Cat box phobia!

[wiggal]

Hey all,

One of my cats K.c, who i posted about before after she had problems with her kittens, she is absolutely petrified of the cat box. When we were back and forwards to the vets before, everytime she was in the box, she cries & cries her little heart out, she goes mad, and then she, well goes to the loo in the box, she is literally scared sh****s. We took her in last night to be spayed, she went to the loo in the box in the reception at the vets, and today when we picked her up, she had done it even before the nurse handed us the box.

Is there anyway we can get her used to it? We leave the 2 boxes we have in the front room and the other cats curl up and sleep in them and have no problems, but she hates them.
I absolutely hate seeing her in such a state, she is a little princess and doesnt deserve or need to be put through what obviously terrifies her.

[Curvylady]

Obviously your cat associates the box with the vets. My cat is the same, not a lot you can do really apart from putting in one of your old jumpers/t shirts etc so that she can smell you, Hopefully now that she has been spayed she will not have to visit the vet for a while. Just give her lots of attention when shes back home..

[wiggal]

I do always put something that smells of us in with her.
The vets have asked us to take her back on friday for a check up on her stitches, but i just do not want to put her through it.
We had her mum in to be spayed aswell last night, and also her sister a couple of weeks ago, so i am going to phone the vets tomorrow and see if we can just take Sammy (her mum) in for the check up and we keep a close eye on K.c and take her in if anything is wrong.
We both know (me and my partner) what to look out for, I just dont thing i can put K.c through it again when it is obvious the state she gets in!

[garner]

Hi wiggal,hows our little cefa going on? I bet shes growing up fast. as regards Kc well some cats just detest them,Ill have to agree with the above reply.My two oaps have different views of them my Rooney will go in one without any problem when he goes for his injections but mickey is totally different he will scratch,bite and give you one hell of a fight not to go in his,infact we have to wear gaunlet gloves when dealing with him yet hes a lovey normally.I hate him being so upset but he has to have his jabs so what else cab you do.! love to your little ones and you

[wiggal]

Hey garner!!

Little Cefa is doing so well thank you! I do feel bad now her brother &sister have gone and the other liter of kittens, but she seems to amuse her self pretty well! She loves snuggling up to her uncle Splodge who is 9 months old and he puts up with her pouncing on him when hes asleep!
My bf was home today, and he said she was going loopy! Bouncing aroundthe front room like a mini mountain goat on speed!
She is a wary kitten, she will come to us when she wants, but the rest of the time she is pretty scared and runs away which is understandable with her start in life, so we are just taking things slowly :)

[garner]

I bet it seems funny without the other little ones,hope they will be as loved by their new family as you have.Im pleased little cefa is fine,like you say she will come round in her own time and she has been through alot,anyway thanks for the update.x x

[wiggal]

Back to the point!
I know at times she needs to go to the vets, but when we had her sister Spinky doine a few weeks ago, we took her for a check up, they just looked at her and said she was fine.
I dont see why I should put K.c through hell again just for that when we can keep a close eye on her at home. Im terrified of lorries, if any one ever made me stand next to one, i dont think i could ever forgive them, & i suppose that is partly why i feel so strongly about her going through it!

[iheartruby]

hi wiggal - my total empathy - i have the same problem! very timid cat who makes herself (and me!) ill will worry when we go the vets. i've tried allsorts and she hates that box. have you tried putting some of her favourite treats in a line leading upto and in the box? it's all about the associations as pointed out by curvy. i utterly dread any vets visits as it's distressing for us both - embarassed to say i actually started crying on one visit as she upset me so much by being upset herself. she cries endlessly, starts foaming at the mouth and after her last visit (a tooth extraction) she developed a strange cough type sound and wouldn't trust me for days.
good luck - i really hope you can sort something out with her. xxx

[bensmum]

Glad to hear that the kitten is fine. As regards the box my mum has the same problem with her cat in that he always messes in his box whenever she takes him to the vet but there are times when you have to take them. What sort of box is it? I have a plastic box with a grille at the front but I wonder if one of those plastic covered wire jobs would be better so that the cat can see all around. Might be worth a try.

[wiggal]

Hiya,

I have spoken to the vet and they said it is fine to just take Sammy in on friday but to keep an eye on K.c which is a huge relief for me!
I have thought about trying a different box, but i do think it would make her worse if she could see more, but worth a try I think!

[walshdon]

I don't use a basket if i have someone with me i will put a harness on her but now she is used to sitting on the back on her own i was worried she could get near my feet while driving but i put something behind my seat and she has never come to the front. (but latter prob not advisable if you are unsure of your cat reaction !)

[puddycat]

You could try something called feliway. It's a cat pheromone spray (or plug in diffuser - not ideal for a cat box though!!). If you spray the inside of the box with it, it should reassure your cat (and stop the box smelling of the vets!). It's available from your vets or, I believe on-line.
Good luck.