Litter box - behavior vs. emergency

[mamaof4soon]

Justice, I was wondering if you understood what was meant by using a towel or sweatshirt. What was meant was for you to use the towel to throw over the cat and catch him that way. Wasnt sure if you realized that sorry.

[Justice]

I have tried wrapping her in the towels, blankets, sweatshirts, etc. I have tried tossing them over her to scare her. I have tried blocking her from running with them. Nothing works. She finds a way to squirem or twists her way out of my arms, or scratches me until I can't hold her anymore. I had on long sleeves, gloves, and she was still able to get through all of it.

I may buy a soft sided carrier today to throw her off. That way if we get a hold of her, we can toss her in and she won't already be afraid of the plastic carrier. If not, I'll return it to the store. I'm running out of ideas!

Thanks,
EJ

[Traci]

Absolutely no sedatives, for any reason. And do NOT give her any human meds, ever.

You could have put her in a closed room, with the carrier. Then when it came time to go to the vet, you'd be better able to catch her without her escaping.

You have to get/catch her one time only. The more she is chased and stressed, the worse it's going to get. If you can scruff her behind the neck properly, she cannot squirm or scratch you. This time, wait for your husband to return, be as calm as possible.

[Cleo]

Also, if you put her in a closed room with the carrier, make sure there aren't any hiding places, like under the bed or ontop of an armoire, where you can't get at her.

Does she let you pet her on your lap at all? You could just sit quietly and let her take the lead. Once she's in your arms, reassure her with a few minutes of petting and then try getting her in the carrier. Make sure the carrier is nearby of course. Once you have her by the scruff of the neck, it shouldn't be too hard.

We've all been where you are now ... some of us are still there; some will always be ... hang in there & good luck!

[mamaof4soon]

Justice i hope you were able to get her to vet.

[Justice]

thank you everyone for your suggestions and support.

With the help of my husband and a neighbor, we were able to corner her to a point where she froze and I was able to grab her, with minimal stress.

Both girls were checked out and given a clean bill of health. As far as Malbie's urination problem, we were given a kit to help collect a urine sample. The vet said that she probably has an infection, upon examination there is no way that this is a blockage.

thankfully, because I would not have been able to handle stressing them out any more, Malbie urinated within 30 minutes of being isolated when we got home. I collected the sample and it will be dropped off tomorrow.

Incase anyone read my earlier posts re: frustrations with the shelter, the vet confirmed that they are about a year old (not 2-3 years like some of the papers said) and she believes they are sisters like we were originally told. She also provided booster vaccines due to the inconsistencies in their records.

Thanks again. And clearly I have learned that getting Malbie into the carrier is a 2 person job!!!

Hopefully by next year, she will be more outgoing and sit on my lap so I can pick her up & get her in the carrier with less of a hassle. And if not, I will make sure someone is around to help me.

EJ

[Traci]

EJ, the fresher the urine sample, the more accurate the results. The urine collected this evening is probably not going to be good. Try to collect a sample tomorrow morning, first thing, either directly before she eats of directly after she eats, since this is the time they will usually always urinate first thing in morning. Ideally, the urine should be no older than 6-8 hours, and refrigerated in a clean container. As soon as you collect it, the sooner you can get it to your vet, the better.

[mamaof4soon]

It's great that you were able to get her to vet! Good job!

[Justice]

Update - It's a bladder infection. Meds for the infection & inflammation are on their way. Thankfully it's pill form so I should have no problem. She took the worm meds just fine when I hid them in a soft treat.

So glad she'll be ok. That stupid shelter is going to get such a nasty letter from us!

EJ

[kk]

Hurray!!