My boy is still unpredictable after 5 years. He is sweet except he hates hands coming towards him. I do not believe he is in pain just hates hands.
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Help I need to get scared/aggressive cat into carrier
- Thread starter maureen brad
- Start Date
@Maureen Bradley, I have just seen this thread. It's distressing. Here's a little of my experience in case it's useful.
I was in a similar situation (though not as bad) last year with a semi-feral young female cat who would not come out from behind a large cupboard in my house. I would leave food for her and she would eat it when I wasn't around, then retreat to her dark hole behind the cupboard. I managed to grab her twice, and paid the price with bites and scratches from a very distressed and hysterical cat.
In the end I bought a humane possum trap. Perhaps you have similar traps for small wildlife that may be available on loan from wildlife groups? It was like a long, low, wire cage. I put it out for a couple of nights with food near the opening, then put the food further back in the cage. I then set the trap with the food right to the back of the cage which triggered the door when she stood on the plate, releasing the latch.
In the morning when I found her trapped she was calm. I let her free in the bathroom and I couldn't believe it. She let down her defences and actually rubbed her head and body against my legs. It was as if she needed reassurance that I was not going to hurt her. In the confines of the bathroom, I was able to pick her up and put her in a top-opening cage to take her to the vet.
I learnt recently from my local animal refuge to cover the cage with some fabric so they can't see outside, which calms them.
All the best in your struggles!
I was in a similar situation (though not as bad) last year with a semi-feral young female cat who would not come out from behind a large cupboard in my house. I would leave food for her and she would eat it when I wasn't around, then retreat to her dark hole behind the cupboard. I managed to grab her twice, and paid the price with bites and scratches from a very distressed and hysterical cat.
In the end I bought a humane possum trap. Perhaps you have similar traps for small wildlife that may be available on loan from wildlife groups? It was like a long, low, wire cage. I put it out for a couple of nights with food near the opening, then put the food further back in the cage. I then set the trap with the food right to the back of the cage which triggered the door when she stood on the plate, releasing the latch.
In the morning when I found her trapped she was calm. I let her free in the bathroom and I couldn't believe it. She let down her defences and actually rubbed her head and body against my legs. It was as if she needed reassurance that I was not going to hurt her. In the confines of the bathroom, I was able to pick her up and put her in a top-opening cage to take her to the vet.
I learnt recently from my local animal refuge to cover the cage with some fabric so they can't see outside, which calms them.
All the best in your struggles!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #123
Checkers- I am glad things worked out for your your cat.I did borrow a trap l but sissy didn't go for.
Well,The volunteer I know called me last night. I haven processing our conversation for the past 1 + day. It seems that what I told the rescue about needing to find out what was going on with Sissy and possibly being able then to take her back was disregarded. Also poo-poo'd was the degree of aggression I described.
Ya know, I spent years volunteering in animal shelters. Everyone in a shelter sees awful things and hears ridiculous reasons for bringing in a cat. After awhile it is hard not to harden your heart toward people. Many people are just making excuses for ducking out of their commitments. I did adoption counseling at our local shelter for years and worked with the dogs as my educational background is in animal behavior.I also got to the point where much of what people did with their animals and their reasons for doing it made me angry or t least roll my eyes.
I get that . From what my friend has told me, the people I was trying to talk to, to get help from, were not listening to my words.It is true that I had told them, as you all know, that I could not have a cat that could not be handled. BUT, well, you all know what I was trying to do.
They just decided ,once I brought her in, to push me out and keep her.
One thing my friend said confused me, She said that Sissy supposedly is fine . I am glad to hear that . She said she was not limping anymore. Very glad to hear that too. BUt she asked why I thought Sissy had Pink eye. I told her that the vet who not only owns the foundation but vetted Sissy told me so. Told me so and gave me a tube of Terramycin. When I asked the vet if it might be FHV she pretty much laughed at me. I had wanted to give Sissy Lysine but she kind of rudely informed me that it would do not good for an infection and that I should not worry unless it spread to the other eye. Which it did. UGH!
Now, they have said it is FHV. I don't believe that anymore as her eyes were not runny or watery. I have had two cats with FHV and their eyes did not look like Sissy's. Sissy eyes had deep , dark red lines around the eye.
They are also disregarding my accounts of what was going on here. They seem to choose to believe that I had a few scratches and am just being a big baby. They know better as I was there and there is no missing the damage to my hand.
My friend also told me what she didn't tell me at the rescue when others were around. Sissy has rarely been handled since she was 6 weeks old. Because she came there with mange she was in the medical ward for sometime, alone and never made it into a foster home. At 10 months she was placed into the room she is in now. So, in effect, she likes cats, she likes playing , she likes petting but she really hates being picked up.
The lady says I can call her anytime about Sissy and she will keep me informed. I am grateful that she has talked to me. I am not pleased at all to hear that the rescue people just were not listening to me and that once I brought Sissy in to be looked at they got mad and that was that.
I have to say that because they have decided to ignore what I have told them I do have worries. I worry that future adopters are not going to be cautioned about how difficult it is to pick her up. I worry they might have young kids . Sissy is such a great cat. I love her and miss her but she should not go to a home with kids.
I did not go there yesterday as I was going to do. I have been so depressed about all of this ....I am going to ask my friend to keep me updated. I believe she will tell me if Sissy seems sick. What can I do about it now though?
I guess sometimes situations turn into a horrible mess and I just have to accept what is. I still do not think it should have happened this way. I am sorry that the 3 women I had to deal with to get a different outcome are apparently so jaded that they made it so hard.
I want to thank everyone again. You have all been so kind and supportive. I would not have held myself together through this without you. I don't know what to do with all my feelings right now.I will be just fine but probably forever I will wonder about her and feel sick at heart about it. For right now I can't go in and see her.It is just to hard.
Well,The volunteer I know called me last night. I haven processing our conversation for the past 1 + day. It seems that what I told the rescue about needing to find out what was going on with Sissy and possibly being able then to take her back was disregarded. Also poo-poo'd was the degree of aggression I described.
Ya know, I spent years volunteering in animal shelters. Everyone in a shelter sees awful things and hears ridiculous reasons for bringing in a cat. After awhile it is hard not to harden your heart toward people. Many people are just making excuses for ducking out of their commitments. I did adoption counseling at our local shelter for years and worked with the dogs as my educational background is in animal behavior.I also got to the point where much of what people did with their animals and their reasons for doing it made me angry or t least roll my eyes.
I get that . From what my friend has told me, the people I was trying to talk to, to get help from, were not listening to my words.It is true that I had told them, as you all know, that I could not have a cat that could not be handled. BUT, well, you all know what I was trying to do.
They just decided ,once I brought her in, to push me out and keep her.
One thing my friend said confused me, She said that Sissy supposedly is fine . I am glad to hear that . She said she was not limping anymore. Very glad to hear that too. BUt she asked why I thought Sissy had Pink eye. I told her that the vet who not only owns the foundation but vetted Sissy told me so. Told me so and gave me a tube of Terramycin. When I asked the vet if it might be FHV she pretty much laughed at me. I had wanted to give Sissy Lysine but she kind of rudely informed me that it would do not good for an infection and that I should not worry unless it spread to the other eye. Which it did. UGH!
Now, they have said it is FHV. I don't believe that anymore as her eyes were not runny or watery. I have had two cats with FHV and their eyes did not look like Sissy's. Sissy eyes had deep , dark red lines around the eye.
They are also disregarding my accounts of what was going on here. They seem to choose to believe that I had a few scratches and am just being a big baby. They know better as I was there and there is no missing the damage to my hand.
My friend also told me what she didn't tell me at the rescue when others were around. Sissy has rarely been handled since she was 6 weeks old. Because she came there with mange she was in the medical ward for sometime, alone and never made it into a foster home. At 10 months she was placed into the room she is in now. So, in effect, she likes cats, she likes playing , she likes petting but she really hates being picked up.
The lady says I can call her anytime about Sissy and she will keep me informed. I am grateful that she has talked to me. I am not pleased at all to hear that the rescue people just were not listening to me and that once I brought Sissy in to be looked at they got mad and that was that.
I have to say that because they have decided to ignore what I have told them I do have worries. I worry that future adopters are not going to be cautioned about how difficult it is to pick her up. I worry they might have young kids . Sissy is such a great cat. I love her and miss her but she should not go to a home with kids.
I did not go there yesterday as I was going to do. I have been so depressed about all of this ....I am going to ask my friend to keep me updated. I believe she will tell me if Sissy seems sick. What can I do about it now though?
I guess sometimes situations turn into a horrible mess and I just have to accept what is. I still do not think it should have happened this way. I am sorry that the 3 women I had to deal with to get a different outcome are apparently so jaded that they made it so hard.
I want to thank everyone again. You have all been so kind and supportive. I would not have held myself together through this without you. I don't know what to do with all my feelings right now.I will be just fine but probably forever I will wonder about her and feel sick at heart about it. For right now I can't go in and see her.It is just to hard.
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Oh, Maureen 
I don't know what to say. What a mess. The shelter is clearly still acting very badly. I suppose there's still a chance they'll come to their senses, but it doesn't look good. At least you have your answers about why Sissy acted as she did. You went above and beyond for that little girl. Hard and heartbreaking as it is, try to focus on the two you still have. You will heal in time, though I can only imagine how black everything must seem right now.
I don't know what to say. What a mess. The shelter is clearly still acting very badly. I suppose there's still a chance they'll come to their senses, but it doesn't look good. At least you have your answers about why Sissy acted as she did. You went above and beyond for that little girl. Hard and heartbreaking as it is, try to focus on the two you still have. You will heal in time, though I can only imagine how black everything must seem right now.
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This woman is very kind for getting in touch and providing a little background information, and to offer to keep you informed. I hope she is able to do this without getting in to trouble at the shelter. Perhaps with time you wil feel able to go and visit with Sissy, perhaps not, but I doubt you will ever stop caring about her and keeping a space for her in your heart.
From what you are saying it sounds amazing that you were able to make as much of a bond with Sissy as you did, and she must have sensed something in you that she trusted, just not enough to crate her when she felt sick. It is always possible that Sissy is not limping now, esp if when you saw her the other day she was limping because she had pulled a muscle or something when they were getting her from the crate, or struggling if they had to hold her to check her over once she was out. It is also possible that this person will get more information about Sissy's wellbeing or know her better and be able to see for herself how she is and speak up for Sissy if she seems unwell at the shelter.
I hope you do find some way to use the feelings you have in a positive way, and to move forwards with some closure for this experience. Sometimes this can happen in the most unexpected of ways, I will be thinking of you and hoping.
From what you are saying it sounds amazing that you were able to make as much of a bond with Sissy as you did, and she must have sensed something in you that she trusted, just not enough to crate her when she felt sick. It is always possible that Sissy is not limping now, esp if when you saw her the other day she was limping because she had pulled a muscle or something when they were getting her from the crate, or struggling if they had to hold her to check her over once she was out. It is also possible that this person will get more information about Sissy's wellbeing or know her better and be able to see for herself how she is and speak up for Sissy if she seems unwell at the shelter.
I hope you do find some way to use the feelings you have in a positive way, and to move forwards with some closure for this experience. Sometimes this can happen in the most unexpected of ways, I will be thinking of you and hoping.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #126
Again, thank you all for your kindness. The lady at the shelter will stick up for Sissy, I know she will.She has been a volunteer there for a long time and she is pro-active for these cats.
I got a call from another of the volunteers today. She wanted me to know that she felt badly about what has gone on. She said that she wants me to know that although the 'front desk staff' can be rude they do try to take the best care of the cats .
I actually know that, I have adopted one of their cats before and have spent a lot of time there. I hope that even if they do not admit it , they are thinking about what happened and realizing they need to communicate. They need to handle the cats regularly and fully inform potential adopters.
There are some people who would take into account Sissy's background and be able to deal with it.
If I had known that she could not e picked up I would have insisted that instead of giving me medication to take home when I picked up Sissy, I would have asked that she be treated there and I would have come for her when that was done. I could have brought her to my office instead of the guest room that the grandkids will need to sleep I soon. bottom line is this should not have been a surprise to them or to me.
What happened happened. I would like to go see Sissy but for now, it will just make me sadder and yes, madder.Just the thought of her breaks my heart right now.I am feeling better knowing that at least two of the volunteers care.
I am not sure at all about how I feel about the rescue. Many people have told me that these are not the type of people to say they have made a mistake . I just do not want to name them because all of those cats need homes and I do not want to do anything that would discourage anyone from going there. I guess my lesson is that I have to do my due diligence when adopting.
I will live, .....
Last night my Desmond managed to get into the attic ( hubby was up there)I have 1,900 sq ft of attic space so he led me on a merry chase for quite awhile. My life with cats continues.
I got a call from another of the volunteers today. She wanted me to know that she felt badly about what has gone on. She said that she wants me to know that although the 'front desk staff' can be rude they do try to take the best care of the cats .
I actually know that, I have adopted one of their cats before and have spent a lot of time there. I hope that even if they do not admit it , they are thinking about what happened and realizing they need to communicate. They need to handle the cats regularly and fully inform potential adopters.
There are some people who would take into account Sissy's background and be able to deal with it.
If I had known that she could not e picked up I would have insisted that instead of giving me medication to take home when I picked up Sissy, I would have asked that she be treated there and I would have come for her when that was done. I could have brought her to my office instead of the guest room that the grandkids will need to sleep I soon. bottom line is this should not have been a surprise to them or to me.
What happened happened. I would like to go see Sissy but for now, it will just make me sadder and yes, madder.Just the thought of her breaks my heart right now.I am feeling better knowing that at least two of the volunteers care.
I am not sure at all about how I feel about the rescue. Many people have told me that these are not the type of people to say they have made a mistake . I just do not want to name them because all of those cats need homes and I do not want to do anything that would discourage anyone from going there. I guess my lesson is that I have to do my due diligence when adopting.
I will live, .....
Last night my Desmond managed to get into the attic ( hubby was up there)I have 1,900 sq ft of attic space so he led me on a merry chase for quite awhile. My life with cats continues.
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I'm sorry this turned out like this. I wish you would have been allowed to adopt Sissy once she is well. I am glad you have someone there who is trustworthy and will keep you updated on her.
That's quite a large attic. Was probably a good chase getting him to come down.
I do understand that you're not staying quiet for the rescue, its for the cats. I commend you for that. It takes a very kind and special person to overlook that and think of the kitties instead. Perhaps when the Vet owner is well, you could either call or write a letter and see if they'll let you adopt Sissy?
That's quite a large attic. Was probably a good chase getting him to come down.
I do understand that you're not staying quiet for the rescue, its for the cats. I commend you for that. It takes a very kind and special person to overlook that and think of the kitties instead. Perhaps when the Vet owner is well, you could either call or write a letter and see if they'll let you adopt Sissy?
Maureen. There's nothing else I can say. All that's left is to move forward, and to hope and pray (as I am for you) that the shelter staff will wake up and change their approach, so that you are able to find some sort of closure (with or without Sissy) and that no one else ever has to go through your experience. Keep hold of the knowledge that you did everything possible given the information you had at the time. No one could have tried harder or achieved better. - Joined
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I have a cat I brought home from the shelter just 2 weeks ago and I also can't catch her without being bitten (already had a course of antibiotics) in order to put her into a carrier. The shelter here has you sign a agreement stating you will take to animal to the Vet within 10 days of adoption. I am 69 years old and can't get down on the floor to try to entice her. I found out about a week into the adoption that she had never been socialized around people or other animals all her life and then suddenly because of the health of her owner her whole life was disrupted and she had 4 homes in 3 months.
I wanted an older kitty after loosing my Sassi after 14 years but didn't expect this. I am planning to just keep working at it. Talking to her all the time. Getting her cat-nip toys which she seems to love. and we are beginning to make a little headway. I also use a water sprayer when she tries to bite or claw because I want her to know those are very bad things and a harsh NO at other things.
As far as the carrier I don't know but we have another appointment soon. Rescue said that if she hadn't adjusted enough by that time just let them know as there are situations and we can try again at a later date. I realize yours is a sick kitty and that makes a difference.
Good Luck!
I wanted an older kitty after loosing my Sassi after 14 years but didn't expect this. I am planning to just keep working at it. Talking to her all the time. Getting her cat-nip toys which she seems to love. and we are beginning to make a little headway. I also use a water sprayer when she tries to bite or claw because I want her to know those are very bad things and a harsh NO at other things.
As far as the carrier I don't know but we have another appointment soon. Rescue said that if she hadn't adjusted enough by that time just let them know as there are situations and we can try again at a later date. I realize yours is a sick kitty and that makes a difference.
Good Luck!
This thread is over a year old. You would do best reposting this as a new post so others will see it.
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I know you tried everything don,t know if this will help when I had to get feral mom outside put dog crate with blankets and food let her eat in it a few days then tied string to door and fed it thru to back and outside when she went in to eat I pulled it shut took whole cage with me sounds crazy but hey>>>
