My cat literally slashed my mother - Please Help :(

[grizzlysapien]

 

Grizzly is just too smart!  I love the photo of the plate!

Oh! You love how I am failing, @Margd?? Hahahahahah! Kidding! I hate the photo! I wish there wasn't any orange thingy to see in that photo!

 
i had to give Eclipse a quarter of a pill before meals.  We put the pill in his mouth, rub it down the throat and let him go.  Turns out the clever fiend was hiding the pill in his mouth and them dumping the pills.  We found a few over the next couple of days.

@Handsome Kitty  exactly what I am afraid of.. Cats are masters in getting things out of their mouth.. Heck, they vomit out of habbit! But this will be my last resort. For now I am just trying to give it to him, without him realising anything..

 

[grizzlysapien]

Grizzly is trying to say NO to drugs! Smart cat.

How's his demeanor been otherwise?

@sarthur2  His demeanor (nice word, I'd forgotten it existed - I'll use more often) seems OK.. No incidents.. Just a bit of a rough play but I put him down as soon as he starts that. He's OK.. I just need to get him to take the pill!!

Oh, I know some of you asked me about my mom and I totally forgot to reply on that:
She's doing better. her wound is somewhat taken a better turn.. We changed the patches we used to some that are more effective and create the proper environment (within the flesh itself) to heal.. They are a bit harder to handle, but seem to do a better job than the previous ones.. She does have a long road ahead.. But at least now things are looking up. She hasn't escaped the danger of something going wrong again yet. But I hope we're getting there.. 

 

 

[nansiludie]

I can see from reading your posts, you are devoted to Grizzly.  I am glad your mother is doing better. I would like to add in, with the pill, could you possibly get a pill-gun type piller? I just use my hands when I pill a cat but my fingers have been nipped a few times. Also a syringe of water to help wash down the pill so it doesn't get stuck helps too. This is one pill gun on amazon, this is what it looks like. 
It also helps to wrap the kitty in a towel, a thick one, to keep the claws and make him easier to hold. 

One tip, I've used for ferals is to shred a bit of cheese with a hand grater then form a ball of cheese over the entire pill, then coat in tuna water. I've had good luck with ferals. For the rest of mine that need pilling, if they are friendly, I just pill them normally.

 

[grizzlysapien]

**UPDATE**

So, I crashed the pill (is it crash or crush, after all? so confusing!) into powder and mixed it with some Simpson's Premium..

I gave it to Grizzly, he sat down, started eating but left half of it in the bowl..

When I saw that, I petted him like "way to go sweet boy!" and I took the bowl to the fridge (Simpson's Premium is wetfood)

After no longer than half an hour he started meowing.. I could tell he was hungry.. So, I renewed the quantity in the fridge, putting a little more wetfood from the can into the bowl and served it to him. He ate almost the whole thing. He left some... let's say bits and pieces.. not much.. In spite of that, I wanted him to eat those too, so I made a game out of it.. Left a little piece on the floor and then another, then another.. He would follow eating each piece off the floor.. 

 Then the few remaining bits, I just swept them with my finger and applied them on his fur 

 He immediately started licking himself.. 

I am guessing that he took the appropriate dosage of the pill.. 

I am not sure - and I need your lights on this - if it matters that the pill powder remained in the wetfood for some time? Could it become "weaker"? .. You know? Like OK, he ate it after all.. But will the pill have its effects on Grizzly? Or will it be "weaker" cause it stayed in the wetfood for a while?

In total, the whole process took some less than an hour.. That's how long the pill powder remained in the wet-food..

Then of course I had to mop the floors.. So I left him alone for a bit.. When I came back he was begging for food AGAIN.. So I fed him again, without the pill of course! I gave him dry-food this time..Now he's sleeping on an armchair.. peaceful.. Actually, no.. he came to lie on the floor next to me.. 

 Just saw him LOL

I must say that before this, I almost had an incident.. We played for a while and he snapped again.. Started to bite my leg, but I managed to keep him away before he did any more damage.. I was trying to calm him down for about 20 mins, or so.. I lowered my body, I whispered to him that "everything's OK.. you don't need to be like this.." etc.. Then I picked him up and started petting him, whispering again.. I kissed him.. and left him down.. He walked away.. but before walking away, he gave me a look.. like.. I don't know.. Like he was ashamed? Sad? Can't figure it out yet.. What's wrong with him?? 

 

 

[handsome kitty]

The poor kitty. 

I love your new avatar.

 

[Sarthur2]

Now he'll sleep off the pill! (It's "crush" by the way)

Actually, I've given xanax or valium to cats I've had in the past, and they weren't phased by it at all.

Maybe he thinks nipping is play. I don't think he means any aggression at all. He's newly neutered and his testosterone is still strong.
I would caution against reading too much into his looks.

 

[grizzlysapien]

Now he'll sleep off the pill! (It's "crush" by the way)

Actually, I've given xanax or valium to cats I've had in the past, and they weren't phased by it at all.

Maybe he thinks nipping is play. I don't think he means any aggression at all. He's newly neutered and his testosterone is still strong.
I would caution against reading too much into his looks.

You mean, he'sleep and the effect of the pill will wear off, @sarthur2  ? (thanks for the tip)

When you say that your cats weren't phased by it, you mean that it didn't have any desired effect on them?

If with "nipping" you mean "small" or "warning" bites, I'm with you.. But he wasn't going for a small bite.. He was going to town with it, had I let him go on! He made many "attacks" so as to manage to bite me again, but I pushed him off everytime, which pissed him off.. But after a while, he got to control himself and settled down.

** he looked drousy for a while, but now he's up and running again... 

 (I'll give him the whole box of Xanax! LOL)

 

[siamiam2]

It's crushed and underline yes. He looked at you for approval. Hugs and cuddles must be daily. I must confess I treat Annabel like a baby. Cuddle her often and talk to her like a uphuman. Not a day goes by when I don't pick her up and cuddle her and I always stroke her when she's lying down. Not obsessively but just for reassurance. Glad your mom is closer to being on the mend. I'm praying for the 3 of you.

 

[grizzlysapien]

Thanks @siamiam2

Of course I hug and cuddle Grizzly everyday..! I can't help otherwise! He sleeps on my lap most of the time.. In spite of the heatwave.. Or he makes sure he is in the same room. I play with him several times a day.. I haven't left him alone, not once, especially since the incident happened.

 

[grizzlysapien]

 
The poor kitty. 

I love your new avatar.

I noted under the pic that I will keep it as an avatar untill Grizzly takes the pill 

I'll talk to the behaviourist tomorrow and make sure if leaving the pill powder for a while in the wet-food, did any harm to its effectiveness. If he tells me that it's OK.. I'll go back to my previous avatar 

 

 

[Columbine]

You got the pill into the cat


Now for the big one.....will the same trick work tomorrow........


Come on Grizzly - keep eating your yummy :chillpill

I'm loving your new avatar pic too.....but, since what will not pass HAS passed, maybe Grizzly will 'earn' his right to be your avatar again :Kittyface:

 

[margd]

What great news that you got the pill into Grizzly! And I love your new avatar, too though am looking forward to seeing Grizzly's dear face there again.

I'm curious to know if the vet says the efficacy of the Xanax is affected by having it ground up for awhile in the food. I've done that before with other medications and it never occurred to me that it might not work as well but now I'm wondering!

Good news that your Mom is healing. That will go a long way towards fixing her relationship with Grizzly, not to say that's all it will take but it will help.

Good luck staying awake tonight to watch over your boy!

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, I meant he would sleep off the effects. Sorry if that wasn't clear!

I had two different cats over the years who were prescribed xanax or valium, and neither experienced any change in anxiety or behavior from the medication. They eventually outgrew their "problems" and lived long and happy lives. Both are over the bridge now.

I didn't realize you meant that he was in full attack mode. That's not good .

I'm glad your mom is healing better now too.

 

[grizzlysapien]

You got the pill into the cat

Now for the big one.....will the same trick work tomorrow........

Come on Grizzly - keep eating your yummy

I'm loving your new avatar pic too.....but, since what will not pass HAS passed, maybe Grizzly will 'earn' his right to be your avatar again

Yeah! I put the ball in the hole! LOL @Columbine!!

I am already in research mode on what to do tomorrow.. I am guessing he'll be more hungry? We'll see. 

Grizzly will be my avatar again as soon as Xanax kicks in.. IF it kicks in..

Earlies he was drousy for about 20-30 mins and he got up to chase insects again.. That poor moth never had a chance.. RIP.. 

What great news that you got the pill into Grizzly! And I love your new avatar, too though am looking forward to seeing Grizzly's dear face there again.

I'm curious to know if the vet says the efficacy of the Xanax is affected by having it ground up for awhile in the food. I've done that before with other medications and it never occurred to me that it might not work as well but now I'm wondering!

Good news that your Mom is healing. That will go a long way towards fixing her relationship with Grizzly, not to say that's all it will take but it will help.

Good luck staying awake tonight to watch over your boy!

Well, @Margd  I have no idea about the effects of the ground pill.. So, I'll have a talk with the behaviourist tomorrow.. To be honest, I really don't know if it's gonna do any good. He acts like he didn't take it. And he took it. It was in the food and he ate it. Actually.. right now.. he meows a lot.. and his appetite seems to have increased. He has eaten like 6 times since 23:00 and it's 01:15 already.. 6 times in 2+ hours? 

 He's gonna eat me as well! hahahah!

So, as you can tell, it's already "tonight" in Greece and I'm awake for now.. I don't think I have valid reasons to stay up all night to monitor him, since he shows no signs of having any side effects.. or any effects at all! 

Yes, I meant he would sleep off the effects. Sorry if that wasn't clear!

I had two different cats over the years who were prescribed xanax or valium, and neither experienced any change in anxiety or behavior from the medication. They eventually outgrew their "problems" and lived long and happy lives. Both are over the bridge now.

I didn't realize you meant that he was in full attack mode. That's not good

.

I'm glad your mom is healing better now too.

That's "reassuring", @sarthur2  !! 

 As I said above, I am witnessing the same signs.. Like he hasn't taken the pill at all.. 

And yeap. He was in almost full attack mode earlier.. Don't know what set him off.. Nothing happened. We were just playing. And suddenly, HULK appeared..

Maybe he needs bigger dosage. Not 1/2 Xanax but a whole pill.. I'll ask the behaviourist to see what he thinks about this.. 

 

 

[Columbine]

Because benzodiazepines are potentially addictive, its normal practice (in humans, anyway) to start of with the lowest dose possible. Too high a dose can create a temporary 'zombie', so these drugs are always treated with caution and respect. I speak from personal experience! You may end up using a higher dose but, obviously, wait for professional advice before upping it

 

[grizzlysapien]

Because benzodiazepines are potentially addictive, its normal practice (in humans, anyway) to start of with the lowest dose possible. Too high a dose can create a temporary 'zombie', so these drugs are always treated with caution and respect. I speak from personal experience! You may end up using a higher dose but, obviously, wait for professional advice before upping it

Of course I'll do anything after consulting with both the behaviourist and the vet, @Columbine! I wouldn't do that otherwise. I have no idea about these drugs and how to handle them, so it would be totally irresponsible of me to do experiments 

 (maybe I'll give him 2 

 - kidding! just kidding!)

 

[kskatt]

Now I'm going to have to do some research, but I can't imagine a cat will "sleep it off" in a short period. Drugs like this, meant to calm an animal (cat, dog, human, whatever) are not just going to work for an hour or two. Any meds like that that I've taken build up over time, not build up really but it takes time to get a real result. Yes, side effects can happen right away, hopefully to get better as Grizzly's body gets use to having the drug in his system.

Myself, I would ask the vet: how long until the medication gets to full effect and will the side effects go away with time.

After starting Mr Man on his hyper-T medication, we had to wait two weeks before retesting to see if it was doing it's job. Xanax probably does have real effects really fast, but I jut can't imagine seeing how it will be long term until it's in Grizzly's system

I hope that makes sense. Sometimes I have trouble explaining what I'm thinking.

 

[handsome kitty]

Are you sure the increased appetite isn't a side effect?

 

[grizzlysapien]

Goodmorning guys..!

It's 08:10 in the morning here. I woke up at 07:08 because Grizzly had an unexplained urge to bite my other arm this morning.. If I didn't sleep with literally one eye open, he would have gotten to it  

 

I prepared him the same as last night and he hasn't touched it yet, while I thought he seemed hungry.. Maybe I was wrong though. I am not sure..

Last night he slept like a baby - sometimes with me on my bed and some other times on my desk chair (he loves the desk chair the most in the whole appartment).. 

I forgot to mention last night, that when I crushed (spelled it right! YAY!) the pill, I 1st mixed in butter and THEN mixed in the wet food - Sorry, it slipped my mind. I did the same today..

I feel like Xanax did very little, if any.. He was helplessly sleepy for a little while and then he was "good old" Grizzly again.. 

His increased appettite may indeed be one of the side effects, like @Handsome Kitty  pointed out. I thought of that as well. At least he hasn't manifested any side effects that call for emergency vet visit or something.

When the behaviourist suggested Xanax, he sounded certain that Grizzly would demonstrate drowsiness, ubnornal walking (like, suddenly stop and sit down) and things like that for a number of hours.. That's why he wanted me to monitor him.. Grizzly was drowsy for 20 minutes.. Nothing else that would be similar.. So, I'm guessing that the behaviourist and the vet, thought that Xanax would manage to calm Grizzly down for a few days, so they perceive it as an effective drug.. 

I am not sure why I haven't seen those effects. Maybe because it stayed in the wet-food for a while and "lost" its effectiveness? It's happening again right now.. Grizzly hasn't touched the bowl but I've left it there with no other food aside. So, if he eats it, I don't know if it's gonna work.. 

I'll try to feed him the pill in different ways today - I'll have another try on the sardines and the tuna and I'll go from there..

While I'm at it, I'll call the behaviourist and let him know that, if he doesn't have any more ideas as to how to calm Grizzly until he manages to come over, or if he doesn't come over sooner, he may as well don't come over at all and I'll seek help elsewhere.. I cannot wait for WHEN he'll be available and risk my physical integrity until then.. This is something that has taken massive dimensions for 15 days now.. If the behaviourist or the vet would like to have an animal that attacks them in their sleep and be OK with it, they can have Grizzly for a while.. 

I don't know.. I had a very good night's sleep and I woke up into madness again. So furious.. Not furious at Grizzly but at the "professionals".. 

 

[grizzlysapien]

You might find these links helpful @GrizzlySapien[thread="99055"]Pilling The Unpillable  [/thread][article="32724"]Pilling Cats Must Know Tips For Hiding Pills  [/article][article="22402"]How Can I Give A Pill To My Cat  [/article]

Totally forgot to thank @Columbine  for suggesting these threads! I had read the 2nd and the 3rd thread a while back (before the incident with Grizzly) but for some reason, they had slipped my mind. I read them again, last night - the 1st thread was also very helpful..