George Again

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

I posted a while ago about DH and I and our unsuccessful attempt to get George to the vet. Well he still hasn't been and has no worm or flea treatment and it's not looking as if he'll get any as I can't get near him to catch him! It's now got to the stage that if I walk in the house George runs straight out.

I think Mum is going to have to get the vet out when his jabs are due but I'm really worried about the flea and worm side of it. I don't like the idea of buying worm treatment over the counter but I can't get anything from the vet if they don't see him first! Luckily he doesn't go out very much (unless I visit!) but I know it's not ideal.

Does anyone have any reccomendations for any worm treatment I can by over the counter - it'll have to be something we can sprinkle in his food?

I've never met such a nervous cat as poor old George!

You can buy Advocate at a chemist, which is fine for fleas. And I think you can buy either Drontal or Milbemax for worms without a prescription.

Thanks TCN. I don't think Advocate will be any good as I can't get near him to put it on him and Mum is nearly blind so can't do it. I presume I could crush the worm tablet in his food?

I feel so sorry for him and want to help him but it's so difficult when he's terrified of me.

I meant Advantage actually, not Advocate. Ah, I see the problem. Yes, you can put the worm tablet in the food. I'd need to check if it's OK to crush it though.

There is also a flea stuff you can put in food. It doesn't kill the fleas already present, but it stops them reproducing, so they disappear after a while. I've totally forgotten the name of it though. I think you can only get that from a vet.

Thanks again. I'm taking H to the vet for his jabs tomorrow night so I'll try and have a word with them about George then.

I don't think George has got fleas so providing he stays that way Mum can talk to the vet when they come out.

I spoke to the vet and it's going to cost around £200 for George to have his jabs and be flead and wormed at home (he will need 2 visits as the vet uses a different brand to Battersea). Mum has agreed to this so we're going to call them out when his jabs are due.

I have made progress with him though! I went round last night and, rather than running out in panic, he watched me from behind the curtain. I put a trail of Dreamies on the window sill and he ate those so I sat on the very uncomfortable wooden bench with my arm stretched out backwards and the radiator digging in my ribs so he could sniff my hand! After 10 minutes of just looking at my hand he let me tickle his chin and rub his ears!

Is your Mum up to doing a spot-on at home in the future? When I gave Seniorboy his new Broadline, I don't think he even noticed it going on. (It has a very neat new-style applicator.)

Mum's nearly blind (I keep threatening to paint a white stripe on George as she can't see him!) so there's go chance of her being able to do it. I'm also reluctant for her to do anything he doesn't like as I'd hate him to stop trusting her - he's so timid I can't bear to think of him not being able to trust anyone.

OK. Scratch that one then.

Sorry, no advice. I just wanted to say how much it lifts the spirits to read how much your mum and you care about this little lad.

I wonder what the poor little thing had been through before your mum adopted him, to make him so nervous around humans.

Thanks Rubbish. I dread to think what happened to him as I've never met a cat like it. We've had nervous cats in the past but this isn't just nerves, it's pure terror. Mum worries what will happen to George if something happens to her or she can't look after him (she's 84). I don't think it would work for us to have him because he's terrified of other cats (one got in and was eating his food and he hid until Mum chased it off) and he hates being left so wouldn't like us going to work so sadly it would be back to Battersea for him.

Fingers crossed it won't come to that, although my main worry is how long Mum will cope with her failing eyesight.

Another three quarters of an hour spent fussing my mate George! He hissed at me so I thought we'd gone backwards but he was even friendlier today than last time.

Out of interest, what happens if you ignore him?

If Mum ignores him he headbutts her until she takes notice of him and if that doesn't work she gets a nip. I'm not sure what will happen if I ignore him as up until this week he's been running out of the room as soon as I walked in!

He's lovely, why is he so nervous of you?

I'm just wondering whether he's playing you a little, Pink?

I'd be inclined to stop chasing him around and trying to chum him up - just sit down and relax when you're at your Mum's - and see how a little matter-of-factness goes down with him.

To be honest Cozie, I don't think he is. Harry plays me (I know I shouldn't let him!) but this is different. I've never seen a cat so terrified and, even though he's letting me stroke him, I have to make sure I don't move suddenly or make any sort of noise otherwise he looks as though he thinks I'll hit him.

My Mum has a camera with a small zoom and she hasn't been able to take many pictures of him as he's scared of the noise it makes when she turns it on despite it being almost silent. He's also scared of bees, birds, cats and the back door! He went upstairs to bed with Mum a couple of weeks ago and even though the bedroom door was open he panicked and howled and she had to go back downstairs until he settled. He also broke an ornament and when Mum went to clear it up he cowered down as if she was going to hit him.

Fluffy, up until this week he's been scared of me as DH and I tried to take him to the vet. We didn't manage it and we ended up with physical scars but not as bad as poor George's mental scars.

Poor George - he must have one heck of a back history to be so frightened.

It's a slightly difficult one because if he's so supersensitive, you don't need him bonding to you rather than your Mum if you manage to crack it. (Is his eyesight OK by the way? As far as you can tell anyway.)

How much talking do you do when you're there?

All we know is he was found as a stray and taken to Battersea. He was chipped and they contacted the registered number and whoever they spoke to said they had given him to someone else and didn't want anything to do with him. It really upsets me that anyone could be like that about any animal.

As far as I can tell his eyesight is fine but I can't be 100% sure. I don't think he'll ever bond with completely - whatever happens it's Mum he goes to. I just want him to be comfortable enough to stay in the same room as me, especially as I might have to go round more often if Mum's eyesight gets worse.

Mum and I talk for most of the time I'm there, which is usually about an hour a couple of times a week. I always say hello to George when I get there, if he stays I'll feed him some Dreamies and then Mum and I chat.

Thanks for your advice cozie, I really appreciate it.

He's well shot of them then - he sounds as if he's expecting a boot at any moment.

The reason I mentioned his sight is that he also sounds as if he's very sensitive to noise and if his eyesight was ....very poor, let's say.... then he'd have been living on his nerves, nose and his ears for some time. Your Mum would be restful for him because I guess at her age she doesn't move so fast and probably also talks a lot to him when they're alone.

Unfortunately there's sometimes no way to tell if their eyesight is bad other than to judge their behaviour by living with them all the time - which you don't do. I think, nonetheless, that I'd spend less time chumming him up and do a bit more talking to him when you're there. Maybe develop some key words or phrases to announce activity which you use consistently eg even things like 'Cuppie Tea' as you go through to the kitchen and announcing where you are in the house 'I'm coming back now!' so that he doesn't get a surprise by how quickly you move compared to your Mum.

I think I'd have recommended that anyway even if I didn't have doubts about the quality of his eyesight - basically, trying to reduce the unpredictability of your movements around your Mum's house by lots of consistent sounds. Cats seem to like the known when they're in their homes however much they may be energized by the unknown outside.

I know. It's horrible to see the fear in his eyes.

I'm not sure Mum would notice how good his eyesight is as she can't see herself - they make a good pair as Mum is very nervous as well! Seriouslyl, could that be rubbing off on him as well?

My usual thing when I go to my Mum's is to go in, sit down and just chat to her. The last couple of times that's while I've been stroking George.

Are you sure you really just go in, sit down and chat to her in a relaxed way though? I've seen many members of my own family visting older relatives and there always seems to be a touch of the whirling dervish about them at first, especially when they're on a tight timescale - breezing through the door, into kitchen, desposit things they've brought and put kettle on, check fridge and cupboards, check mail and rubbish, check bathroom(s), check....check....check.... And then finally, they sit down and relax for a bit.

Maybe you do just go in but even so, you'll be a generally faster mover than your Mum and more of an unknown quantity to the lad. Poor fellow. I think I'd try ignoring him a bit more than you do and also use the key phrase thing - if you are going to stroke him, I'd wait until he comes to ask for it if you can but in any case, announce what you're going to do. Just say 'Stroke, George' so that he'll come to expect your hand on him when he hears the words.

You might feel a bit daft at first but it will soon come more naturally.

PS - and bribery is good in difficult circumstances. Does he have a penchant for anything in particular such as a little piece of ham or something?

Now you come to mention it maybe I do breeze in and disturb his peace! I'm so used to Harry just going along with everything.

George is very easily bought with Dreamies so I try and give him a few if he stays in the room, trying to make him associate me with something nice!

An easily bought cat is excellent. Dreamies will win eventually - the only reason I mentioned ham is that if your family is allowed to eat it, there's little to tempt an appetite like a nice soft roll with butter and filled to the brim with ham - I'm thinking of your Mum - of which George could get a morsel or two of 'spillage'.

You'll work it out.

Apparently George does like butter - Mum had some bread and butter, put the plate down on the sofa and went to get something. When she picked it up to eat it she noticed that a lot of the butter was gone! Thankfully she saw it before she started to eat...