posted 03-05-2003 09:30 AM           

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I have a two year old cat I'm desperatly trying to save from the spca and my husband. She now has earmites that need to be treated. Problem, she's very skittish and hard to get a hold of for treatment. Once you have her, you must be covered from head to toe and extremely strong to keep hold of her. Now this poses a health problem for the cat when it can't be treated and the second cat has the earmites as well. Treating him is easy, but useless if we can't clear it up with the female as well.
Any suggestions on how to help this cat?
I'm working with the other problems I'm having with her as well.

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From:Los Angeles, California
Registered: Mar 2003

posted 03-05-2003 06:54 PM         

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Hi- No matter how much of a struggle she puts up, I guarantee that this is rougher for you than the cat! I know what it feels like to have to get "tough" ! We feel so guilty and "mean" holding her down and covering her so she can't move etc. Be persistant, and be as aggressive as you have to be to give her the treatment. Does your vet MAYBE have a "trick" he/she could pass on to you? Every time a cat of mine has to have it's mouth checked, or a shot or pilled or has to be :"handled" the vet seems to do all this very quickly and with least trauma to the cat.
The more anxious, tentative and skittish (!) YOU are, the more your cat will react accordingly! They're so damn smart! Be firm.... and FAST. Keep us posted, okay?

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posted 03-06-2003 12:58 PM           

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I'm trying to get myself together to get her pinned down this weekend. In the meantime, I'm taking more time with her and giving some extra attention in hopes she will trust me a little more. I hope this is ok to do. Unfortunately, I won't see her for days after I get her first treatment done and it will be much harder for the remaining treatments.
I'll let you know what happens this weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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posted 03-06-2003 03:48 PM         

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Hi lioness-
It's going to be okay......the main trick is to try not to convey your anxiety to the cat. The more anxious and nervous you are, the more she picks this up.
Also, I heard that the attention span of a cat (no matter how much we adore them and think they're so smart) is about 4 seconds...so, anything short of real abuse, which of course pinning her down is not, will be forgotten by her FAST. It's YOU who will be shaken!
Good luck, and let us know how everything goes.

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