Thread: Kalm Aid - anyone used it?

anyone? noone? :-)

That is one I haven't ever heard of,what I have used for Shimba when he was travel sick going to shows & stressing was a product calle Zylkene & that worked really well,can go anywhere now no problem,it is also herbal.
You will most probaly be surprised how well your girl copes with the cattery though,the people who run them are normally as cat mad as the owners & give the individual cats the time they need,mine luv going to ours,we open their baskets & they go look for their pens & that is it.....

thanks a million! I'll try Zylkene I think - oh that's quite reassuring! Hopefully she'll surprise me in a good way.

See, MCs are supposed to be very social and easygoing with strangers, mine isn't- she gets into hissy fits when someone she doesn't know comes into her territory - but I noticed she's surprisingly calm when going to the vet's - sometimes dogs come to say hello at the door of her box and she doesn't really react. So, I'm ready for a surprise, good or bad!

I feel very guilty (already) and anxious myself because we're going to have to leave her for 3 weeks! So if it's bad, it's bad for 3 weeks!
And she's still behaving a bit peculiar since her op... She's had all the symptoms of giving birth, and her hormones are still out of whack...

Chose the cattery very carefully though - quite happy with the one we found, that leaves cats play outside of their pens (but inside the building) when humanz are around - and you're quite right, the guy there seems to be cat-mad! Even dresses up as Santa for them and distributes presents at Christmas - Although dressing up as Santa for the cats is not a requirement, I find it oddly reassuring. ;-)

anyway, thanks for that!

Please no tablets: stress is a normal element in his life, he has to learn to live with it.Stress allows animals to survive in difficult situations.Don't pamper nor humanize them , they deserve a natural education.
Don"t project your fears on them, they feel it

I think if the person who runs the cattery dresses up as santa you don't have many problems there Alekto,two of mine have special games with the husband when they go to the cattery,luckily they are in different pens {with six they are grouped in threes}or he reckons he wouldn't know which one to give the attention too first as they both have completely different things they want to play,one is quite physical & the other includes an awful lot of headbutts.....
Having worked at a vets for an awful lot of years can't wholly agree with "no tablets",yes I agree that we can transfer stress levels to our animals but I have seen stress at such levels that the animal,especially cats,self harm,if by giving a bit of help be it herbal {I also don't agree in giving drugs just for the sake of giving them}then that is the way to go,if it allays the fears of that problem many times the animal overcomes it & has a lot easier life,we have humanised them,we have domesticated them to be our pets....wouldn't entertain a wild cat or dog in my house.......

I take that on board, and I agree that I am certainly projecting my fears and human neurosis on her, Deovolens. And I know uses it to her advantage. Example, she has taken to biting our legs to stop us walking about when she wants something (food or cuddles). She knows it makes us worry that something is wrong with her, or, well, at least she sees result, which is good enough...

She is however still truely unsettled - if there was no physical manifestation I would probably chuck it down to her being capricious but her body has reacted to the spaying (she is still making milk - and last week she was obviously looking for something, nesting in cupboards... ) which tells me that truely her hormones are all over, and as a woman ;-) I know it can be nerve wracking. I know it needs to run its course, but I don't want to add needless stress on top of that.
(But to be truthful I do not believe she would go to the point of self harming.)

But yes, JCK, I think you're right, Mr Santa will take good care of her - if not, I'll take her to your Santa next time, looks like your kitties spend some happy holidays there! ;-)

I've used Zylkene a couple of times now Alekto and can also confirm that that's very good ... we had to use it during an extremely difficult period for our beautiful boy Ben (RIP) ... he was getting very stressed and started over grooming, which resulted in a bare tummy. Our vet recommended Zylkene and within a few days he was back to normal. We've also used it on our old boy Tigs, and again it did the trick. A friend of mine uses it every time she takes one of her cats to the vet ... her little rescue girl is absolutely terrified of the carrier ... We don't like giving drugs etc to our cats either, but as Zylkene is herbal we are happier to use it, so I have to say that I would agree with jckkerrison, if you or your vet feel that your young pirate would benefit then use it.
I'm sure that your Santa will look after her really well

thanks for this, Puzzle!

Our vet recently recommended Feliway spray to calm our 3 for their 'vet visits'. I've never experienced such a cacophony when putting them in their carriers, taking them outside (heaven forbid) and then chucking them out onto the vet's table!! And they shake all the time they're there, try to hide under my arms etc. They do let the vet cuddle them though (she's really taken a shine to Moonlight - cuddling her for just a bit too long!!). Bit of a difference to my old moggie Tordi who once ran around the consulting room with a syringe sticking out of her as she broke both my husband's and the vets grip on her. She was 'red flgged' on the computer - it used to make me laugh if there was a new vet - they'd always say 'oh it's ok, I'll be able to handle her' - they soon found out otherwise! Why did they think my husband used to turn up in gloves and a leather jacket when taking her for her jabs. Think they must get 'white coat syndrome' that we have with doctors. So we're trying Feliway on this lot- it seemed to calm Sunshine a little.