Gizmo the cat had become withdrawn and stopped interacting with her owners. She no longer went outside and instead would sit on the windowsill looking out at the garden.

A number of events had occurred over the past few years which had caused Gizmo to become fearful of other cats and consequently too anxious to go outside and into certain areas of the house. The owners had attempted to encourage Gizmo to be interactive, inadvertently making her feel more insecure and causing her to withdraw further. The treatment programme involved increasing the number of resources in the house and providing a number of high-up resting places to increase her sense of security, alongside pheromonatherapy. Hiding places were provided throughout the garden so she could look out for other cats. The owners stopped attempting direct interaction with Gizmo and instead played hands-off games using fishing rod toys and activity feeders. Despite one major uncontrollable factor of a neighbourhood cat, with dedication from the owners Gizmo’s confidence gradually increased and she was soon the friendly cat the owners knew and loved, venturing outside once more.