This Cat Is The Devil!

[jen]

You said she had a bad reaction to sedation but what exactly happened? Was she given too much and was out of it for way too long? There are different kinds out there you could try.

 

[ldeluca]

Can you desensitize her to the bag? The blanket I use is my cats absolute favorite blanket to sleep on. If I used something she isn’t used to she’s smart enough that she’d know when that item comes out something bad is going to happen.

I had to desensitize her to her cat carrier too. I put her favorite treat (whipped cream-she’s naughty) in the front of the bag. Then when she ate that I praised her. Every day I moved it further back in the bag until she was completely inside the bag. Now she sleeps in it.

Thank you, it's so weird bc she just absolutely freaks out over the bag, she gets terrified of being enclosed. My husband tried putting her favorite treats in the carrier and all, she just hunkered down and whined then ran away. We've only had her a few months and unfortunately, she was abused prior, we've already worked through a lot of her trust issues, but this seems to be one issue she will not budge on yet.

 

[ldeluca]

If you have someone who can help, one can wrap her upper body and head in a large towel and hold that end while the second works on the mat. She isn’t going to be happy but it should work.

My husband and I have tried EVERYTHING, we have 5 other cats, as well, including a giant Maine Coon, but this poor little girl is just not having it. This is the same cat who curls up on my pillow and purrs at night, but put her near a bag or carrier or anything enclosed and the devil comes out of her. She can't stand it if she's in a room and you close the door, she loses her mind if I pull out a garnage bag to put in the garbage, she has a fit! Hoping she will eventually lose her fear, we've been working with her and trying to wrap her in a blankie and stuff but she's sooo terrified.

 

[ldeluca]

^Done it.
And no they're not happy. But they do forgive.
A big no no is getting upset yourself (the owner) when they freak out, or going into it on your tiptoes, thinking "oh, I just KNOW she's going to lose her mind". Battle lost right there (and yep, I'm guilty. As charged. Multiples times.)
Approach it like you'd approach a kid throwing a tantrum over going to the dentist. You don't like hauling a kid off to something they consider their possible death chair, but you know it's for their own good and you stay calm, act cool and happy, and stay quiet.
(I'll repeat, STAY QUIET and keep your voice down! No shouting or squeaking "IT'S OK IT'S OK GOOD GIRL CALM DOWN NO DON'T BITE" and tensing up. I learned that one from a horse, he started acting spooky, I panicked and got all jumpy and made him MORE nervous... which gave me a nice hoof print on my ass.)

Thank you, and yes, we have tried EVERYTHING, haha. It's going to just be a few days of us slowly getting out a little bit with our hands here and there until she builds up a tolerance and isn't so scared, I guess. Horses can definitely be mean, haha.

 

[ldeluca]

You said she had a bad reaction to sedation but what exactly happened? Was she given too much and was out of it for way too long? There are different kinds out there you could try.

As far as the bad reaction, she was an absolute terror to actually try and get sedated in the first place, but our vet has a lot of experience with traumatized rescues so it was ok. She does have a minor heart issue so it was suggested not to sedate her in any way unless absolutely necessary.

 

[ldeluca]

I did put some olive oil on the mat last night, will see what happens.

 

[ldeluca]

The worst part is, we know her awful history so we are trying to be as gentle with her as possible when it comes to things that scare her, she won't even sleep in a cat bed that is covered, she prefers the open ones, or my pillow. She's super afraid of being closed in, our vet jokingly said she's claustrophobic.

 

[1 bruce 1]

You've mentioned she has an awful history, traumatized, etc?

 

[ldeluca]

She definitely does, and it disgusts me to even think about it. In a nutshell, she was a rescue from South Carolina (we live in NY) and when she was taken in, she had a lot of missing fur, her teeth were a mess, she had burn marks on her chest and legs (yes burn marks, we have all her medical records) she had a collar that was so tight that it started abrading her skin, her ears and eyes were both infected, she had an infected wound under her chin, she was terrified of being held or touched, 2 of her nails were broken, she was a mess, and the worst part is, she was a kitten! She's only about 11 months old now, and this poor little thing had such a rough start. She HATES being enclosed, to the point where she hyperventilates. She's a totally different cat now of course, she is loving and sweet and smart, but that took A LOT of time, care, and patience. This is just her only hangup, and I totally understand why.

 

[Jem]

This probably won't be a miracle cure but I have a high anxiety cat and we started giving him these calming treats that I really feel takes the edge off. They don't do much when it comes to vet visits but they do help when it comes to nail trimmings, thunderstorms and if "something" freaked him out.
They're called "Head to Tail - calming", they have them for cats and dogs so make sure you get the right one if you want to try them. I get them at Pet Value, not sure if you have one of those where you are from, but I'm sure you could get them on-line if not.
I find that whenever he is upset, or I need to do something he does not like, I'll give him one and usually within 20 mins or so he's all calm and relaxed. Then I quickly do what I need to, then give him treats (different ones), say good boy and walk away. He has with time learned that I will not and do not hurt him, and sometimes I don't even need to give him the calming treat for something like nail trimming anymore.

 

[ldeluca]

I need these!! Thank you so much! She's generally a really great cat, just has a severe aversion to being touched in that area, I've never seen anything like it. I'm assuming it's bc of her prior injuries there, which is understandable.

 

[happilyretired]

When my first cat (long haired) was about 17, she began to resist brushing/combing and, naturally, developed mats. I was unable to handle her, so I had the vet deal with it. She had to make several trips to the vet in the 3 years before she passed to the Rainbow Bridge, but she was mat free.

I don't know if every vet hospital has a tech for grooming, but mine did--and my vet supervised because my girl was 'difficult.'

 

[sabrinah]

In terms of calming products, the only one that works for my cat is Rescue Remedy. It can't be overdosed so there's no worry about that. 4 drops keep my cat relatively calm during fireworks, 6 drops make her calm enough to nap out in the open during the height of fireworks on the 4th of July. My dog generally gets 8-12 drops when he needs it. It could work for your kitty, but I definitely think you'll need more than 4 drops.