Dear Labby,
My family has just brought home a kitten that is, to put it politely, a wild and crazy ball of fluff. I am a mature Shetland Sheepdog and have never been treated so rudely as this little terror! He launched himself on my head and attached like velcro! Little Edward Scissorhands or "Eddie" is scratching my family and particular the children and also biting them. This cannot be allowed!
Help me Labby!
Scratched and Bleeding in Smyrna
Dear Scratchy,
It sounds like your family needs a short course in Kitten Socialization 101. Young cats are just being cats when they do these things but it can be stopped.
Eddie should have a cat carrier that is roomy enough for him to nap in and be fed in. If he is fed in it, he will grow to enjoy the experience and not fear the carrier as the vehicle to vaccinations only. Many times the only association with the carrier a cat has is going to the veterinarian in a scary car ride so of course they will hide the minute the carrier emerges from the garage!
Your humans ideally should handle Eddie constantly by handling his paws, brushing him and looking in his mouth and ears. This helps to get him used to these behaviors when he needs to get pills, eye or ear drops, nail trims and other procedures. Short little lessons while a tasty treat is offered or a toy is presented makes it a pleasant event and will bode well for future attempts.
When Eddie is used to going into his carrier (make sure it is not too small) the door can be shut occasionally and then carry him around briefly then let him out. Realize this is possibly scary to him and don't swing the carrier and support it. When he is used to this, try a short car ride around the block then back home to a treat or play session. Your family will appreciate the preparation when they can travel to the veterinarian or go on a trip with Eddie and he just lays quietly instead of howling the whole way. They also will probably miss out on the delight of a carrier full of urine and/or poop when they reach their destination. That can be one smelly car ride and a messy cat missile shoots out of the carrier at the end of it!
It is also a good idea for Eddie to get an occasional treat of some wet food so if he ever needs medication snuck into a treat he is used to the texture and looks forward to it.
It may seem like Edward Scissorhands will be a burr under your saddle forever, but he just needs some socializing with some limits taught and he might just become your best buddy. I have a cat of my own named Beep Beep who is my nap buddy and I love him very much. He put up with quite a bit from me when I was a pup but I learned my manners!
It gets better,
Labby, official Lab Manager of Morehead Animal Hospital
