Pet Talk

Q. Peter was a feral cat in 2003 when I brought him inside. He quickly made friends with my other cats and loves me, but he’s afraid of other people. When I first took him in for shots, he panicked and climbed the walls, scared to death. He’s long overdue for a checkup, but what can I do to calm him down so he doesn’t endanger the vets or himself?

A. You may want to consider getting a mild sedative from your veterinarian to give to Peter at home before his checkup. Your vet may need a weight on Peter before prescribing any type of medication. There are also natural products which can have calming effects on cats as well. One is Feliway, which is a synthetic pheromone spray. Another is Bach’s Rescue Remedy. Another option may be purchasing a ThunderShirt, which is available for cats. It swaddles the cat like a newborn infant, giving him comfort. I would suggest that you discuss all of these options with your veterinarian before making a decision.

If you have access to a veterinarian who does house calls, you may still have to sedate Peter, but he will not have the added stress of traveling to the vet’s office. He then would be able to be examined in his own home.

Be sure to make a written list of any concerns you may have about Peter’s health, such as lumps, bumps, sore spots, hair loss, drinking excessive water, etc. You would just hate to have the exam over and then remember something you wanted to discuss with his vet.

Best of luck with Peter’s checkup and I hope he checks out healthy.

In the last Pet Talk column I discussed reasons a cat may not always use its litter box and a reader, Pam, brought another solution to my attention:

“Sometimes cats don’t like to both urinate and defecate in the same box and will find places to do one or the other rather than use the litter box for both. If a cat isn’t using the box, it’s good idea to try adding a second litter box. Friends of ours were having this same problem, cat refusing to use the litter box. He checked out with no health issues, so the vet suggested they add another litter box and it solved their problem.”

Thanks, Pam, for the input.

Sally Salopek is the owner and operator of Attend-A-Pet pet sitting services in Northern Door County. She has also worked professionally with animals in health care, pet grooming, training, wildlife rehab and rescue. Send your pet-related questions to her at [email protected].