OT Consultation: The Undisputed Cat

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:28 am

jsluder wrote:
Joseph E. Smith wrote:
djm wrote: (giving pills to a reluctant cat is NOT fun).

djm
... I've got the scars upon scars to validate that statement.
Heh. Try giving a bath to a reluctant cat...

I don't know what the big deal is. I regularly give my cat a bath and its a pleasurable experience for both of us. Of course, the fur sticks to my tongue but otherwise.....nyuk (tip o' the hat to Steve Martin)...

brianormond · Post by **brianormond** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 10:14 am

-I agree with those recommending a trip to the vet, Dale. Our sociable family cat once took on sudden propensities for privacy and furtiveness and avoided contact with us, scooting away when approached, only tolerating food put near.

-This was a distinct change in personality, and our vet found a well hidden but nasty absess in thick fur on one haunch, infected and swollen-in a spot most folks checking cat wouldn't notice (or want pointed at them closely either). Infection was excised, & cat recovered fully but had an ugly haunch until shaved fur grew back.

-Cat recovered his winning ways within a day. His only previous reversions to limbic behavior were an annual
climb-the-cook's-trouser-leg event when roast turkey was around. Cat would grasp a proffered tidbit, grab it with eyes rolled back like a shark, then run to the basement growling to consume it in manic privacy. Some cats are fish-fixated. This cat was turkey-oriented.

-My point is vets know to look for these things and others. Our beast's infection was likely from a bite, but our own poor knowledge was of no help. Only the vet was of benefit to our cat. Cat passed on at 21 many years later and we still hold his memory dear.

-Another possibility is the cat's normal but traumatized reaction to a distressing incident. A cat in my sweetheart's neighborhood survived a coyote attack which killed its co-cat of the household, and the survivor has been fearful of going outside since and acts unusually concerned a lot of the time. Its been two months since the attack and the behavior is just starting to abate.

amar · Post by **amar** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:33 am

dementia? leukoencephalopathy? frontal lobe stroke?

naaa.

just another crazy cat.

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:53 am

Buy a <a href="http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... 1">feliway diffuser</a>. Or maybe a couple, and plug them in on different
sides of the house. Feliway is supposed to have a calming affect.

<a href="http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... ty=1"><img border=0 src="http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/2 ... P.jpg"></a>

TomB · Post by **TomB** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:10 pm

fearfaoin wrote:Buy a <a href="http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... 1">feliway diffuser</a>. Or maybe a couple, and plug them in on different
sides of the house. Feliway is supposed to have a calming affect.

<a href="http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... ty=1"><img border=0 src="http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/2 ... P.jpg"></a>

Do they have those for people? I mean, ones that really work? Something like a Homo Sapieway?

Tom

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:43 pm

aerosol Prozac??

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 10:55 pm

The Weekenders wrote:aerosol Prozac??

I been wishin' for that for years.

Me and every other IT slave...

--James

mvhplank · Post by **mvhplank** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:34 am

fearfaoin wrote:Buy a Feliway diffuser. Or maybe a couple, and plug them in on different sides of the house. Feliway is supposed to have a calming affect.

That's interesting--I had never heard of this before, bot today's Animal Doctor column contained two reader testimonials for this device. Made the cats mellow, apparently.

M

djm · Post by **djm** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 11:35 am

They have had this stuff for people for ages. Unfortunately, its a natural product and the big drug companies can't make any money off it, so they have conspired with big government to have it made illegal. Nonetheless, some progressive thinking individuals have taken to growing their own at home.

djm

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:36 pm

djm wrote:They have had this stuff for people for ages. Unfortunately, its a natural product and the big drug companies can't make any money off it, so they have conspired with big government to have it made illegal. Nonetheless, some progressive thinking individuals have taken to growing their own at home.

djm

What, catnip?
We still talking about catnip?
Ummm, yeah, I grow catnip....yess officer, that there is just catnip...

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:55 pm

You misunderstand, methinketh.

It's not for me--it's to spray in everyone else's faces.

--James

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:19 pm

Two thoughts from The Animal Farm ....

1) I second djm on the fleas. They can make a cat absolutely nuts. For an older cat a diomataceous earth dusting of both creature and carpets is good for flea control.

2) This is gonna sound SOOOOOO weird (almost as weird as ghosts, but it is documented ....): Low-level electrical charge. Do you have floor plugs, and could one or more of them be grounded improperly? This is rare, but it happens with large animals and stock tank heaters sometimes -- the heater grounds improperly, and the animals (logically, because they're going to get zapped), quit drinking. In some cases, especially in feed lots where there's standing water or damp ground near the tank, the animals go bonkers because they have no place to stand without getting a mild shock. Super-strong static is also a possibility, though pretty rare.

Yep, weird, but it happens. So I'd be thinking about fleas and things electrical for the Undisputed Feline and her most attractive personality.

Good luck,
cat.

Post by **Dale** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:20 pm

Fleas. Found a couple of bites on my ankles this a.m. On my way to the store to get the bombs.

Dale

Post by **Dale** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:22 pm

2) This is gonna sound SOOOOOO weird (almost as weird as ghosts, but it is documented ....): Low-level electrical charge. Do you have floor plugs, and could one or more of them be grounded improperly? This is rare, but it happens with large animals and stock tank heaters sometimes -- the heater grounds improperly, and the animals (logically, because they're going to get zapped), quit drinking. In some cases, especially in feed lots where there's standing water or damp ground near the tank, the animals go bonkers because they have no place to stand without getting a mild shock. Super-strong static is also a possibility, though pretty rare.

That's interesting. I was just trying to imagine calling the electrician and opening with, "Listen, my cat's been acting weird and...."

Dale

chas · Post by **chas** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:15 pm

Dale, have you been singing this lately?:

http://www.thinweasel.com/media/all_around_my_cat.mp3

(One of Glenn Schultz's last recordings. Go to the /media/ page and listen to the first recording. Wonderful.)