Remedies for an aggressive nursing feral mom?

[clixpix]

Hi Dr. Jean, and thanks for any help you can give. I'm fostering a feral mom. She delivered four kittens just one day after capture, and only a few hours after being at the vet and coming to my house. The kittens were born March 27th.

She's a true feral, so I have a feliway diffuser going in her room, and she's getting a bit calmer, but is understandably very protective of her kittens. I was hoping to use some remedy drops to help her stay calm, and help in the socialization process. Since she is a nursing mom, I'm hesitant to give her anything that might be passed in her milk, and adversely affect the kittens, especially since they are so young. Any suggestions?

 

[drjean]

Flower essence are great for this! Rescue Remedy would undoubtedly help, but it isn't really the exact right one here. SpiritEssence has a formula called "Feral Cat Rehabilitation" that has been really helpful for our rescuers.

You could also try surrogate EFT, which is nice because it's simple, free and you can do it from anywhere without being in her face. See my quickie article here: http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...=show&item=010 (the library also has a couple of articles borrowed from Gary Craig's newsletter on using EFT for cats) and the main EFT site at www.emofree.com.

 

[clixpix]

Thanks for the response!

I was hesitant to try some of the calming remedies I had found as they contained valerian, and I was afraid it would be passed through her milk to the kittens. I was afraid that since they are so young that it could have a sedative effect on the kittens. Is there anything in the "Feral Cat Rehabilitation" that I should be concerned about?

 

[drjean]

Nope, it's just flower essences and a little vodka. Since you're only giving a few drops at a time, the vodka doesn't have any effect...and it does evaporate if you let it sit. And topically it has no effect at all, kind of like those hand sanitizers that are mostly alcohol (although those use isopropyl...toxic and tastes nasty--a good way to stop chewing your nails though!)

 

[clixpix]

Originally Posted by DrJean

Nope, it's just flower essences and a little vodka. Since you're only giving a few drops at a time, the vodka doesn't have any effect...and it does evaporate if you let it sit. And topically it has no effect at all, kind of like those hand sanitizers that are mostly alcohol (although those use isopropyl...toxic and tastes nasty--a good way to stop chewing your nails though!)

Well she's going to have to ingest it in food or water...topical isn't really an option right now, especially if I care to keep all my fingers!

Thanks again.

 

[drjean]

You can find more ideas how to get them into the cat here: http://www.spiritessence.com/instructions. There are a few that don't involve touching the cat! She needs to get them a rock bottom minimum twice a day, 4 times is best. So, get creative!

 

[clixpix]

Originally Posted by DrJean

You can find more ideas how to get them into the cat here: http://www.spiritessence.com/instructions. There are a few that don't involve touching the cat! She needs to get them a rock bottom minimum twice a day, 4 times is best. So, get creative!

I called today and spoke with Jackson, and he suggested both "feral cat" and "stress stopper" (for both me and the cat

). Fingers crossed!

 

[drjean]

Ah! That sounds like good advice!

Let us know how it works out!