Calico Cat - Success

Our cats *hate* going to TED also, but if you leave the carrier out they
will all try to get in and nap in it! Perhaps that will work for you? Just
leave it out for a few days and eventually she might get used to it and not
fear it?

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

You are amazingly patient. You have my admiration.
Best wishes,
--
Polonca & Soncek

"Arthur Shapiro" wrote in message
news:SZphb.13655$hp5.13383@fed1read04...
snip BTW, you can see some shots of her on my personal site at

http://members.cox.net/mybrainhurts/CalicoStory.htm

Looking at her, you wouldn't think she's a living terror.

I think you did great! I know what it's like to take pleasure in small
victories! Here's hoping the tranquilizers will help you again in the
future.
Christine
"Arthur Shapiro" wrote in message
news:K0khb.12947$hp5.10437@fed1read04...
Guess this won't be the most thrilling post ever put here, but I'm sitting
here very happy.

I have a calico cat just under 7 years old, who wandered into my life as a
wild kitten. She's my favorite - sweet, affectionate, and a great cat,
*except* for one huge problem: she can't be picked up. If a hand goes
anywhere underneath her, she bolts. If I grab her, she turns into a
ferocious
mass of flailing claws, made worse by the fact that she can't be picked up
to
trim the claws in the first place.

She was due in April for her yearly exam and shots, which gives me the
rare
opportunity to trim the claws, apply Advantage, and other things that
ought to
be routine. She is completely docile at the vet. I had unsuccessfully
tried
numerous times since April to trap her and fling the hysterical cat into
the
carrier, but never succeeded. Either she'd sense that something was wrong
and
stay just out of reach, or put up a tremendous fight and leave me gushing
blood as she escaped. Cancelling so many appointments was an
embarrassment,
although the vet is well aware of the situation and is very good about the
cancellations.

I had tried a tranquilizer once before, chopping the pill into small
pieces
and putting it into people tuna. She cleverly ate all the tuna and left
the
tiny pieces of pill on the plate. As irked as I was, it was difficult not
to
be impressed.

Last night, Milo and Watermelon Man had vet appointments, and I raised the
question of a sedative again. Being six months overdue for the shots, I
was
starting to have real concerns about Calico. We decided to try a
different
pill.

This morning I pulverized it and put it into people tuna. She wolfed down
about 80% of the serving, and climbed onto the couch where I was reading
the
paper. She seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood, purring and
generally
being happy. I waited about 45 minutes, hoping she'd fall asleep (yeah,
right), and decided to make a grab for her. I picked her up, getting one
yowl
and no flailing claws. It was almost a non-event. I carried her over to
the
cat carrier, put her inside, and closed the door. As I speed-dialed the
vet,
the howling and struggle started, but there was no way she was going to
get
out. It was 7:45, and they gave me a 10 am appointment. I warned that
I'd
probably be there over an hour early, as she is so scared at the vet as to
be
quiet and handleable.

By 8:30, the howling was getting quite severe, so off we drove to the vet.
I
clipped her, combed her, and applied Advantage in the waiting room, and
they
actually saw me early, around 9:15. She checked out completely healthy,
got
all the shots without incident, and off we went. By 9:45 we were back
home.
By noon, she actually had forgiven me and is nuzzling me on the back of
the
chair as I type.

For 3 weeks, she'll be able to knead me without drawing blood. Then the
vicious cycle will start again.

Art

Art
Temporary usercode - to be deleted when spam starts. Use MyBrainHurts at
this ISP to reach me

I know this reply is late but I just read your posts and I have a
tortie who is the same way. One of the ways her claws get trimmed is
we wait until she is obviously sleepy (and laying so her feet are not
under her) and we just walk up to her with the trimmers ready. We
don't pick her up, only rub her once or twice and pick up one foot,
clip a few claws, and stop when she gets figity or mad. We give her a
treat each time we stop, so she associates claw trimming with treats.
Do this over and over until you get all the claws trimmed. The
important thing is that you stay calm. If you are nervous she will
sense it and be nervous herself. The more you get clipped without
stressing out yourself or the cat, the easier it gets to do it.
Eventually she will let you get more claws trimmed each time you try.

On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 03:48:10 GMT, (Arthur
Shapiro) wrote:

In article , wrote:

Hey Art, here's a suggestion. Actually, the solution is right there in
your post: why not bring your cat to the vet's once a month

You don't understand!!!

If I could, I would!

There are cats that would prefer not to be picked up. There are cats that
don't like to be picked up. There are cats that HATE to be picked up. There
are cats that go berserk when picked up. And then there's Calico.

They've said I could bring her in any time to do routine maintenance. But
getting this cat into a carrier is considerably more difficult than, say,
mediating the dispute between the Israelis and the Palestinians, solving
global warming, or finding Jimmy Hoffa's body.

BTW, you can see some shots of her on my personal site at

http://members.cox.net/mybrainhurts/CalicoStory.htm

Looking at her, you wouldn't think she's a living terror.




Art
Temporary usercode - to be deleted when spam starts. Use MyBrainHurts at this ISP to reach me

Debra in VA