A tale of unintended consequences.

[Andrea, Belle and Honey]

I just got home from the emergency vet. The trainer from Belle's doggy day care suggested that I try the Pet Corrector when Belle jumps on my back after being stopped once with a firm "no."  She has gotten much better about that, but in exchange she has resumed chewing on the wooden rungs of my computer chair.  She never minded the bitter apple, and has gotten used to the horseradish solution (although she prefers it with gefilte fish).  Time outs make no impression on her when she wants to chew, and bully sticks and the multitude of other chewables on offer don't distract her for more than 2 seconds. When I am on the computer, she hides under the chair, but I can tell she is at it again because she chews so vigorously that the whole chair vibrates.  So I sneaked out the Pet Corrector and gave a blast of compressed air. Belle just yawned and walked away, but I saw a flash of grey streak across the room about a foot under the ceiling fan. Then CRASH - all 22 pounds of Roxie the Cat flying a warp speed smashed into the garden window. A small piece of the inner pane of glass broke out, and Roxie slumped to the base of the window, bleeding from the side of her head. Fortunately she was so dazed I was able to get her into the cat carrier for the first time in several years, and off we went to the emergency vet.  It took five of us to hold her down (did I mention she is a BIG cat?) while the vet put in 4 stitches. When I asked him if she could have a concussion, he just rolled his eyes and left the treatment room. It could happen, couldn't it? The 3 vet techs and I got Roxie into a cone, and then she wouldn't fit into the cat carrier.  I think they were afraid I was going to leave her there, so they had me borrow a loop collar/leash gizmo, gave me some antibiotics, took my check, and escorted us to the door. I think I heard them lock it behind us.  When we got home, I gave poor Roxie a few cat treats.  She only bit me once, which I thought showed great restraint.  I put some duct tape over the broken part of the window until I can hire someone to replace the glass.  As I am sitting at the computer, Belle is - you guessed it - under my chair pretending to nap, but I know she is busily examining the rungs looking for a  good place to start gnawing. Anyone want a slightly used Pet Corrector?

[Andrea, Belle and Honey]

Roxie wants to thank everyone for their sympathy and good wishes, especially the one about more treats. She extricated herself from the cone by the morning after we put it on (I suspect Sophie the Accomplice had a paw in that.)  The mobile vet is coming to remove Roxie's stitches on Friday morning, unless Sophie does the job before that. Belle says yay to more strenuous activity, but I have to tell you that she is never tired.  She goes to day care on a farm 2 days a week and she runs and runs and runs; we also go to a big field in the state park at the end of our street where she chases balls until my arm is ready to fall off.  When we return home, she is still ready to play fetch forever. Thanks for the suggestions.  I am going to try hiding treats for her to find. Unfortunately we don't have any stairs in our house, because that sounds like a really exhausting game. I already put most of her kibble in a puzzle ball so she has to work to eat. She has stopped chewing on everything but the computer chair, so I am on my way to Big Lots to buy a metal chair. 

[Lucy , Alex and Madison]

I had to train maddi on pet corrector collar. Gave her treats and buzzed the collar one time. Press the buzzer 2 times for unwanred behaviors. She caught on in first day. Have to continue this training until behavior is corrected. Hope this is useful.

[Lucy , Alex and Madison]

Sounds like Belle needs some strenuous activity to tire her out a bit. Found a site for indoor activities. One activity involves throwing a favorite toy or ball up a staircase and encourage her to run up to fetch. Let her walk down slowly to avoid injuries. I keep it up untill she loses interest. Sometimes I have to play tug of war to get her excited about chasing the toy. You can play find by putting treats in different areas of the house and pointing to general direction to get them started. Make feeding time interesting by placing her bowl in different places so she can find it. Hope it helps. Maddi gets so tired she takes a nap! !!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am so sorry. Poor kitty.  More treats needed.  I see a new computer chair in your future - a metal one. (Christmas?)

[Sharon & Monty]

oh my gosh!  Poor kitty for sure.  Better days ahead.

[BG and Gavin]

Sounds like a bad day for you and worse for poor Roxie. Hope she is okay.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

LOL - right when I needed.  I could just see Roxie flying through the air into the window.  Just typing that is making me chuckle again.  Know she is doing well, sorry she had to get stitches, but the mind picture was hilarious.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Oh no!! Poor kitty!  My cat reacts the same way if my DH accidentally uses his air compressor hose too close to her-so I know what you mean about flying kitties! And yes, cats can get a concussion but from what I understand it is fairly rare because their skulls are thicker than human skulls.  I hope Roxie is feeling better soon and good luck with the chewing issue!

[Becka]

Poor Roxie! I hope she feels better soon.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

I hope Roxie feels better!