Unhappy Cat

[Rosepud]

So I have to watch my grandma's cat for the next 3 weeks or so while she finishes chemo as she has no immune system and her cat bit her and she was in the hospital on IV antibiotics for 4 days because of it. Her doctor says the cat can't stay with her. So the cat is with me until my grandma gets better. However this cat is kind of generally horrible to everyone but tolerates my grandma. I have to go in the room to feed her and she goes and pees and poops in her dry food. (I fees her wet food) and is peeing and pooping all over the room she's in. It's honestly really gross and hard to deal with. She also screams like she's being killed if you so much as walk past her but if you give her treats she's just fine. I also need to take her to the vet as she had teeth pullef about 2 months ago and my grandma couldn't get her to take the antibiotics so I was wondering if kitty Prozac or some such thing would be reasonable. Also any suggestions on getting her to the vet as I can't touch her without gloves on otherwise she'd ruin me. As well as she will pee and poop if anyone other than my grandma tries to pick her up. I feel bad about it but currently she is in a large dog crate with her litter box food and water to try to minimize damage as it is too much to clean and scrub an entire room 4 times a day or to just let it stink. Any advice is appreciated I believe she is just scared but I really can't fix it. She also may have diabetes as her blood sugar was high last time I took her to the vet and is also getting tests run on that.
Picture of the culprit included.

 

[Rosepud]

Also going to be another cat coming to stay with me on the 15th, my grandmas cat despises other animals and I plan to keep them on separate floors completely segregated because of this. However I am hoping to give a room again once I have one ready as I just got into this house 2 days ago and am tearing out the carpet and putting down hardwood upstairs and vinyl in the basement and am planning on giving her a room in the basement once there is vinyl but still don't want a huge mess. Just vinyl is easier to clean than carpet even if the carpet is being pulled out I don't want the smell or urine to leech into the floor below the carpet.

 

[Rosepud]

Rosa my grandmas cat also is not at all feral has never been outside nothing she's just really anti social and angry about strangers or being moved.

 

[FeebysOwner]

She is just scared, being a new home and without her 'mom'. Can you get some of your grandmother's clothes that she has worn and give them her cat so she can smell your grandmother - sort as a bit of a soother? Also, did you bring everything of hers with her - her food/water bowls, litter box, toys, blankets/towels, etc. - for familiarity sake?

Are there other things that your grandmother did around her that you could mimic - such as playing a TV or a radio, or some other form of music? If you think she would pay attention, is it possible to Skype with your grandmother so her cat could at least hear her voice, if not see her? You probably also need to spend time in the room with her, just calmly and softly talking to her - you could even read a book if you are not sure what to say.

If you are going to have construction/noise in your home, you need to make sure she can be kept away from it as much as possible. That will only serve to upset her even more.

You can also try some calming products such as one of the Feliway products, or perhaps Bach Rescue Remedy (these drops can be added to a bit of water, but are more effective if rubbed into a cat's ears). You could also brew her some chamomile tea (tea bags from a grocery store - German, not English, no additives) and add it to some water as well. I think you can use up to about 3 teaspoons in some water for a cat up to 11 pounds - and you can do that 2-3 times a day. There are a ton of calming products on the market - not all work on all cats - so you might have to experiment. Just do an internet search on "cat calming products". I would not go down the Prozac path just yet...

For a trip to the vet you could ask about obtaining a small dose of Gabapentin which could be put in her food to help slightly sedate her for the vet trip.

 

[Rosepud]

She is just scared, being a new home and without her 'mom'. Can you get some of your grandmother's clothes that she has worn and give them her cat so she can smell your grandmother - sort as a bit of a soother? Also, did you bring everything of hers with her - her food/water bowls, litter box, toys, blankets/towels, etc. - for familiarity sake?

Are there other things that your grandmother did around her that you could mimic - such as playing a TV or a radio, or some other form of music? If you think she would pay attention, is it possible to Skype with your grandmother so her cat could at least hear her voice, if not see her? You probably also need to spend time in the room with her, just calmly and softly talking to her - you could even read a book if you are not sure what to say.

If you are going to have construction/noise in your home, you need to make sure she can be kept away from it as much as possible. That will only serve to upset her even more.

You can also try some calming products such as one of the Feliway products, or perhaps Bach Rescue Remedy (these drops can be added to a bit of water, but are more effective if rubbed into a cat's ears). You could also brew her some chamomile tea (tea bags from a grocery store - German, not English, no additives) and add it to some water as well. I think you can use up to about 3 teaspoons in some water for a cat up to 11 pounds - and you can do that 2-3 times a day. There are a ton of calming products on the market - not all work on all cats - so you might have to experiment. Just do an internet search on "cat calming products". I would not go down the Prozac path just yet...

For a trip to the vet you could ask about obtaining a small dose of Gabapentin which could be put in her food to help slightly sedate her for the vet trip.

I started with calming sprays and feliway I did bring all of her own items and set them up nice. I tried sitting in the room with her for about an hour but she kept trying to attack me and then would pee on things so I kind of gave up. I do plan to keep her away from the loud noises which should really only be on Saturday and Sunday while the hardwood is being done. I'm really trying to keep her comfortable but am limited on options. My grandma is not really able to Skype with her but will maybe call so I'll see about that thank you!

 

[Rosepud]

Part of the prozac is she needs about 2 weeks of antibiotics and I can't touch her much less give any medication so I was wondering if that would maybe help as she had the teeth pulled and got about 2 days of antibiotics before my grandma couldn't do it anymore as well as she may have diabetes that also needs medication. My grandma never brings her to the vet so it's always fallen on me but my grandma usually puts her in her carrier for me at least.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Once you visit her enough in her room/space and talk to her she will realize you aren't going to hurt her and she will stop reacting to violently. Yes, there will be a transition period, but it is much worse to leave her alone all the time. She will never build up any confidence with you not being around her. You said she will take treats, so when you come in the room to spend time with her give her a treat or two, and continue to do so while you are there. Sit in a non-threatening location, but one that doesn't make you move around too much to give her the treats.

Ask the vet about the Gabapentin - rather than Prozac - for the vet visit. Also, explain that the antibiotic course was not completed and see if the vet will agree to giving her a antibiotic shot.

I believe she could also be in pain from the tooth pulling (as well, as a possible infection because the antibiotics were not completed) - which would help to explain a bit of her behavior - so ask about some pain meds as well, and how you could administer them to her in a form other than a pill. Or, if need be, you could try pill pockets treats to put the pain meds in?

 

[Rosepud]

Once you visit her enough in her room/space and talk to her she will realize you aren't going to hurt her and she will stop reacting to violently. Yes, there will be a transition period, but it is much worse to leave her alone all the time. She will never build up any confidence with you not being around her. You said she will take treats, so when you come in the room to spend time with her give her a treat or two, and continue to do so while you are there. Sit in a non-threatening location, but one that doesn't make you move around too much to give her the treats.

Ask the vet about the Gabapentin - rather than Prozac - for the vet visit. Also, explain that the antibiotic course was not completed and see if the vet will agree to giving her a antibiotic shot.

I believe she could also be in pain from the tooth pulling (as well, as a possible infection because the antibiotics were not completed) - which would help to explain a bit of her behavior - so ask about some pain meds as well, and how you could administer them to her in a form other than a pill. Or, if need be, you could try pill pockets treats to put the pain meds in?

She will only accept one type of treat which is bonito flakes and I give her treats but as spon as I stop she just gets really angry. I will asl about the antibiotic shots and maybe a shot for the pain. Do you think the other cat will make her behavior worse even if they're seperated as she hates other animals.

 

[FeebysOwner]

It certainly is possible that the other cat isn't going to help matters any. But, both of these cats are/will be new to your home, so both should be kept in confined spaces anyway.

So, set up your grandmother's cat in her 'new location' before the other cat is brought in, if at all possible.

If you are only cat-sitting the other cat for a short period of time, I don't know why each of them have to know about the other one, given you said you could keep them completely separated.

 

[Rosepud]

It certainly is possible that the other cat isn't going to help matters any. But, both of these cats are/will be new to your home, so both should be kept in confined spaces anyway.

So, set up your grandmother's cat in her 'new location' before the other cat is brought in, if at all possible.

If you are only cat-sitting the other cat for a short period of time, I don't know why each of them have to know about the other one, given you said you could keep them completely separated.

I don't think a new location will be ready by the 15th and yes I am planning on keeping the one coming on the 15th upstairs only. It's my boyfriends cat and he and the cat will both be living here so eventually it will have free reign of the house. Rosa should be out in 3-4 weeks which gives about 2-3 weeks of overlap but only 1-2 weeks where the new cat would have more room to roam by which time I'm hoping to have the new space ready for her on a seperate floor although am unsure how succesfull these attempts will be but I will NOT be letting them interact as Rosa is very very bad with animals. But she may be able to smell cat in the house and on me when I go to take care of her.

 

[FeebysOwner]

At a minimum make sure you wash your hand thoroughly to at least reduce the other cat's scent. I also wouldn't keep shoes on that she could smell scents on either - and for that matter, it would be helpful just to change clothes. She may smell the other cat anyway, but at least it would not be on you.

 

[Rosepud]

At a minimum make sure you wash your hand thoroughly to at least reduce the other cat's scent. I also wouldn't keep shoes on that she could smell scents on either - and for that matter, it would be helpful just to change clothes. She may smell the other cat anyway, but at least it would not be on you.

Okay thank you! Sorry about all the lengty answers just was not necessarily the plan or a great situation.

 

[Kflowers]

Every thing FeebysOwner said it good. I agree especially about her being in pain. Once the meds take care of that she should be a little easier to cope with. She will still be afraid and grieving for her person. Cats grieve hard and deep.

Tell your vet you can't give her pills. They have antibiotic shots and others for pain. The prozac won't help you because it's a pill you'd have to give her and it takes a long time to start working, if it's going to work with your cat. It doesn't always.

 

[Rosepud]

Every thing FeebysOwner said it good. I agree especially about her being in pain. Once the meds take care of that she should be a little easier to cope with. She will still be afraid and grieving for her person. Cats grieve hard and deep.

Tell your vet you can't give her pills. They have antibiotic shots and others for pain. The prozac won't help you because it's a pill you'd have to give her and it takes a long time to start working, if it's going to work with your cat. It doesn't always.

I will thank you! She will probably be happy to go home once the time comes is there a better solution than the large dog crate until I have a space ready for her? I don't want her to ruin the floors or the walls though which is part of why she's in the crate. I also do not live at the house yet I'm here for about 5 hours a day working on things but then sleep somewhere else as it isn't ready for me to move in until the floors are done which will be this weekend and I'm hoping once I stop coming and going so much she'll do a bit better. I feel rrally bad for her and am trying to make it comfortable for her but I can only do so much if that makes sense. I've even been adding some of her favorite treats to her wet food and mixing it up to make sure she eats it. She's been eating good but I'm not sure about water so I've also been adding water to her wet food. I've been thinking about taking away her dry since she seems to just try to use it as a litterbox but don't know if that's a bad choice

 

[Kflowers]

If she's used to the dry it might frighten her even more if you take it away. She maybe peeing in it to mark it as HERS. I'd just offer her two separate bowls of it, one to mark and one to eat.

 

[Rosepud]

I can't let her have free roam or sleep with me though as I am allergic to cats and have owned regular cats before but have always been able to brush them and wipe them down to mitigate this as well as I use a self cleaning litterbox to avoid pee allergens. Since she pees everywhere in a new environemnt and is also declawed which I'm aware could be part of her behavioral problems, she uses a pellet litter. It's honestly just a hard situation but no one else is willing to take her so I'm doing what I can to make everything comfortable and am getting her a vet appointment for her for Monday as I also have to get my wisdom tooth out Thursday and am just generally a bit busy and want to give her at least a little longer to get settled before I shove her in a crate again and take her to a vet unless you think the vet should be done sooner? I don't know if it's better to let her settle or to just get all the bad over with. She generally eats wet more than dry but my grandma also left the dry out for her all the time so she could snack but she really was eating mostly wet. She hasn't seemed to eat any dry lately and with her lack of teeth I think it's hard for her to pick up. She lost 7 teeth 4 of which where her canines and basically has no front teeth left.

 

[Kflowers]

Yes, without the canines it is harder for them to pick up the dry food. One of mine, who lost his canines before I got him, adored the security of of dry food (he'd had a rough life) When he ate it every third piece (average) would fall out of his mouth. He could eat enough to be happy with his snack, but I had to keep an eye on the bowl to scoop out the damp pieces since they tended to mold very quickly. He never ate the molded pieces.

I didn't realize this at first and it took out the bottom layer of dry food in the automatic feeder (which was a canister that simply kept pouring food into the bowl.)

You are a good person and are doing more for the cat and your grandmother than anyone else. Your grandmother will remember your gift of love forever as will the universe.

 

[daftcat75]

The teeth were pulled two months ago? I think the time to give the antibiotics has passed unless you think there is an infection now.

Is she in pain? Aggression, excessive vocalization, and inappropriate elimination could all be pain behaviors. I'd make the vet visit sooner if you can manage it. The vet may be able to provide guidance on medications/injections that can be given to make the stay more reasonable. If she is in any pain, there is a transdermal gel you can apply in the ear if you can wrap her in a towel first. Of course, addressing the source of the pain is the most appropriate action and the vet can help better with that than prozac or feliway.

 

[Rosepud]

I can't let her have free roam or sleep with me though as I am allergic to cats and have owned regular cats before but have always been able to brush them and wipe them down to mitigate this as well as I use a self cleaning litterbox to avoid pee allergens. Since she pees everywhere in a new environemnt and is also declawed which I'm aware could be part of her behavioral problems, she uses a pellet litter. It's honestly just a hard situation but no one else is willing to take her so I'm doing what I can to make everything comfortable and am getting her a vet appointment for her for Monday as I also have to get my wisdom tooth out Thursday and am just generally a bit busy and want to give her at least a little longer to get settled before I shove her in a crate again and take her to a vet unless you think the vet should be done sooner? I don't know if it's better to let her settle or to just get all the bad over with. She generally eats wet more than dry but my grandma also left the dry out for her all the time so she could snack but she really was eating mostly wet. She hasn't seemed to eat any dry lately and with her lack of teeth I think it's hard for her to pick up. She lost 7 teeth 4 of which where her canines and basically has no front teeth left.

The teeth were pulled two months ago? I think the time to give the antibiotics has passed unless you think there is an infection now.

Is she in pain? Aggression, excessive vocalization, and inappropriate elimination could all be pain behaviors. I'd make the vet visit sooner if you can manage it. The vet may be able to provide guidance on medications/injections that can be given to make the stay more reasonable. If she is in any pain, there is a transdermal gel you can apply in the ear if you can wrap her in a towel first. Of course, addressing the source of the pain is the most appropriate action and the vet can help better with that than prozac or feliway.

I am fairly certain there is still infection as when she hisses I can see white and black around where her terth were pulled. She is almost definitely in pain and last time I was home she had blood work and was also told she likely had diabetes and my grandma was supposed to take her for more bloodwork and it never happened so I will also be doing that. There's a lot wrong as my grandma doesn't take her to the vet. I can maybe see about getting her in later in the day Thursday or Friday as I'm getting my wisdom tooth out Thursday morning.

 

[walli]

Have you considered putting pee pads down on the entire floor?
that would be easier to clean up and then she wouldn't have to be confined in a crate?