Looking to Adopt, but the cat is sick.

[fathom]

Yeah Scotty does run away when he sees us. After a few tries he warms up to us. Everyday we have to start over with him. What we have started doing is holding and petting him after we give him the medicine to let him know that it's okay. The only time he really comes up to us is if we are on the couch. He will come lay with us and Chip and then let us pet him, but any fast moves and he runs away. He does eventually come back.

 

[catsarebetter]

I'd do a little "clicker" training with them. Get a dog clicker (available at most pet stores for about $3-$5).. every time you feed them, click the clicker. Also, do a small session where you're giving them some treats, and click the clicker, and then follow it with a treat. This will associate the click to the treat.

Once you've done that.. about a 15 minute session with the treats will do it. Clicking when you feed them will also help keep the association. Once you've got them associating food with the click, then start doing things like petting his head. When he doesn't "pull away" or moves toward you..click and treat. Make sure that you click and treat when you are medicating and ... that means, probably, someone else clicking while you're medicating, because it needs to be clicked *while* the medicating is actually taking place, not just in the general time period. This creates a positive association to the medication, and will help him associate good things rather than negative things.

Just make sure that you don't click when he's fighting you.. and you may really want to start out just clicking when you pet him and he doesn't pull away, or when you pick him up and he's relaxed. you could also click the medicine bottle..I'm sure he recognizes it. Just bring it out, put it somewhat near him, so he sees it. Click & treat. Move it a little closer, click & treat. Just make sure you never reinforce a negative behavior/reaction.

I've used this a little bit on my crew, and it works pretty well. They were starting to take to grooming pretty well. They've also mostly learned to sit for food.

Anyway, I'm using this technique, as I can, with my Mau, who was made handshy with pretty much the same things happening that you're going through.. she had to be medicated as a kitten on her eyes and the woman attempted to force her to be a shoulder cat... between the two, I've got a frantic, crazed, don't pick me up mass of screaming Mau on my hands.. clicker training is working a bit with her but I haven't really concentrated on it too much with her because she's so hard to single out to work with given the other nut cases.