Terrified cat

[zoecloe]

Hi, I'm new here and it's a long story I've had cats all my life, have 3 right now. My youngest had an accident when she was 15 months old, that was 4 years ago, had surgery and obviously visited the vet quite a number of times. She's a very shy, incredibly sweet cat, very clever to learn words and follow orders. She's also quite irreflexible when scared, much more than any other cat I've ever had. Now, two days ago, I had to take my oldest cat to the vet due to (sadly serious) health issues. When we came back, she naturally smelled to "vet clinic" and that seems to have triggered absolute terror in the youngest. I hoped she would calm down as the day went by, but she's spent these two days hiding from her former best friend and hissing at her when she gets close. I've always been able to handle & correcting behaviour issues, even if it takes time, but this particular case had never happened to me and I'd like to know if someoen else has gone through this and how they've handled the situation. It's really sad to see one of he cats very scared and the other, older and ill, confused by her friend's behaviour.

 

[DreamerRose]

This happened briefly to me after I took Lily to the vet for her annual vaccinations. When I let her out of the carrier, Mingo hissed at her and fluffed up, looking at her like she was the thing from the black lagoon. It took a while for the odor to wear off, and when it did, he recognized her and was back to his normal self.

Your terrorized cat is taking a long time getting over it. If you have any of the Feliway spray, you might spray the older cat with it so she doesn't have so much vet-clinic scent on her. Maybe put a diffuser in shy kitty's room, too, so she calms down.

 

[zoecloe]

Oh, that's a great idea. I will give it a try and see how that evolves. Thanks for answering!

 

[Jcatbird]

I take care of a lot of kitties so we have lots of vet visits. I always take a towel with me to gather vet scent. I rub each kitty with the towel, including the one that went to the vet, to spread the scent among them all. They all smell the same afterwards so no one cat is viewed as offensive. The reaction you got is very common. Especially for a kitty that is more nervous. You can also brush all kitties to scent swap. I’m glad you came to TCS. This is a great place to mingle with others who have had similar issues and to find support for any questions you may have. Welcome! Please do post back and let us know if the scent swapping helps.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

like Jcatbird has said it sounds like it's all about the sent of the cat that has been to the vet. Follow the advice and you should be sorted good luck.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Is the ill cat on any medications? If so, and the scent swap doesn't resolve the issue, it could be the meds. Cats can smell things that we humans cannot. So, keep that in mind if things don't improve shortly. At that point, you could try the vanilla trick to see if that might mask the smell of the medications. Ode to vanilla extract. Sorry your oldest cat is sick, I hope she gets well soon and that your youngest one is back to being her best buddy in the very near future!

 

[zoecloe]

Thank you all for the welcome and advices. I've been trying to help with scent masking and my crazy baby has calmed down a little, but she's on the nervous side so it may take time. As for Pompeii, my older ball of fur, though the vet still wants some more tests to confirm because it's rare at her age apparently (11 y.o.,) everything points at PIF so she's on corticosteroids right now. That's also the reason why I'd like her to be as calm and happy as possible in a friendly enviroment.

 

[Tobermory]

If you have any of the Feliway spray, you might spray the older cat with it so she doesn't have so much vet-clinic scent on her.

Yikes! From the Feliway website:

• Never spray directly on your cat!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thank you all for the welcome and advices. I've been trying to help with scent masking and my crazy baby has calmed down a little, but she's on the nervous side so it may take time. As for Pompeii, my older ball of fur, though the vet still wants some more tests to confirm because it's rare at her age apparently (11 y.o.,) everything points at PIF so she's on corticosteroids right now. That's also the reason why I'd like her to be as calm and happy as possible in a friendly enviroment.

PIF - Are you referring to FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis)? I hope not! Was she ever tested for corona virus in the past? That is what can lead to FIP, if it mutates. And, generally it doesn't typically mutate unless there are other illnesses/that weaken the immune system and allow it to mutate. Not always the case, but usually so. There is a test out called FIP Virus Real PCR that is supposed to confirm or rule out FIP. You might ask the vet about this.

Keep us posted on both of your babies!

 

[zoecloe]

Yes, sorry, I wrote the acronym in my language, Spanish, out of habit. I did mean FIP, sadly. I've been reading a lot about it since Friday, when all this started and actually read about that test, now that you mention it. I did know something about it but honestly not much, I had never come across any cat who had suffered it in this form. She does have a lot of liquid in the stomach, fortunately no pain. Our vet already took samples to analize and the looks of them aren't promising at all. I'll be getting news from her on Monday and taking the cat there again to see how it goes from there. I'll ask her then.

 

[FeebysOwner]

 

[DreamerRose]

Yikes! From the Feliway website:

• Never spray directly on your cat!

You can spray it on a towel and then rub the cat down.