unadoptables are the best, they grow right into your heart in a matter of minutes. That you have one and won't give up on her makes my heart sing.
One thought since you said she hates being picked up. Some cats do and some cats hate it due to old injuries. Has your vet done a full body x-ray of your cat? One x-ray plate will cover most of the cat. We insisted on this for our aggressive bite you when you pick me up cat. It turned out that at age not quite one year she had arthritis on three vertebra. The x-ray let us know where not to touch when picking her up. Once we got her medicine for that OTC the aggression stopped. She still doesn't like being picked up, but just brushes against our arms and hands with her teeth no biting. Note, had another x-ray done 9 years later and the arthritis is on her sternum.
I don't know it this will help for this visit, but it maybe time to start offering her human food in the never-ending search for treats to stuff pills. We have one who won't touch human food right now, so this is a maybe. Long ago I had one who wouldn't touch it until she saw me eat it. We started with cottage cheese, which is apparently scary looking to someone who ate mice. Think 'can I stuff pills in this' with each offering. Dog food is bad for cats, they love it, but I understand it's not as hygienic as cat food, per a vet tech at my vet. Some cats like whipped cream (Reddi- whip, remember that?) and some like canned cheese. You just never know.
One thought since you said she hates being picked up. Some cats do and some cats hate it due to old injuries. Has your vet done a full body x-ray of your cat? One x-ray plate will cover most of the cat. We insisted on this for our aggressive bite you when you pick me up cat. It turned out that at age not quite one year she had arthritis on three vertebra. The x-ray let us know where not to touch when picking her up. Once we got her medicine for that OTC the aggression stopped. She still doesn't like being picked up, but just brushes against our arms and hands with her teeth no biting. Note, had another x-ray done 9 years later and the arthritis is on her sternum.
I don't know it this will help for this visit, but it maybe time to start offering her human food in the never-ending search for treats to stuff pills. We have one who won't touch human food right now, so this is a maybe. Long ago I had one who wouldn't touch it until she saw me eat it. We started with cottage cheese, which is apparently scary looking to someone who ate mice. Think 'can I stuff pills in this' with each offering. Dog food is bad for cats, they love it, but I understand it's not as hygienic as cat food, per a vet tech at my vet. Some cats like whipped cream (Reddi- whip, remember that?) and some like canned cheese. You just never know.