these tips will help a lot of you resolve some of the issues you are having with your cats! Remember, you can get 10% off your order at spiritessences.com with coupon code MODERNCAT. Also, be sure to watch the season two premiere of Jackson’s show My Cat From Hell this Saturday on Animal Planet! Check out the schedule here.

Do you have a sprayer in your house? This video discusses feline spraying, giving a good overview of the topic and offering a couple of possible solutions.

Do you have other suggestions for dealing with feline spraying? Please leave a comment here to share your experience.

Thanks to VideoJug for this great cat behavior & training video.

This video outlines the steps of clicker training a cat. I’ve heard of this technique, but I was never really clear about how it is supposed to work. I always assumed that the clicker was for deterring bad behavior but that is not the case. Clicker training is a positive reinforcement method and the clicker sound is used to communicate when the animal has done the right thing. Positive reinforcement, also known as operant conditioning, rewards the animal for positive or desired behavior. The video helps to clarify.

Karen Pryor, an expert in clicker training, narrates this video made by clicker trainer Catherine Crawmer. You can find quite a bit of information on clicker training at www.clickertraining.com.

Has anyone ever tried this? How did it work for you?