Bailey has been shorn

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Catfan5
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Bailey has been shorn

Post by Catfan5 »

Bailey 'the frightened cat' on a previous thread was dematted under sedation today and had her ears cleaned and claws clipped. The vet nurse said Bailey was growling when her paws were touch even though she was sedated! The poor girl is home again looking part lion, part poodle and part sphinx as her body is all shorn except her ruff, lower legs and base of her tail. We are not sure what to do as she is very agitated and is jumping and running about the room, trying to lick and bite at the fur which is no longer there! We are keeping the other cats away from her for now and we will have her in our room tonight with her bed inside a big box with extra blankets, or she cat sleep on our bed. She picks fights with the other cats so can't let them near which is a bit tricky as she hates being confined to one room. Has anyone else experienced this? And how did you deal with it?
Thanks in advance.... :)
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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Here is the lovely Bailey
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This the lovely Bailey :)
This the lovely Bailey :)
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meriad
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by meriad »

oh bless her....

I think keeping her separate with you tonight is probably a good idea; just maybe remember to have a litter box in the room as well (oh and also food and water)

Fusses to her
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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Yes she will have everything she needs in with us :) She hates being on her own so it seems the best thing for her for now.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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Bailey is still very agitated this morning, her pupils dilated and behaviour erratic. She was on our bed last night and she was so affectionate with lots of head bumps and purring most of the night! The thing that disturbed her the most before bed was the patterned carpet in the lounge! It had the most bizarre effect on her as if she couldn't walk on it properly and was attacking the pattern. We assumed it was the effect of the sedation and took her out of the room but this morning she is like that on our plain bedding. Zylkene has calmed her a bit and she's settling down with me on the bed. Our old ginger cat was hyper following a GA but after just a sedation I'm surprised she seems affected still..
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by greenkitty »

Oh bless.

I'm guessing life feels very odd for her right now and she's probably feeling quite vulnerable without her fur so that is causing her to redirect that angst at the carpet, I would continue with the care you're giving her and hopefully she'll get used to her new look in a couple of days.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by meriad »

I wonder if it's the effects of whatever they used to sedate her; which could take up to 48 hours to leave the system.

In the meantime - as naff as they are :lol: - maybe go to a pet shop and buy a knitted coat suitable for small dogs that may fit Bailey.

Give her another fuss
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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I'm sure she feels very strange without all that thick fur and more comfortable hopefully! I like the idea of a little knitted coat for her :) I'll have a look in our local petshop..It's quite chilly and hate to think she's cold. She has just done a very smelly loose poo which is possibly the sedative working its way out of her system and been drinking more than usual. She is settled down on the bed with me and our black cat who is so chilled and doesn't care that Bailey is on 'his' bed! I'll pass those fusses on to her too x
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by lilynmitz »

I agree, I suspect it's a combination of factors - the effects of the sedation wearing off, the stress of the vet visit, and it must feel really odd having no fur! It will soon start growing back and she'll settle down again, but treat her with kid gloves, keep her in a warm and calm environment, and give her lots of tlc meanwhile.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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You're right, it's been a trauma for her, lots of strange things happening to her :( She managed to escape from the bedroom and down to the kitchen which is bright and the patterned tablecloth stimulated her weird behaviour again. The other cats are a little scared of her too. Now she is back in the bedroom and calming down. I called the vet who agreed it is probably the sedation which is taking longer than usual to wear off.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by greenkitty »

Although it was a general anaesthetic one of my guys took a similar amount of time to calm down after an op, the vets always say "they'll be a bit zonked for 24-48 hours or so" but I've found the exact opposite to be true!

Hector would not leave my side, he wouldn't sleep and would cry if I went to the toilet without him! I went to bed that night with him standing on the bed watching me! The effects did finally wear off and then he slept and slept and slept!
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by Lyn from Australia »

Oh she looks like a long haired cat head grafted on to a Sphynx body. Is her furless body really hot ? That was something I didn't know about Sphynx, that their bodies are so hot. I actually had to ask the vet about Jagger's temperature when I visited to introduce him. They feel like hot water bottles, which was quite a surprise to me, much warmer than naked human flesh (that sounds a bit pornographic, doesn't it?). I am hoping to teach Jagger to spend his downtime wrapped around my neck this winter.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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Lol Lyn! Her body isn't hot it's just body temp. if that makes sense. In fact she feels a bit cool lying next to my husband so we have to be careful she doesn't get cold. She's just had several mad minutes digging and jumping about on the bed again so you'd think she would be hot and bothered!
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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This morning Bailey is quiet and subdued. She's not interested in her breakfast either.She has done a wee in her tray but went straight back to our bed. I'm hoping her hyper activities over the last two days have tired her out and she's just resting now. If she hasn't picked up by lunch time I'll call the vet. Yesterday evening we let her wander down stairs and her reaction to the carpet was better, just a little bit weird after a few minutes. She was backing up to furniture as if to spray but didn't so she was showing signs of stress. She has eaten normally up till now so I'm a bit worried. :(
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by Lyn from Australia »

Fingers x'd that Bailey is more normal tomorrow. It's awful when we aren't sure if there's something seriously wrong or if there's just some post-op reaction going on. When three of my cats had dentals a couple of years ago, Lily needed more sedation than the other two (methadone) and was really wide-eyed and hyper- when I got her home. She acted weird for the night and was OK by lunchtime the following day. Gentle fusses for your girl xx
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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Thanks Lyn. I hate to see her like this, she is normally so full of life like an overgrown kitten! When Ginger was hyper after his dental he was back to normal by next day, but this seems to be going on too long.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by meriad »

I'd have thought she should be getting back to more or less normal by today. Maybe make an appointment for this afternoon or evening (to give her a bit more time) to make sure nothing else is going on.

Is she eating and toileting OK?
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by Catfan5 »

Well, Bailey woke up, had a wash but hasn't eaten yet. Her third eyelids are showing now. Now I'm getting paranoid but it looks as if her skin is bruised, apart from the normal pigmentation.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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Yes she had a wee earlier but she has been resting on the bed before and since. Not eaten since last evening though.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by meriad »

Poor baby - to be honest; for peace of mind (if nothing else) I'd get her to the vet for a quick once over.... she shouldn't be bruised from being shaved
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by greenkitty »

I agree I don't think that's bruising, just looks like pigmentation. I think you should call your vet and see what they say especially as her third eyelid is showing.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by Catfan5 »

Dear Bailey :) no sooner had I called the vet than she woke up, jumped down and ate a bowl of food! Third eyelids gone. Now she's running around as normal. So have cancelled the appointment but keeping a close eye on her in the meantime :) So relieved..
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by meriad »

I swear they do that on purpose! :D

Glad to read she seems better and fingers crossed that corner has been turned and your girl is back to her normal self again
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by greenkitty »

How's Bailey doing today?
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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Bailey is still very lively but much better than she was. She had a moment last night where she briefly walked weirdly on the patterned carpet but then she was ok. Her eyes had the third eyelids showing slightly for a while but were normal later on so she's not completely there yet. She's eating and drinking normally now so I'm not sure whether a vet visit would be a good idea or not, thinking about how stressed she gets. She snuggles up under the duvet with me at night as it gets so cold!
Has anyone with a shaven cat bought them a coat or similar to wear? Seems a good idea but she grooms her skin a lot so maybe not..
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by greenkitty »

Perhaps you could do a combination of time without a coat/jumper and time with so she can still groom herself but has the warmth too for the remaining time. Another item you could think about is a hot water bottle wrapped in an old towel or blanket (or Snugglesafe if you don't mind splashing out a bit) so she has something warm to cuddle up to.

If you wanted to get her a little jumper you could try something like a baby's vest top.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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Thanks greenkitty for the suggestions. She has a snugglesafe already for when she was in the conservatory pre shave. The baby vest top idea sounds good as I've read that the smallest dog coat/jumper can be too big for a cat..She's not keen on being handled so something simple would be best.
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by meriad »

hmm if she's not the easiest to handle; what about a nice soft fleecy blanket that she can cuddle into rather than a coat? I know today is a bit colder again but it's meant to be warming up again so you may not even need a coat?

The snuggle safe is a good idea
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

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We had a look at a few coats and jumpers today and none of them were suitable for Bailey, she wouldn't tolerate the fiddling about to put it on. She has quite a choice of warm blankets and beds around the house that she can snuggle into if she feels chilly. I hope it does warm up, it's supposed to get very cold first though..
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Re: Bailey has been shorn

Post by lilynmitz »

I put a light fleecy blanket over the top of a cat bed ao it makes a tent, and Lily climbs in there when it gets cold. If you put your hand in, its noticeably much warmer in there, so it really works.
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