How do you make a cat chill out?

[Stormthorn]

Cat had surgery today, but he isnt enjoying the confinment that his recovery requires. Yesterday he was hopping about on three legs or risking short runs despite his broken ball joint and having recently gotten over the cold.

Right now we got him to settle down (its late at night) in a backpacking tent with a blanket, water, and some cat-grass. Not sure how to keep him happy tomorrow since he hates being limited in what he can do.

[Syka]

The only way my friends could get their dogs to call down after they were fixed was by crating them. Actually, the younger one (the female) ripped her stitches at least once. oo' She definitely gave it a run for their money.

Other than sticking him in a crate, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe call the vet and ask for suggestions because you don't want to try self-medicating it.

[Coidzor]

We had a cat that was one of those lucky ones that survives being hit by a car enough to be helped. We had to have him crated except for when we took him out under very, very close supervision and handling.

[Stormthorn]

hmmm.

I really only need to keep him mostly immobile for a few days. After that he can be allowed to limp about. A few weeks later their wont be any problem because im supposed to force him to be active (once the inscision heals he needs to be active so his body will form a false joint where they removed the ball in his hip.)

For the first few hours i trapped him in a clothes hamper with a blanket in it.

[User Name]

Well, you wet a q-tip and...

[bluewind95]

Cats are also loathe to move about if they're blinded... so if everything else fails, you might want to get the cat to be unable to see if he's getting too active. Just place him somewhere perfectly dark, I suppose (in the case of my cat, dropping a blanket on her will keep her still a while, too). And keep him in a soft and warm place. Cats, in my experience, tend to feel lazier in such spots.

[FoE]

Some kind of tranquillizer gun, perhaps?

"Uh-oh, looks like Mittens is up again."
"Don't worry, Mom, I've got him in my sights."

[Quorothorn]

I'm not sure if I'm truly qualified here, as I can basically never get our cat to calm down through personal efforts--mostly because he loathes me--but any continuous heat-source that can be slept on works pretty well at inducing calm. For instance, a blanketed (and STABLE) lap or likewise-covered heat grille will provide hours of calm semi-napping.

Cats generally have two modes: manic and lazy. If you can just keep it in lazy mode (again, warmth, general comfort) then it'll have no interest in getting into trouble. Obviously, this can't last forever, at which point I got nuthin'.

Oh, and if your cat is anything like ours, putting it in any kind of confinement will cause it to flip out on an epic scale for quite some time before settling down. It needs to have the option of leaving any time it wants, or it will be...displeased.

[Quincunx]

How're you handling the litterbox if the cat has a broken leg? We used a very shallow pool of litter on a flat sheet of plastic and picked up the cat once she was done and it was obvious she still wanted to cover it up.

[DigoDragon]

My friend has three cats and they seem to calm down with a little catnip. The cats just rub their face in it and sit there looking... stoned.

[SDF]

Cool cats don't need to chill out

My friend has three cats and they seem to calm down with a little catnip. The cats just rub their face in it and sit there looking... stoned.

This can have the totally opposite effect though. My cat will jump up and start tackling random things. He pretty much freaks out on catnip, while most of the time he acts like a grumpy old man.

[Telonius]

First off, don't try to corner it. This might sound obvious, but the if the cat's freaking out, it's because he's scared. Don't do sudden movements, don't try to overstimulate it. You're going for "lazy kitty." Catnip might help, or it might not. If you know the cat's reaction to it, go for it. Keep it with you if possible; pet it, and tell it in a calm voice that everything's okay. They can't understand human language, but they can understand your tone and mannerisms. If you act like you're nervous about the cat's well-being, it'll pick up on that and wonder if there's anything to be nervous about - and start getting restless itself.

[Stormthorn]

Singing to him seems to help. I warmed up a blanket for him to nap on.

[Flame of Anor]

What do you sing?

[Xyk]

A swift thwack to the back of the head will take your cat out for a few days. Practically guaranteed.

[Assassin89]

A swift thwack to the back of the head will take your cat out for a few days. Practically guaranteed.

I would not suggest this because your cat might want to stay away from you afterward.

[bluewind95]

Not to mention that if it takes the cat out... it probably damaged the brain, too.

[Allysian]

Not to mention that if it takes the cat out... it probably damaged the brain, too.

Which I think is the point he was trying to make.

[eidreff]

My friends cat survived a brush with a car recently, they kept him in a pen in the living room along with a litter tray, blankets, food, water and a hidey hole type box. The cat wasn't so much chilled out as confined and prevented from injuring himself. The cone round his neck and the ceiling of the pen meant he couldn't jump around.

[Stormthorn]

What do you sing?

If no human is around to give me funny looks i tend to sing in gibberish. So it went soemthing like: Ayasoo thee-say re'l sa aae. Grahis sa ayasoo shi-sa-al. (and so on)