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Coat matting
Advise, please: my long-haired cat, who's got a personality more
suspicious than a mother/father-in-law (take your choice) and a hair trigger when it comes to any sudden noise (and when the trigger trips the creature turns into a buzz saw that must get away) has significant matting of his coat. By these things, I'm intending to communicate that it's hard to hold him down for long and when you do, if there's any unexpected sound from anywhere in or around the house, he'll start to take off and go through you to get away. So, I'm wanting to, maybe, sedate him a little--or a lot, if that's what it takes, since he's clawed furrows through my arms before--so I can cut this matting out, brush him and start fresh. Any suggestions as to how to approach this? Thanks, LNC |
Coat matting
On 9/4/2013 9:48 AM, reilloc wrote:
So, I'm wanting to, maybe, sedate him a little--or a lot, if that's what it takes, since he's clawed furrows through my arms before--so I can cut this matting out, brush him and start fresh. Any suggestions as to how to approach this? .........There's lots of nonstandard things you could try. Bach Flower Essences (try Rescue Remedy), valerian, homeopathy, Feliway, add some extra B vitamins to cat food. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=730 I wouldn't try catnip as a distraction if your cat is one of those who goes bonkers on it and gets aggressive. There's actually Thundershirts for cats, though I don't know if they work or not. Valerian - supposed to be anxiety reducing but some cats go gaga over it which won't be what you want: http://www.catniptoys.com/pages/Valerian-FAQ.html Homeopathy: Homeopet Anxiety Relief (this works on a storm phobic dog of mine) A compliation of natural remedies: http://cats.about.com/od/stressanxie...alRemedies.htm And there's this clothespin technique called Clipnosis! Trick would be to find clips that aren't too strong so they would hold but not hurt: http://vet.osu.edu/cvm/clipnosis-tec...ffice-and-home There's conventional vet drugs which would knock your cat out. Some of them have nasty side effects. Consult with your vet about these. Might be worth it to knock him out ONCE to take care of mats, then institute some kind of calming aid and commence with training. ...........Once you get the mats out you need to try training this cat, if the fear is not a metabolic response to something wrong in the body. It will take a lot of time. Touch cat - treat - rinse and repeat. Use treats the cat really likes and ONLY gets when this training is going on. Talk softly to cat throughout. Cats also do respond to clicker training. Good luck! buglady take out the dog before replying |
Coat matting
On 9/4/2013 9:47 AM, buglady wrote:
On 9/4/2013 9:48 AM, reilloc wrote: So, I'm wanting to, maybe, sedate him a little--or a lot, if that's what it takes, since he's clawed furrows through my arms before--so I can cut this matting out, brush him and start fresh. Any suggestions as to how to approach this? ........There's lots of nonstandard things you could try. Bach Flower Essences (try Rescue Remedy), valerian, homeopathy, Feliway, add some extra B vitamins to cat food. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=730 I wouldn't try catnip as a distraction if your cat is one of those who goes bonkers on it and gets aggressive. There's actually Thundershirts for cats, though I don't know if they work or not. Valerian - supposed to be anxiety reducing but some cats go gaga over it which won't be what you want: http://www.catniptoys.com/pages/Valerian-FAQ.html Homeopathy: Homeopet Anxiety Relief (this works on a storm phobic dog of mine) A compliation of natural remedies: http://cats.about.com/od/stressanxie...alRemedies.htm And there's this clothespin technique called Clipnosis! Trick would be to find clips that aren't too strong so they would hold but not hurt: http://vet.osu.edu/cvm/clipnosis-tec...ffice-and-home There's conventional vet drugs which would knock your cat out. Some of them have nasty side effects. Consult with your vet about these. Might be worth it to knock him out ONCE to take care of mats, then institute some kind of calming aid and commence with training. ..........Once you get the mats out you need to try training this cat, if the fear is not a metabolic response to something wrong in the body. It will take a lot of time. Touch cat - treat - rinse and repeat. Use treats the cat really likes and ONLY gets when this training is going on. Talk softly to cat throughout. Cats also do respond to clicker training. Good luck! buglady take out the dog before replying Thanks. I think I'll study the clipnosis sites and maybe Homeopet. Regarding training this cat, I love this cat and he loves me--as much as he's able to love anything. He's been this skittish since birth while the others in his litter weren't. I contend it's a personality quirk and that's just the way he is. I don't really know that I'd want him any other way. LNC |
Coat matting
On Wed, 04 Sep 2013 11:30:58 -0500, reilloc wrote:
On 9/4/2013 9:47 AM, buglady wrote: On 9/4/2013 9:48 AM, reilloc wrote: So, I'm wanting to, maybe, sedate him a little--or a lot, if that's what it takes, since he's clawed furrows through my arms before--so I can cut this matting out, brush him and start fresh. Any suggestions as to how to approach this? ........There's lots of nonstandard things you could try. Bach Flower Essences (try Rescue Remedy), valerian, homeopathy, Feliway, add some extra B vitamins to cat food. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=730 I wouldn't try catnip as a distraction if your cat is one of those who goes bonkers on it and gets aggressive. There's actually Thundershirts for cats, though I don't know if they work or not. Valerian - supposed to be anxiety reducing but some cats go gaga over it which won't be what you want: http://www.catniptoys.com/pages/Valerian-FAQ.html Homeopathy: Homeopet Anxiety Relief (this works on a storm phobic dog of mine) A compliation of natural remedies: http://cats.about.com/od/stressanxie...alRemedies.htm And there's this clothespin technique called Clipnosis! Trick would be to find clips that aren't too strong so they would hold but not hurt: http://vet.osu.edu/cvm/clipnosis-tec...ffice-and-home There's conventional vet drugs which would knock your cat out. Some of them have nasty side effects. Consult with your vet about these. Might be worth it to knock him out ONCE to take care of mats, then institute some kind of calming aid and commence with training. ..........Once you get the mats out you need to try training this cat, if the fear is not a metabolic response to something wrong in the body. It will take a lot of time. Touch cat - treat - rinse and repeat. Use treats the cat really likes and ONLY gets when this training is going on. Talk softly to cat throughout. Cats also do respond to clicker training. Good luck! buglady take out the dog before replying Thanks. I think I'll study the clipnosis sites and maybe Homeopet. Regarding training this cat, I love this cat and he loves me--as much as he's able to love anything. He's been this skittish since birth while the others in his litter weren't. I contend it's a personality quirk and that's just the way he is. I don't really know that I'd want him any other way. Is there a special treat he loves? Try to associate the grooming with the special treat - start off slowly and speak softly to him. -- |
Coat matting
On 9/4/2013 12:30 PM, reilloc wrote:
Regarding training this cat, I love this cat and he loves me--as much as he's able to love anything. He's been this skittish since birth while the others in his litter weren't. I contend it's a personality quirk and that's just the way he is. I don't really know that I'd want him any other way. ............Yeah, but think about what it would be like to live life so afraid. I had a live in the house feral. She made it til about 18 yrs. It wasn't until her last days that I could actually pick her up. Before that just reaching over her would cause her eyes to widen, she'd freeze, then run off. I felt really bad for her having to live like that. At the end of her life I started to wonder if she had poor eyesight her whole life, which made her so skittish. buglady take out the dog before replying |
Coat matting
reilloc wrote:
Advise, please: my long-haired cat, who's got a personality more suspicious than a mother/father-in-law (take your choice) and a hair trigger when it comes to any sudden noise (and when the trigger trips the creature turns into a buzz saw that must get away) has significant matting of his coat. By these things, I'm intending to communicate that it's hard to hold him down for long and when you do, if there's any unexpected sound from anywhere in or around the house, he'll start to take off and go through you to get away. So, I'm wanting to, maybe, sedate him a little--or a lot, if that's what it takes, since he's clawed furrows through my arms before--so I can cut this matting out, brush him and start fresh. Any suggestions as to how to approach this? Thanks, LNC We got a long haired cat from my music teacher who had a hazelnut farm, and never let the cat inside, because her husband was allergic to it. It wass a small female with very matted hair, and a very nasty personality. After a few months, my wife took an electric clipoper to her, and cut all the mats out. Much to her surprise, the cat stood still for this. Well, her personality changed completely. She bacame the happiest cat in the house, and asfter her hair grew back in, it never matted again! We still can't understand it..... |
Coat matting
On Wed, 4 Sep 2013 12:26:02 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote: reilloc wrote: Advise, please: my long-haired cat, who's got a personality more suspicious than a mother/father-in-law (take your choice) and a hair trigger when it comes to any sudden noise (and when the trigger trips the creature turns into a buzz saw that must get away) has significant matting of his coat. By these things, I'm intending to communicate that it's hard to hold him down for long and when you do, if there's any unexpected sound from anywhere in or around the house, he'll start to take off and go through you to get away. So, I'm wanting to, maybe, sedate him a little--or a lot, if that's what it takes, since he's clawed furrows through my arms before--so I can cut this matting out, brush him and start fresh. Any suggestions as to how to approach this? Thanks, LNC We got a long haired cat from my music teacher who had a hazelnut farm, and never let the cat inside, because her husband was allergic to it. It wass a small female with very matted hair, and a very nasty personality. After a few months, my wife took an electric clipoper to her, and cut all the mats out. Much to her surprise, the cat stood still for this. Well, her personality changed completely. She bacame the happiest cat in the house, and asfter her hair grew back in, it never matted again! We still can't understand it..... Long-hairs are very unhappy with matted hair; I guess they don't feel clean. You should have seen the state of the Himalayan I picked up. Feces in the matted hair. He became a wonderful cat with a great personality. He would jump up onto the kitchen counter and talk to me. When he got the final urethral blockage that killed him, I cried like a baby. Sir Percy Cat. -- |
Coat matting
buglady wrote:
On 9/4/2013 12:30 PM, reilloc wrote: Regarding training this cat, I love this cat and he loves me--as much as he's able to love anything. He's been this skittish since birth while the others in his litter weren't. I contend it's a personality quirk and that's just the way he is. I don't really know that I'd want him any other way. ...........Yeah, but think about what it would be like to live life so afraid. I had a live in the house feral. She made it til about 18 yrs. It wasn't until her last days that I could actually pick her up. Before that just reaching over her would cause her eyes to widen, she'd freeze, then run off. I felt really bad for her having to live like that. At the end of her life I started to wonder if she had poor eyesight her whole life, which made her so skittish. buglady take out the dog before replying We've had a few cats that started out like that, but my wife cures them by picking them up every chance she gets. She won't let them get away with being fed without putting in some, "love time". Pretty soon they learn to put up with it. (They may never actually like it, but they learn to put up with it) |
Coat matting
Mack A. Damia wrote:
On Wed, 4 Sep 2013 12:26:02 -0700, "Bill Graham" wrote: reilloc wrote: Advise, please: my long-haired cat, who's got a personality more suspicious than a mother/father-in-law (take your choice) and a hair trigger when it comes to any sudden noise (and when the trigger trips the creature turns into a buzz saw that must get away) has significant matting of his coat. By these things, I'm intending to communicate that it's hard to hold him down for long and when you do, if there's any unexpected sound from anywhere in or around the house, he'll start to take off and go through you to get away. So, I'm wanting to, maybe, sedate him a little--or a lot, if that's what it takes, since he's clawed furrows through my arms before--so I can cut this matting out, brush him and start fresh. Any suggestions as to how to approach this? Thanks, LNC We got a long haired cat from my music teacher who had a hazelnut farm, and never let the cat inside, because her husband was allergic to it. It wass a small female with very matted hair, and a very nasty personality. After a few months, my wife took an electric clipoper to her, and cut all the mats out. Much to her surprise, the cat stood still for this. Well, her personality changed completely. She bacame the happiest cat in the house, and asfter her hair grew back in, it never matted again! We still can't understand it..... Long-hairs are very unhappy with matted hair; I guess they don't feel clean. You should have seen the state of the Himalayan I picked up. Feces in the matted hair. He became a wonderful cat with a great personality. He would jump up onto the kitchen counter and talk to me. When he got the final urethral blockage that killed him, I cried like a baby. Sir Percy Cat. Yes. I know what you mean. I cried when my B-K doies, too. I found him in a Burger King parking lot when he was about one year old. He had a wonderful, gregarious personality. He knew all the neighvbors and would sneak into their houses in the middle of the night if they left a window open like four inches or more, and ve there waiting for them when they got up in the morning. Even the dogs in the neighborhood were his friends. Somehow, he got into some weed killer, and died when he was 7-1/2 years old. So, I only knew him for 6-1/2 yearws. But I fell in love with him right away, and I still cry when I think of him. Exactly one month after B-K died, a strange dog that I had never seen before came sniffing down the block, and came up onto my front porch. He looked through the open door at me, (It was a warm sunny day) asnd much to my surprise, he came in the house. After eyening me to make sure I wasn't hostile to him, he proceeded to search all over my house. Then he went back outsied to the front doormat, (which was B-K's favorite sleeping spot) and lay down for about 10 minutes. Then he got up and left, and I have never seen him again. I was amazed that he could track B-K back to his home one month after he died. Dogs have truely wonderful noses. I will never forget that cat. He was the light of my life..... |
Coat matting
On 9/4/2013 3:46 PM, Bill Graham wrote:
I will never forget that cat. He was the light of my life..... What a great story Bill! That dog was an emissary making sure you hadn't forgotten your cat! buglady take out the dog before replying |
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