Hey everyone- I have a big question and I am hoping someone will help me. I have to take my two cats to the vet for their yearly shots. The boy is fairly easy to catch, except when he knows somethings up (like now) the girl however, has always been very skittish and will not allow me to touch her except under certain circumstances like if I'm lying in bed, she'll come up for petting but keeps her distance. I've never abused them, she's been like that that ever since I got them. Over the past year that they've been with me I've tried repeatedly to get her to trust me, but to no avail. They are already late for their shots, so if any body knows of a kind of tranquilizer (odorless and tasteless) that I can put on her food, that would be a big help. And yes, I've already tried cornering her in a small room, she totally freaked out at that- plus I've tried feliway sprayed in the cage. I don't like the idea of drugging her, but I feel I have no other choice. Please help!
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
I need help right now
(29 posts)-
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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Jadete, I know there's something called "Rescue Remedy" that some people use...I've never used it, so not sure if you put a bit on their nose, or put it in drinking water? Maybe someone else here has given it a try..I've heard it recommended, but it does contain alcohol, so I've always shied away from it..I do know that it's sold in most health food stores, and it's by Bach..
I would call your vet and see if they recommend using it before you try it your kitty! -
Maybe the vet would give you something to give your skittish kit before bringing her in. I'm sure they've heard of problems like this before! Good luck!
Posted 3 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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I can't even get near her- she's hiding right now under the bed. If I try on one side she goes out of reach, go to the other side, she goes out of reach. I live alone, so I have to do this myself.
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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Jadette,my Jasper is the same way. If he gets wind of anything unusual he won't let me get near him. I had to reschedule his "spa" appointment last year because of this. I waited a week with his carrier in his room and i finally surprised him and got him in. Since your kitty is pretty skittish anyway I'd call the vet and get some mild type sedation for her otherwise she probably won't let you get near her.
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Buttercup, thats exactly what I'm looking for, but not in pill or shot form. I'd have to catch her for that! I want something she will take on her own without raising suspicions. I don't want to knock her out, just slow her down a bit so I can catch her.
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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thanks Sullis, but not likely. she's way to smart for that! Thanks to everybody, I just went to Drs Foster and Smith website and ordered the Rescue Remedy. 23 dollars plus 10 for shipping!! I hope its worth it, if it is I will sing your praises forevermore!!
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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Cuddles is always difficult!! She never willingly gets in the carrier to go anywhere! Sometimes I have to chase her out from under the bed, corner her, and throw a blanket over her to catch her. It usually helps if I close the door to the room so it limits our chase area. As soon as I have the blanket over her, I can pick her up without her scratching or biting me. She doesn't like it of course, but I always try to be very gentle and speak to her in reassuring tones. Then I put her in the cat box and close tHhe lid, making sure the blanket isn't confining her. Once you get her there, maybe your vet can give you some "kitty valium" for future use. I know an important thing my vet told me when I started traveling with Abby. Never use the travel carrier to take her to the vet. Use a vet box. The travel carrier should be something she associates with "fun" and going places with mommie. The "box" means vet visit - not fun, but necessary. Good luck!! -
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they have drops and spray. I got the drops because the spray goes in their mouth and (again) I'd have to catch her for that. I was also thinking about a dart gun....instinct?
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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just kidding!
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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I think the most common way of using Rescue Remedy is to put it into their bowl of water. What is incredible about it is that it will not affect any other pets who may drink the same water. The problem with water however although it is easier, you really have no control over how much RR they may injest and if it isn't injested quickly, it evaporates from the water. So the best thing when you get it is to try and give it to her orally, put some on her paw so she will lick it off and mix it with a little food. I had always thought that mixing it with food changes the molecular structure but I have recently read that is not the case so using it on food is a good thing.
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Jadete...I know what you're going thru...when we first took in our 4 and they were only 7 weeks old I managed to close up my Sugarfoot in a small bedroom....determined that I could catch her and show her some love and affection. Wow..was that ever a mistake! Not only did I never get my hands on her, my arms had scratches and scabs on them for over a week! Looks like you probably should reschedule and then calmly work on the sneak attack. Would be nice if the vet would pencil in an 'anytime' appt. in lieu of the problem. Good luck, hon. =)
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Thanks Karenopa and Petpntr- when the order comes in, I'll try putting a drop or two on a couple of treats and see if she will eat them. The website said 4 drops- won't that be "watered down" if I put it in water?
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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let me know if it works for him and I'll let you know if it works for her
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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Yes, please let me know if it works--I always have trouble with Patches, even to give her Revolution every month is a nightmare!
Posted 3 years ago by Sheba's Mom in Phoenix, AZ 10/8 #
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Jadete, if you have some flexibility in terms of timing, that may open up some options for you. For instance, if anytime within the next 4 weeks will work for getting her in, you can get her used to eating in the cat carrier.
(First step toward acclimating the cats is to have the carriers out and open (gate either tied or taped open). Position them longwise along a wall, so the kitty doesn't have to walk into the middle of the room to investigate them. Make sure you're not overfeeding the cats. Figure out what her favorite food is.
After several days, start feeding the cats a tablespoon of her favorite food each day - but only in a custard dish in the back of the carriers.
The first few days, she may not muster up the courage to go into the carrier. That's fine. The guy will get two servings, that's all. If she seems absolutely reluctant, you can try different foods, or you can take the top off the carrier altogether.
After several days of eating in the carrier without incident, you can put the top back on the carrier. Make sure the door is jammed open, though, so it won't accidentally shut. Continue getting them used to eating this special treat in the carriers.
Eventually, you should be able to gently shut the door behind the kitty. The first time you do this, your kitty will probably be unhappy. That's fine; immediately let her out again. You don't want her to panic, or to think she'll be in the carrier forever. Practice opening and shutting the door with her in the carrier. Eventually that segues to practicing shutting the door and then picking up the carrier, then putting it down, putting a treat through the bars, letting her eat it, and then letting her out. (Greenies make a great treat.)
Enough calm, gentle, repetitive practice with this, and eventually you'll be able to get the cats into the carriers, shut the doors behind them, and pick them up without issue. Additional steps that can be taken are walking with the carrier, then setting it back down (with a treat); walking out to the car with the carrier; setting the carrier into the car; shutting the car and sitting in the driver's seat; starting the car, then turning it off; taking a short drive around the block; and then, finally, a visit to the vet's office wherein treats are fed through the bars, but the cat never has to get out at the office. (Several trips like that final one are good.)
It's a good thing that your female kitty is so cautious! Such behavior would have helped her survive a good, long time in the great outdoors. But each little step is probably going to make her a little anxious, unless she gets some repetitions wherein nothing bad happens to her; on the contrary, she gets treats when she's in the carrier.
Good luck!
Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #
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Thank you Anncetera! That is a great idea- I think it will take a lot longer than a month though- Like I said, I've been trying to get her to trust me for over a year now. At times she seems like she wants some attention, to be petted and played with, but she keeps her distance. I literally have to stretch to reach her. She is very smart and knows when I'm in a position that is impossible to grab her. Like, when I'm sitting at the computer, she comes up behind me, so I have to reach backwards to pet her. If I turn in the chair, she runs off. Her brother is just the opposite- he comes right up on the desk and sits in front of the screen! As for Revolution, I use that too- I put in on him only and hope that some of it rubs off on her. She just won't let me near her!
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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Jadete, it can take a long time to build up trust in a cat, if that trust has ever been breached. I have a cat who seems very similar to your sweetie in some ways. I made the dreadful mistake of picking her up when she was a feral kitten, about 7 weeks old. She immediately went into the only defensive mode that feral kittens have at that age, when they're picked up by a redtail hawk or similar predator. They fight with absolutely everything they've got!! She bit, scratched, bit some more, and generally did everything she could to induce me to let go. I set her gently back down, and went back inside to clean my wounds.
Ever since then, Violet has been a classic shrinking violet. One strongly negative encounter with me, at an impressionable age, was all it took to set her up for months, if not years, of wary behavior around me. With great patience, slow, calm repetition, and the influence of other kitties in the household, I've been able to finally get her to come to me sometimes when I call. She will now let me pet her sometimes. She will even walk onto my lap, and will let me touch her belly.
She still shows an initial turn of her head away from me, if I reach toward her to pet her. And I *never* *EVER* make anything resembling a grabbing motion toward her. If I ever do that, it will undo so many months of hard work that it will not be worth it.
When she was trapped in a different section of the house, and refused to come out, only extreme hunger drove her to crying out for help. When I found her, I could not get her to come to me; she was obviously frightened and very, very hungry. Even food could not get her to come.
I sat back and thought about the situation. It appeared to me that she'd completely reverted to feral mode - which is normal for a formerly feral cat, when that cat is injured or in great distress. I might have been able to grab her, and restrain her long enough to get her to return to the rest of the house. But I also knew how far back that would set our relationship, in terms of teaching her to trust me with touching her. So I took a different approach.
I blocked off the top of the stairs at the basement landing, so she couldn't wander deeper into unfamiliar house territory. I rearranged things in the bedroom so that she could escape to a corner under the dresser (close to the doorway back into the living area of the house). I also set up food near that doorway.
I had to very gently drive her from her hiding place, making no sudden movements. She behaved like a repelling magnet; get too close, and she'd move the opposite direction. When she finally hid under the dresser, she started her mournful, unhappy wail - even though the doorway was clearly open and unobstructed, and she was free to go, only about 8 feet distant!
So I waited, and talked with her, and helped her become a little less unhappy - but no more brave. Again, I had to very gently nudge her out from under the dresser, while I was across the room. I stayed as far away from her as I could, so I wouldn't make her more uncomfortable by my proximity than I had to. She finally slunk along the wall, to the doorway, and promptly hid in the main area of the house for hours - reintroducing herself to her familiar haunts.
By evening, she was making herself seen again - and I could call her name without her running away. She wouldn't come up just yet, but she didn't always run and hide. I didn't force the situation; I just let her be, to re-establish her comfort levels with her surroundings. Within 2 days, with things more back to normal and her appetite returning, she would come to me much more readily when called.
This ended with a much different scenario than if I had tried to grab her, as part of her return to freedom. I'm positive I wouldn't have been able to touch her for months, if that were the case.
It's been a few weeks since then, and she's returned back to normal. She understands I won't try to pick her up or grab at her, but will instead pet her if she allows it. I will not try to make her do something she doesn't want to do. I will not restrain her. I so thoroughly freaked her out with my one ill-advised move when she was young, that it's taking me a long, long time to establish trust with her. It happens in tiny steps, and there are weeks and months between each step. But you should have seen the smile on my face when she finally decided to step onto my lap one day!
All I can suggest is to exercise patience and no sudden moves. Remember, your kitty is wary for a reason - and that instinct would have served her well, if she were living outdoors as a feral kitty. It doesn't really matter why she's so cautious; you can help her gradually reduce her anxiety and fear by giving her as much control as you can, over her surroundings. Letting her come to you, never grabbing for her, never trying to restrain her will help. If you turn the chair, don't make a move for her or try to grab her or pet her; just turn the chair and say her name. Leave your hands by your side.
Bribing her with treats might help her become less afraid of your hands. I've found that sitting on the floor, and dipping my fingers in unsweetened yogurt, then offering them to have the yogurt licked off, usually helps hands and fingers become much less scary to wary kitties. It takes a few times, but after that they never seem quite as anxious about hands. Her brother licking yogurt off your fingers may help as an example.
Good luck! You definitely have your work cut out for you. Anything you can do to increase trust, increase her control over her environment, and decrease her fear of your hands will be a good thing. Please let us know of any progress you're able to make. In the meantime, if your kitties are strictly indoor kitties, talk with your vet and find out how crucial those annual shots are. Many of them seem to provide immunity longer than 1 year. Or perhaps your vet could make a house call?
Posted 3 years ago by anncetera2 #
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Ann- you are amazing! You have so much patience. But how do you catch your kitty if she won't let you touch her? Have you had any success in getting her into a carrier?
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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Jadete...Thank You. You just managed to drop me to my knees in laughter with the 'dart' suggestion. A very much-needed laugh indeed. I tried the Rescue Remedy (drops) thanks you a wonderful TDKer sending it to me. It worked great for my indoor only kits & calming them down. It didn't help much on the outdoor kitties since we were having problems with raccoons at the time & they would drink up kitty's water. No wonder the cooms are mellow around here.
Anyways...I also tried the very same drops. They worked fantastic for me. Better than my prescription anxiety meds. I hope you have great luck with it.
And Thanks again for the laugh. :) -
Check this video - so funny! I bet this guy has a hard time getting his cat in the carrier too!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo
Funny!
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That was so cute!
Posted 3 years ago by Jadete in TN #
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