No, you're not a horrible person! I'm sure you'll do everything you can to help him. I would talk to the vet about it when you take him there, and make sure there isn't a health issue underlying. Being moved around really stresses most cats out.

We were having numerous issues with one of our cats. He was urinating in the house, and was having episodes where his tail would "chase" him. After being medicated for a urine crystal build-up, and switching food to one that supports bladder health, it made a huge difference. However, we had just bought a townhouse and knew from previous moves that it really stresses him out.

After doing some research, we thought that trying Feliway couldn't hurt. It's a plug-in diffuser that releases cat pheromones, and basically it makes your cat feel more relaxed/at home. It's expensive, and in Canada you can only get it from the vet, but I think in the states pet stores carry it. We ended up ordering some off of ebay, and plugged it in 2 days before we moved in. I really feel like it made his transition less stressful. It's supposed to decrease scratching, spraying, and evasive behaviour. Might be worth a try?

Thanks for the reassurance. I think because I've never had a cat of my own (I've lived in a house with my parents' cats since I was younger but I've never been personally responsible for a cat), I assumed that a cat would be no more difficult to train than a dog. Boy, was I wrong! I think I feel selfish because I long for the days when it was just us and Teddy. He's at the point in his life and training with me where I can trust him off leash and he's well-socialized. Now I feel like.. just as things are calming down with him, there's a new animal to worry about. It's not the cat's fault, which is why I want to help him as much as I can, especially considering the groomer who found him doesn't have much money to spend on him.

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Thanks to Jan for my siggy!

how old is this cat? my bf when we first got his feral cat we got him from a lady who was takin care of him ever since he was born from craigslist outside from a feral mother. we first noticed he growled and spit a lot. even when he met dexter he did it for a couple weeks. as for the homelife he was very playful and didnt bite. of course he got into mischief as thats what kittens do. he is now over a year old and is more territorial and meows a lot but not like regular meows....kinda like the ones the wild cats do lol. we think he may be part savannah or some other wild breed as he grew enormous! he is all muscles too and is quite heavy to hold. now sometime last year the bf found another feral kitten around his area that was supposed to be a foster kitten....but he ended up keepin her. yup a female...she was completely different. she didnt spit but did growl....my poor dexter another kitten groelin at him lol. but he loves cats. she cries a lot and whines but gives lotsa kisses and always wants to be near u. so in my experience i thibk feral females are much calmer than feral males hope everythin works out for u

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"I told him that if a lady who doesn't cook can make such yummy Jerky for Dexter then we can do it too" - Lynx8456

http://www.facebook.com/dextersheep

I had him tested for heartworm and feline leukemia. He was negative for both (yay!) so I'll be starting him on heartworm/flea preventative tomorrow.

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Thanks to Jan for my siggy!