Conference misery::feline_v1

    Something very similar happened to my mom, who also has a Siamese,
    when my dad had to go in the hospital.  Alfie reacted much like
    Mijo - refusing to eat, sleeping on my dad's pillow and refusing
    to play.  He's an only cat and depends on mom and dad for all of
    his recreation.  At first my mom just thought he was out of sorts
    and didn't pay too much attention to it, but after three days of
    hardly eating she really got worried.
    
    What she did was to really baby him (if that's any more possible)
    enticing him with his favorite treats, holding him a lot etc.  He
    finally snapped out of it but even when he started to eat again
    he wasn't really himself until dad came back home three weeks later.
    
    Try to get him eating if you can - is he drinking water?  Maybe
    some extra TLC will do the trick.
    
    
    
    Giudi in S.F. (Pippin, Gino & Stitch Too)
    
    P.S.  My three all jump in the suitcases when were packing.  Just
    tell me they don't know!

    Five years ago I went on an extended business trip to the UK; I was 
    gone for almost three months. A friend and her husband lived in my 
    house while I was away and took care of my two cats, Junie and Nikki. 
    Junie was a Siamese whom I'd had from the time he was born, and we 
    were very attached to one another. After I left, my friends told me 
    Junie wasn't eating or playing and spent most of his time in my bedroom 
    sleeping, totally out of character for him. I felt so bad for him. I 
    had them put his food, water, and litter in there and asked them to 
    give him extra attention. He did seem to adjust after a while.

    The day I returned, I walked into the house and stood in the doorway 
    of the livingroom. Junie was sleeping on a chair on the far side of 
    the room. As soon as he saw me -- I hadn't even said a word at this 
    point -- he jumped off the chair and came over to me, crying loudly 
    all the way. He didn't stop crying for a good 24 hours, and wouldn't 
    let me out of his sight for a minute! He followed me wherever I went
    in the house. All night long he slept close to my head and kept maa, 
    maa, maaing and sticking his cold little nose on my neck. He was 
    telling me about everything that had happened while I was gone. (In 
    addition to having all these strange people in his house, his beloved 
    companion Nikki had died of feline leukemia.) You could hear the anxiety 
    in his voice. All I could do was keep petting him and trying to reassure 
    him. He finally calmed down after a couple of days. 

    Mijo doesn't know how lucky he is that *you* are there! I think the 
    best you can do is baby him and tell him your husband misses him, will 
    be home soon, etc.  Maybe you could also put out some of your husband's 
    clothing that would have his scent on it for Mijo to sleep on and be
    comforted by.

    You and Mijo have my sympathy. Good luck!

    Linda

    Hfave your husband make a tape and play it every few hours. Or
    you tape his calls if they come over a speaker phone - That
    way the cat can hear his voice frequently and won't miss him
    as much .  might work - just a thought
    
    E.T.

    When my husband went into the hospital for surgery my cat, Cuddles who
    is also siamese, was worried sick. I tried not to show her I too was
    worried (not easy to do - her can sense anything that is wrong with
    "her people"). I would come home and Cuddles would cry and walk around
    the apartment looking for her "daddy". She would also eat to the point 
    of making her self sick. To help her til he got home I gave her lots and 
    lots of attention (she loved every bit of it). I would talk to her - 
    saying "Daddy misses you and he will be home soon" Cuddles must have 
    understood because she did not cry as much. When my he did final get 
    home, Cuddles gave him wholly h**l for being gone soooooo long.
    
    Crys   

    The speakerphone may not be so good. We have a little dog (I know
    he is not a cat) but when my husband was out of town he would talk
    to him on the phone and it got him more upset because he could hear
    him but not find him. The kitty may adjust faster if he doesn't
    hear the voice and start looking for him all over again. Extra
    attention helps all of us in stress.
    Sandy
    

    Thank you all for your advice.  I have been spending extra time
    with him.  However, he still refuses to play.  I've gotten him
    to eat a little.  It's going to be costly.  I'm feeding him some
    Gerber chicken baby food.  He used to have it when he was very little.
    It was his favorite food.  Anyways, he's eating that and only that.
    I plan on spending the entire day with the 2 cats tomorrow. Hopefully
    that should do the trick.  He's really quite amazing to watch.
    
    Wait until my husband comes home from his busines trip.  Mijo is
    going to let him have it.  I can't wait to watch the sparks fly.
    Mijo is really opinionated when it come to having his "daddy" at
    home.
    
    		Thanks again.....   counting down the days until
                Thanksgiving.
    
    				Shelly, Selina, & Mijo

    
    same again...
    
    my first cat, cissy, was a sealpoint siamese. over the yearz, i would
    leave her twice a year (to visit my folkz in florida). taking the cat
    along was out of the question because of my mother.  also, cissy never
    travelled well.
    
    the first time i went, my neighbor (who alwayz came in and looked after
    cissy on my jauntz) reported that the cat did not eat, drink her water,
    or do much of anything.  the cat'z reaction when i returned was
    incredibly joyous. she followed me around for dayz, not letting me out
    of her sight.
    
    on subsequent tripz, she got better and better.  she got to the point
    where her routine was barely interrupted.  she would eat and even play
    a bit.  i think it all boilz down to the fact that the first time, she
    did not know whether i was coming back or not. on later tripz, she did
    better, because she knew eventually i would come back through the door.
    
    and yes, she alwayz knew what was coming because of the suitcasez...
    
    diane