why does our home made thunder shirt work on our rescue cat Dolly?

mymya

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It works because it touches sensitive areas that have a calming effect; look up Linda tellington T-Touch. She perfected this method on dogs!
 

toppi

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To Ligwa..

Hi there.  We know the feeling of frustration that "marking" cats can cause.  One thing that we've found most helpful is a GREAT product with a stupid name, Anti-Icky Poo. We get the non-scented, because it is stronger.  First clean up the urine. Then, to loosen the urine molecules, wipe down the soiled area with white vinegar. After that, apply the Anti-Icky Poo. You can actually just let it dry on the surface.  Other products (and attempts to clean) leave a detectable amount of scent that draws the cat back to that area to mark it yet again.  We used a black light...you can get these at most pet supply stores....to find spots we didn't know about...the urine will glow in the black light!  Then we cleaned that area, and treated it with the white vinegar and AIP.  WOW, I'm a BIG skeptic, but I have to say that this stuff works.  Not that the cat will never mark again, but this sure helps keep that activity from destroying the house!!  Since we work with a local Trap Neuter Return (TNR) group, we've ended up trying all sorts of products, but this one...well, it has really done the best job! You can find it on Ebay.com and other places on the Internet.  We've never been able to find it anywhere else though. Hope that helps you out.
 

tashakitty

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My name is Lynn and I am the manager at a cat shelter.  There are no cages so the cats roam free in all of the rooms. We just got Thunder Shirts for our really scared new cats and it is working really well.  I was wondering if they would work on some of our cats that are "bullies" (always hissing, growling and hitting other cats).  Maybe putting the Thunder Shirt on right after one of them shows aggression?  Has anyone heard of the shirts being used for this type of behavior.
Lynn, I have a foster cat right now that is a bit of a bully as well. My two resident cats are fairly easy going and she was really tormenting them. I got a Thundershirt hoping it would help. It definitely has. She still acts interested in the other cats, and even approaches them as though she might do something. But then she sort of peters out and just sits there and looks at them. 

If there is food involved, she might actually raise a paw and give a bit of a swat to their face, but that’s about as bad as it gets. This is from a cat who used to lunge at them and corner them and let them have it, growling and with all claws and teeth in use.

I am recommending her for placement in a home where she will be the only cat. But in the meantime, the Thundershirt is allowing her to peacefully coexist with our brood.

Annette
 

betsygee

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Lynn, I have a foster cat right now that is a bit of a bully as well. My two resident cats are fairly easy going and she was really tormenting them. I got a Thundershirt hoping it would help. It definitely has. She still acts interested in the other cats, and even approaches them as though she might do something. But then she sort of peters out and just sits there and looks at them. 

If there is food involved, she might actually raise a paw and give a bit of a swat to their face, but that’s about as bad as it gets. This is from a cat who used to lunge at them and corner them and let them have it, growling and with all claws and teeth in use.

I am recommending her for placement in a home where she will be the only cat. But in the meantime, the Thundershirt is allowing her to peacefully coexist with our brood.

Annette
We're trying the thundershirt on a bully cat, too.  We have three resident cats, two males and a female--all lovers, not fighters! -- and then ended up unexpectedly taking in four older cats, two males and two females.  Everybody's doing pretty well except for the new 13 year old male, Jake.  He has picked some horrendous fights with one of our 3-year old males.  We were just keeping them separate but then decided to try a Thundershirt for Jake.  The first time we brought him out around our resident cats with it on, he did just as Annette's foster did--Jake walked toward Rico, the cat he'd picked on before, but then just sat down and watched him.  Yay!  We only left him out for 1/2 hour or so, didn't want to push our luck.  

Last night we tried it again but this time he attacked our boy.  Even so, the fight was much shorter and less ferocious than previously.  And once they separated, Jake just sat there, calmly.  He didn't try to re-start the fight or chase Rico and Jake even let me pick him up and take him back to his safe room!  Last time they fought before Jake had the shirt, he was so agitated after the fight I couldn't touch him for an hour.  

Maybe I didn't have the compression tight enough last night.  Or maybe I'm expecting too much from it!  Guess it's not a MIRACLE shirt.  LOL  But I am convinced it at least lessened the severity of the attack.  I'm going to be keeping Jake in it more, hoping that as time goes on (he's only been here four months) he'll settle down.
 

leslieg

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I would love to have that pattern! I have a cat with PMS perpetual motion syndrome....LG
 

leslieg

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I would love to see your pattern for this. I have one of those spazzy cats too. ALSO for your loose stools kitten, I recommend ADVITA probiotics. You can get them at vet's or online. works like a charm. Have you fecal tested? Thanks
 

mishicats

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We're trying the thundershirt on a bully cat, too.  We have three resident cats, two males and a female--all lovers, not fighters! -- and then ended up unexpectedly taking in four older cats, two males and two females.  Everybody's doing pretty well except for the new 13 year old male, Jake.  He has picked some horrendous fights with one of our 3-year old males.  We were just keeping them separate but then decided to try a Thundershirt for Jake.  The first time we brought him out around our resident cats with it on, he did just as Annette's foster did--Jake walked toward Rico, the cat he'd picked on before, but then just sat down and watched him.  Yay!  We only left him out for 1/2 hour or so, didn't want to push our luck.  

Last night we tried it again but this time he attacked our boy.  Even so, the fight was much shorter and less ferocious than previously.  And once they separated, Jake just sat there, calmly.  He didn't try to re-start the fight or chase Rico and Jake even let me pick him up and take him back to his safe room!  Last time they fought before Jake had the shirt, he was so agitated after the fight I couldn't touch him for an hour.  

Maybe I didn't have the compression tight enough last night.  Or maybe I'm expecting too much from it!  Guess it's not a MIRACLE shirt.  LOL  But I am convinced it at least lessened the severity of the attack.  I'm going to be keeping Jake in it more, hoping that as time goes on (he's only been here four months) he'll settle down.
I was wondering if you are still using the thundershirt on Jake and if it is working? If so any tips on the best way to use it.  I have been thinking of trying it on my bully cat.
 
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betsygee

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I was wondering if you are still using the thundershirt on Jake and if it is working? If so any tips on the best way to use it.  I have been thinking of trying it on my bully cat.
We're not--we discovered that Jake's other issues, like IBD and deafness, were exacerbating his aggression that we needed to deal with.  I still think they are a good idea even though it didn't really work in our situation.
 

milosmom123

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I'd really like to know how to make the shirt to please Milo is driving me crazy with the hyperness thank you so much

    Caitlin
 

superquinntendo

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I would really, REALLY appreciate it if someone could send me a template for this shirt.  I foster for animal rescues and can't afford to buy one every time someone comes through in need of one.  I currently have a very tempermental foster that has been at my house for a year, demanding her own room in our small rent house, because she isn't "adoptable" in her state.  It is very frustrating because other cats need that space in order to be saved, she deserves to find her family, and she's also very sweet when she's not in one of her moods.  No one gets to see her sweet side.  A shirt of this type is my last hope before putting her on drugs.  
 

cherish

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I just bought a small dog t-shirt on sale at petsmart for my cat to use as a thundershirt. Spent 5$ and it works amazingly! 
 

treyc

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The thundershirt isn't exactly based on the concept of a "human" hug. It is based on the research by Temple Grandin and it's foundation was in the "hug machine" that she invented first for herself as an autistic person (a high functioning autistic) when she was in college to help calm her anxiety. She was a pioneer in research applying to the cattle industry and later applied what she learned and experienced with her "hug machine" to that industry...to calm anxious cattle and make them more docile for their handlers. This was later applied to the small animal industry in an effort to identify alternatives (or co-treatments) to drug intervention for anxiety or behavioral disorders in small animals. I have a number of cats and have used the original Thudershirts for a number of years to calm agressive behavior, as well as to curtail some bad habits that arise (especially in cats) in a multi-cat household. I can honestly say, I think these shirts have saved my marriage and the lives of a few of our cats from having to be sent to rescues. I was introduced to her research when I was in college. You can look her, her research, and the hug machine up on Wikipedia, but there is also a great movie (that isn't a B-movie; it's got Clair Danes and Julia Ormond) that you can rent or buy if you want to learn about it as an interesting story. 
 

heidi foss

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We just put a regular costume shirt on our bully o night and wow, what a difference! My daughter bought it because it was cute but now she will allow the other cat to groom her and is not attacking her when she is hungry, which is always!
 

Na Popoki

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I have two elderly cats. Four years ago, I brought them across country with me by road. I had thunder shirts for both of them. My girl kitty is cool with most situations. She doesn't need the shirt. It's her brother who is the nervous one. He was totally stressed out by the whole experience of being in motel after motel. One night when he was cruising the room, yowling, I put the Thundershirt on him. He went totally limp right away! However, a few minutes later, he flopped onto his side and wriggled until he managed to get the shirt off. I just left it off and put a pillow over my head as I knew that I couldn't sit up and hold him all night and drive all day the next day. Anybody have any ideas about how to get one of these shirts to stay on?
 
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