Cat Behaviourist coming to see Bernard....

[charliebubs]

I've taken the decision to get a cat shrink :shock: to come and see Bernard, as he's not getting any better. In fact he might even be getting worse. The inappropriate toileting has stopped, but the crying and demanding attention has increased. He woke me up 3 separate times last night; he was just sat at the side of the bed looking up at me and crying.

I'm at my wits end, as I don't know how to help him and cannot carry on like this.

My vets put me in touch with this behaviourist who lives quite locally. I called her this morning and she's coming over on Thursday to meet Bernard and give her diagnosis. :D Fingers crossed that she brings her magic wand!!! :)

Also, I'm collecting Red this weekend and really need to get Bernard sorted. I have thought about delaying getting Red, but have decided to go ahead with getting him. I might as well do it all in one go and hope that Bernard will recover from it all, rather than get him better now and then bring in Red and set him back again.

Thank goodness for insurance that covers referrals to behaviourists.............Bernard's does!!! Phew :roll: It's costing £215 for her consultation :shock: :shock:

I hope I'll be able to report that it was worth every penny!! :cool:

[Donna]

Good luck with the consultation - always wondered if these people really can help with behaviour issues....

[yola]

Good luck Charlie! I hope she does help Bernard. I've got used to Balie sitting by the bed, wailing. In our case, it's him 'asking' if he can get onto the bed . . . 'cept sometimes you actually have to lift him on whereupon he'll settle down and sleep. I can almost do it in my sleep now.

[asya]

good luck with the behaviourist!wow £215 is alot!but im sure it will be worth it!:)

[Mags]

Good luck with the behaviourist Charlie, I really hope she can work wonders with Bernard..........

Oh....and good luck with Red ;) I shall miss his arrival as I will be away....:cool:

[Erin]

Good luck Charlie,really hope she will be able to help :)

[dinahsmum]

Good luck!

[dandysmom]

Fingers crossed that she'll get it sorted for you! When is Red arriving?

[charliebubs]

Fingers crossed that she'll get it sorted for you! When is Red arriving?

Saturday, Eileen. :roll:

Thanks for your support - I hope she can work wonders too!!! :)

[Fran]

I do so hope that the behaviourist will get to the root of Bernard's problems and that she can offer a resolve but £215 :shock: :shock: :shock: I had no idea they were so expensive :shock:

[Elaine]

Wishing you all the very best, I hope she is good and knows her stuff, unlike the one I had visit me. xxx

[Moli]

Hope she manages to help Bernard....

[alexgirl73]

fingers crossed that she can help Bernard Charlie!!

[babycakes]

I have watched behaviourists on TV with animals and they really do seem to help. I don't think anyone could get away with charging that much and not getting a result. I wonder if they work on a no win no fee basis tee hee :lol:
It will be good to get another persrons perspective on the problem though Good luck

[Jac]

Oh Charlie, I'm so sorry it's come to this. Good luck. I hope it works and it's something simple.

Hey he Red is coming to join Catsey. Loads of lovely photo's please:lol:

[Emm]

Good Luck with the behaviourist! I think one of the first signs of a good behaviourist is that they come to your house and evaluate your pet. I had a behaviourist for my dogs last year she was brilliant - only cost me £35 for about 2 hours but that was because she didn't do it as a full time job - although she should have cause she was really good - the dogs are still a bit of a nightmare but thats down to me not her LOL

[charliebubs]

Well, she has rearranged the appointment today :roll: so I'm not sure we're off to a flying start!! lol

She said that the BBC have asked her to do something for the telly and it had to be tomorrow. :?

She wanted to rearrange to next week, but I practically begged her to come on Friday and so she is!! :)

I'll let you know more once she has been on Friday morning.

[dandysmom]

Rats!!! Not till Friday.. :(

[alexgirl73]

is that to do with animal rescue live Charlie

[Fran]

Oh what a shame she had to rearrange :( Glad she managed to fit Bernard in Friday, do let us know what happens...

[whiskey]

fingers crossed she can help you and bernard:)

[charliebubs]

is that to do with animal rescue live Charlie

:? I don't know, Alex :?

I'll ask her tomorrow!

Her name is Kendal Shepherd - let me know if you do see her on the telly!! :)

[Donna]

Good luck for Friday Charlie!

[Jac]

So sorry she has had to put you off. Will be thinking about you tomorrow. What time is she coming?

[charliebubs]

So sorry she has had to put you off. Will be thinking about you tomorrow. What time is she coming?

9am Jacs :shock:

[Mags]

Good luck tomorrow Charlie, I hope she can help Bernard....

[dandysmom]

Fingers crossed for tomorrow, Charlie.!

[dinahsmum]

Oh - It's exactly 9am now! - Hope it's going well

[Fran]

Good luck this morning Charlie, let us know how Bernard gets on....

[Emm]

I can't wait to hear how you get on with the behaviourist today!

[Jac]

Its 10am now. Hope all is going well Charlie. Another hour to go..

[charliebubs]

Haha - thanks Jac!! :)

Yes, she has been and gone and done her stuff. :) She was really, really nice and had some great suggestions. Now the real test will be trying them out. :shock:

She said that my set up here is wonderful and the cats couldn't ask for anything more. She loved the enclosed garden and said that she wished she'd brought her camera to take photos to show other clients what they could be doing to make their cats' lives wonderful :oops:

She basically said that she doesn't think it is an anxiety issue any more. It probably was an anxiety problem to start with when we moved house, but now it is more of a bad habit that Bernard has learned. :(

She thinks that perhaps the 2 nights he spent in the cattery while I moved changed his perspective on his relationships with me and with the other cats. He (apparently) has now realised how much he needs and loves me, and how he has me wrapped around his little paw, and he's taking advantage of that. He knows now that when he cries I will pick him up/cuddle/comfort/feed him (anything to get him to be quiet really!!). So, it's a learnt behaviour :roll: we now need to un-learn.

I am going to shut him in the kitchen at night with access to the outside, food, water, a bed etc. I am also going to change the feeding routein and feed them last thing at night before I go to bed. I'm going to feed him more of a raw diet too, as he likes that and it should keep him occupied for longer! Finally, I'm going to get another Feliway for the kitchen.

We're going to try this for a couple of weeks and see how we go and then I have to report back to her!

Fingers crossed. :)

(Alex, I asked her about her TV filming and it was for BB1's Inside Out. It was about dangerous dogs and will be shown in October.) :)

[Jac]

I'm glad your feeling more possitive Charlie. Lets hope she's hit the nail on the head. Would some bachs rescue help in his water?
All paws crossed here for you. I hope her advice works. Keep us posted please.

[Emm]

she sounds really good! It all makes total sense what she said - hopefully this will help loads :)

[Fran]

She sounds really helpful Charlie and you are sounding much more positive about things too! Do let us know how it all goes. What did she say in relation to Red coming?

[dinahsmum]

Tuff-love for our Bernard then? Hope it does the trick CB :)

[charliebubs]

She sounds really helpful Charlie and you are sounding much more positive about things too! Do let us know how it all goes. What did she say in relation to Red coming?

She wasn't too worried about Red coming, as it now seems that he's not anxious/stressed like I thought :roll:

She thinks that as long as we all have a routine to stick to that should be fine. I'll introduce Red to the girls first though and take it very slowly with Bernard, just to be safe!!

I've been and got another Feliway this afternoon, so there is now one upstairs and one downstairs, so hopefully that will help them all with Red's arrival too.

I do feel much more positive about things with Bernard and I'm pleased that it's just because he loves me!!! lol ;)

Tough love is what's in order, but it kind of seems more acceptable now that she's told me that's what I have to do. I don't feel like I'm just being mean :?

I'll keep you all posted on how it goes!!!! :)

[dandysmom]

I'm impressed! Those all sound like excellent ideas; funny how something you never thought of can seem so obvious when it's pointed out: he's trained you! Lots of luck with the new routine!

[alexgirl73]

She sounds great Charlie (and I'll keep an eye out for the programme lol). I really hope that Bernard responds quickly to his new regime! Fingers crossed for you both!

[Elaine]

Good to hear you sounding more possitive. Good luck xxx

[Mags]

Sounds like a worthwhile couple of hours Charlie and what she said made sense...:D

I hope Bernard now responds to your new routine ...... and you get plenty of sleep ;)

Good luck with Red too!

[Moli]

Amazing to think he has trained you Charlie...hope he settles now with the new routine..

[Erin]

Hows he getting on Charlie?

[charliebubs]

Hows he getting on Charlie?

Well, so far so good :)

I'm walking away when he comes to me crying during the day, but then calling him when I want to give him a fuss.

Last night was the first night he slept in the kitchen and it seemed to go well. I left the kitchen window open so he could go outside too, which meant that the girls were confined in for the night as I had to lock the catflap to stop him coming back in that way :roll: but they didn't seem to mind.

Same again tonight and then after a few nights I'll leave the kitchen door open and see if he has changed his ways!!!

[Erin]

Glad its going well Charlie,hope he continues to improve :)

[Jac]

Charlie I'm so pleased it's going well for you and Bernard. Please keep us posted.