What on earth do I do with this cat!?!?

Question

Hello. This is a true story so please don't think I'm making it up, lol. My friend has this massive orange cat named Winnifred. He's like, the size of a small dog. He's huge. And, he is so mean it just isn't funny! Now, Winni has like, really long hair and so it's always getting matted. MY friend tried to cut the mats off him but he scratched her up really bad. So, she took him to the vet/groomers. When she came to pick him up an hour later his back end was half shaved and his front end wasn't even touched. The groomer said that they had tried to shave him, but he was such a wild animal that even with three people holding him down they couldn't get the job done! They instructed my friend to never, ever bring her cat to them agian! My friend doesn't know what to do. She also says that she dosn't want to take Winni to the vet and him him put out for the job cause she dosn't want to risk anything. (No sure what the risks are, but that is always her excuse, lol.) Suggestions?

Answer 1

She could still take the cat to the vet and request some behavioral drugs. If it is just to remove the mats from his fur, she could request that the vet prescribe some mild tranquilizers to calm him down. Vets can give animals shots or put them to sleep (the good way, not the bad way) to relax them, I do this when I have to travel with my cat on a plane or car.

I had a 20 lb orange tabby that HATED to be held, but he had short hair and loved to be brushed..... I am sorry for your friend, wish her good luck.

Answer 2

I'm glad your friend understands the importance of grooming her cat - mats can build to the point where they tear the skin and they can also cause painful skin irritations if they are not kept under control. Grooming him at home is probably not a good idea - it is too easy to cut his skin or pull too hard on it and cause tears that would require medical attnetion, especially if he is fractious. Sedating him at a veterinarian's office would be the best option. It can be overwhelmingly stressful for a fractious cat to be groomed, and sedation would make it easier on the groomer and more tolerable for the cat. Of course, I understand your friend's hesitation to sedate - there are always risks, but it is relatively safe if all appropriate precautions are taken. First, she needs to have her cat thoroughly examined by a veterinarian. Many states have board-certified feline specialists, and I would highly recommend contacting the American Association of Feline Practitioners (aafponline.org) to find one in your area. The veterinarian will most likely need to draw blood to check things such as liver function, kidney function (to make sure the cat is healthy enough to tolerate sedation) as well as blood glucose levels, thyroid function, and other system values. The vet will listen to his heart, evaluate his general health condition, and then choose the appropriate sedation method, which is usually an intermuscular injection that sedates him for an hour or so. If bloodwork is normal and the physical exam is ok, the sedation and subsequent grooming process should not be problematic. Also, when looking for a vet/groomer, always choose one that has a vet on-site and is American Animal Hospital Association approved (aahanet.org). Hope this helps!

Answer 3

i've been grooming for 16 yrs and won't groom cats. a cat that nasty HAS to be sedated to be groomed; no other way around it. if the cat would bite, then the groomer will be in trouble. i was bitten by a cat so badly once that i ended up in the hosppital for 2 weeks on IV antibiotics. its awful. she needs to suck it up and have the poor thing sedated and done proffesionally. after it has been shaved, she needs to make the attempt to keep her cat brushed out to prevent the matting. i personally have a very nasty persian who you can't even brush so i just have her sedated at my vets office and because i am a groomer, i shave her right then and there and its done every 6 months. she is fine and she is 8 years old. the sedation wears off, and if she is that worried, she can do pre-anesthesia bloodwork to be sure.

Answer 4

Scratching problems?? my dog has biting problems and yet we bought another female dog into the house, anyways. Perhaps wear long thick gloves, get the cat a scratching post to warn off those ugly sharp nails of his, maybe wear iron vambraces though might be heavy but thing is it'll hurt the cat's nails and it'll get chipped off. umm... Can you put the cat to sleep then have the vet do what ever he/she wants. I dont know, happen to my current dog where bit this man with another dog a couple years ago. This is why we only take to the vet 2x out of the 4 years.

Good luck!

Answer 5

the cat was presumable put under anesthetic when neutered so if the vet is the same one then the anesthetic should be ok...
she needs to maintain this cats coat better after he has the mats removed so that this isnt an ongoing problem. She needs to feed him better food so his skin and coat are improved - very few foods on the market actually help but all from grocery store / wal mart are crap with too much filler (corn and by-products) - never feed a cat by -products (beaks feet feathers)
I dont know what country you are in but if in USA - NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE, INNOVA, FELIDAE are all good foods and the cat will eat less because they are more nutritious and poop less too

Answer 6

I agree with all the humane answers here! Sedation, declawed, neutered, shaved. Cat scratches and bites (moreso) can be very dangerous, as we found out from our vet. He was bitten by a cat in the base nuckle of his index finger and the hospital bill was over $3000!!! I guess cat's mouths are VERY dirty.

If your friend goes to a new vet, I would suggest that she insist on having the cat sedated, knowing what she knows about him. Who knows what kind of trouble it could cause her if the cat acted out again. (ie. lawsuits, etc.) I hope all the suggestions help!

Answer 7

A little more expensive, but my vet will sedate a cat if theya re to stressed about grooming. This is also a good time for the cat to be checked over, get his nails and teeth done. Check into a new vet. See if there is one that can help you out.

Answer 8

Well brushing the cat before it got mats would help. Maybe she should go to the vet anyways. Get them to put him on some tranquillizers and get him shaved up. It is better to tranquillize a cat before shaving them anyways. It is less traumatic that way. Seriously though... she really just needs to brush the cat from now on.

Answer 9

try 'rescue remedy' you can get it where you get essential oils in health foods stores. It will naturally relax the cat a bit. other than that the vet can put him on meds to relax him(not put him out) If not that take him to the vet, after hes all cleaned up and nails trimmed I suggest start brushing him a couple time a day(even is he has no hair) and touching his paw too. that way he get used to it and will tolerate it more and won't have to go to the extreme of knocking him out.

Answer 10

Sedate the cat. This works for lions, dogs, bears & other animals and it will work for Winnifred too. It's not far to stress out the cat.