This is my first post here, and I'm hoping someone can help me or give me some advice. About a week and a half ago I noticed that my cat Tamarind was acting strangely. He was hiding, not eating and walking strangely. He seemed to be in pain. I took him to the vet later that afternoon, and he was diagnosed with gingivitis.
My Vet suggested cleaning the teeth, but couldn't do that until he got the infection under control with antibiotics. We wound up having to make the the 30 minute trip to the vet a total of three times for antibiotic injections. On top of that, I had to give him a pain killer orally everyday. An experience that was stressful for both of us. Especially him, as he was already in a lot of pain.
Tamarind finally was able to get his teeth cleaned on Monday. He seems to be out of pain, and is eating again. However, I think he has been traumatized by the events of the past week. We used to be very good friends, but now he's scared of me. I think he associates me with the pain and stress of last week. After all, I'm the one that had to put him in the carrier and gave him his medication.
He wakes me up as usual in order to get his breakfast by sitting on my chest and purring and meowing until I give it and get out of bed, but that's the only time he lets me near him. He eats quickly, and runs under my bed immediately afterward. He tends to stay under my bed until around 6:00pm. When he comes out He's very cautious. If I make any sort of sudden move or try to pet him, he runs back under my bed and stays there for a long time. I feel like when he is out, he's constantly got his eye on me waiting to run away at any moment. He's been doing this for the past 4 days.
Before this, he was a very social. He would always greet me at the door, cuddle with me when I watched TV and "help" me with house hold chores. I want Tamarind to trust me again. It's killing me that he's afraid of me. I miss my buddy.
Has anybody has a cat act like this before? If so, how long did it take them to get back to normal and start trusting you again? Is there anything I can do to ease his fears?
I'm particularly worried because Tamarind and I are going to be making a big move from Asia to America in about a month. He'll me in the cabin with me the whole Flight, but it's going to take about 36 hours in total including layovers. On top of that, we'll be staying with my mother and her two cats until we get settled. I know the whole process is going to be stressful, and I'm worried it will be worse if he's already scared to death of me.
My Vet suggested cleaning the teeth, but couldn't do that until he got the infection under control with antibiotics. We wound up having to make the the 30 minute trip to the vet a total of three times for antibiotic injections. On top of that, I had to give him a pain killer orally everyday. An experience that was stressful for both of us. Especially him, as he was already in a lot of pain.
Tamarind finally was able to get his teeth cleaned on Monday. He seems to be out of pain, and is eating again. However, I think he has been traumatized by the events of the past week. We used to be very good friends, but now he's scared of me. I think he associates me with the pain and stress of last week. After all, I'm the one that had to put him in the carrier and gave him his medication.
He wakes me up as usual in order to get his breakfast by sitting on my chest and purring and meowing until I give it and get out of bed, but that's the only time he lets me near him. He eats quickly, and runs under my bed immediately afterward. He tends to stay under my bed until around 6:00pm. When he comes out He's very cautious. If I make any sort of sudden move or try to pet him, he runs back under my bed and stays there for a long time. I feel like when he is out, he's constantly got his eye on me waiting to run away at any moment. He's been doing this for the past 4 days.
Before this, he was a very social. He would always greet me at the door, cuddle with me when I watched TV and "help" me with house hold chores. I want Tamarind to trust me again. It's killing me that he's afraid of me. I miss my buddy.
Has anybody has a cat act like this before? If so, how long did it take them to get back to normal and start trusting you again? Is there anything I can do to ease his fears?
I'm particularly worried because Tamarind and I are going to be making a big move from Asia to America in about a month. He'll me in the cabin with me the whole Flight, but it's going to take about 36 hours in total including layovers. On top of that, we'll be staying with my mother and her two cats until we get settled. I know the whole process is going to be stressful, and I'm worried it will be worse if he's already scared to death of me.