Ginger Kitty - Round 2

Josine · Mar 22, 2013

Well, guess who is back again?

The ginger kitten (she of the flying claws) we fostered for several weeks has worn out her welcome at latest adoption - 5, so far.

We thought we had the scratching problem cured through a combination of getting her spayed, having her nails professionally trimmed as short as they could, and getting her a set of soft claws (caps).

However, when it was time for her most recent trimming, she "went crazy" and jumped onto the face of the vet tech handling her, and clawed the girl's ear. That was the last straw for her new parents, who brought her back last night. Now, she is with us again, and my girlfriend - who has done rescue longer than I have - is on the warpath. She is terrified of this cat and wants her declawed yesterday, or released into a feral colony.

I feel bad for this girl. She was mishandled by the vet who was supposed to neuter her - his office reported her as a spayed male. Overlooked by the shelter staff who missed the fact that she was actually a female in heat (which caused a lot of the scratching - she calmed down enormously after being spayed), and has now bounced in and out of 5 homes and 2 separate fosters (the first lady who fostered her returned her as impossible to deal with).

She has now started doing some of her business on the floor, which I keep telling my gf is understandable after being tossed out of so many homes. But even with me cleaning up after her, she no longer wants to hear the excuses.

It also does not help that the vet who originally reported her as a male also is on record as having given her both her 5-in-1 and rabies vaccines, but refused to provide any information to the latest vet as to which vaccines, dates, etc, or her other records when the new vet requested them. There is some concern that even though we have papers from him, the vet may have confused her with another animal completely, and the new vet really was not certain she wanted to see her again without verifiable records...

It's been a loooong day...

spirite · Mar 22, 2013

Yikes, I'm so sorry to hear about all of this.

I don't know (or don't remember) the earlier history, but this poor kitty is clearly very stressed. And clearly you and your girlfriend are too. Is it unpredictable when she's going to try to scratch someone, or is it maybe that she just doesn't like being touched? Is the vet sure there are no medical issues? One of my cats doesn't like being touched except around the head, and in stressful situations, like at the vet, she will try to kill anyone who picks her up.

You might try a pheromone spray or collar to see if that helps. There are also treats and drops that you can put into wet food or drinking water that are supposed to help calm anxious kitties.

I hope you find something that helps and that this poor girl will find a home.

Josine · Mar 23, 2013

Thanks for the input. We will try some of the calming drops. We've used Bach's before, but I hadn't thought of it for her. Maybe it will work. I hope something does. My girl is ready to put me out with the cat.

spirite · Mar 23, 2013

Do you have a small room or biggish closet that you could make a safe space for her? Maybe putting a cat tent or box that she can go hide in, the litter box, her food & water, toys, in that space and keeping her in it with the lights off and the door closed, though not shut all the way so that she doesn't feel trapped, would help? I also remember my vet saying to drape a towel over the carrier when I bring in my screaming banshee because the dark can calm cats.

The pheromone spray works really well for me, but I didn't have much luck with the Bach's. I hope you have better luck with it!

jusjim · Mar 23, 2013

Please! No declaw even if the alternative is turning her loose in a feral colony. This cat could possibly go insane without it's claws and end up being put down. It's a cat that needs to be left alone, I suspect.

Missy loves her claws annd uses them to communicate. Not that I understand what she's saying. I suspect it's mostly a, "Breakfast. Now!" sort of thing.

MowMow · Mar 23, 2013

The clawing is a symptom of other problems. Imo, if you remove her claws she's going to get even MORE stressed and the you'll find yourself with a bad biter(her next line of defense).

jusjim · Mar 23, 2013

MowMow said:
The clawing is a symptom of other problems. Imo, if you remove her claws she's going to get even MORE stressed and the you'll find yourself with a bad biter(her next line of defense).

I forgot to mention the probable biting.

Josine · Mar 24, 2013

Thanks all. I have been thinking along those lines. The thing is, she has clawed me by accident - slipped off my shoulder and slid down my back - but not by design.

But with women she seems to be actively hostile. My gf is terrified of her, and she seems to go berserk a lot more often around women. I've never seen a cat who disliked my gf, who practically IS a cat, but this one does. I'm going to have to make a decision soon, I'm becoming as unpopular as the cat.

Josine · Mar 24, 2013

Sprite - I will try the pheromone spray and isolation first. Thanks for the ideas.

Ginger Kitty - Round 2

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