# Thundershirt works?



## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

Has anybody tried Thundershirt?

Clipping Paizly's claws, and giving her daily medicine, she acts like I'm trying to KILL her! I got a muzzle for the claw thing, and it works that I don't get bitten...but it's still quite stressful for her. And it covers the mouth, so I can't use it for medicine (if it had a bigger breathing hole, I might be able to)

My friend has a shirt for her dog, but honestly - I couldn't really tell any difference in him. He's rather old and probably couldn't get physically wound up about going to the vet even if he wanted to (poor guy can barely walk anyway!)

There is a money-back guarantee, but you have to return it within 45 days, and they suggest trying it on every day for a week (or more) to see if it works... that would mean I would have to cut it pretty close with enough trial scenarios and getting it in the mail on time (for some reason I always get things quick, but returning seems to take FOREVER)

Any help/experience stories/opinions appreciated!


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

I have them for my 2 thunder-phobic dogs, and they DO seem to help.

However, I can't imagine putting one on a cat. That just seems like a futile effort, LOL, and most cats would be WAY more upset by the outfit than by whatever was upsetting them in the first place.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

What medicine are you giving, and in what form? Is it something that you will have to give forever or just for a while?


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

I've seen the thundershirts and they're quite heavy elasticized material that fits very snugly around the body (and I think the legs too, but not sure about that). If you have an elasticized _tube top _(child size perhaps) you might put that on and see how the cat reacts to it. It would be cheaper than buying one and then having to return it if it didn't work out. If Paizly is the type of cat that likes to be held tight and finds it comforting then it would likely work, but if not imo wouldn't. By what you say about clipping claws, etc. doesn't sound like she would like it.


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## Nan (Oct 11, 2010)

They are for dogs. Most cats don't like to be held closely.


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

Ohhh, a tube shirt is a great idea (and cheaper, especially if just trying it out).
And she does hate being held (I can pet her alright, but ANY sort of restraining and she gets all upset). You'd think after 10 years, all her feralness would be out of her by now!

The medicine I give is Methigel. It's supposed to be palatable (good tasting) for cats, but she will not eat it. Alone OR mixed up in food. If I don't give it to her, urine PH goes back up to 7 and infection sets in. (I slacked off the last couple weeks, to give her a break from all the "wrestling" every morning, and last night she went to 4 different spots before finally getting out a tiny dribble...so I think she's infected AGAIN).
There are pills, but that wouldn't be much better than syringing the gel to her anyway (plus, pills aren't metabolized by the body as well as liquids are).

Maybe I should just euthanize her, so she doesn't have to deal with all this junk anymore :sad2(she doesn't like Zinny always trying to play with her, either!)


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Just curious . . . what do you feed her? The reason most domestic cats' pH is wrong is b/c of how they eat. Switching to a species-appropriate diet might well fix the problem.


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

Currently I'm in the process of switching her to raw. Morning she gets ground "stuff" (80% muscle, 10% organ/liver mix) which usually she only nibbles at, and in the evening she gets Nutro Max canned. 
Next Monday I'm gonna try giving her 1/4 of a rock/cornish game hen and see if she goes for any of it. If not, she'll get canned food at night, just so she has something to eat (being 11 years old, I don't want to risk the liver issues from not eating on a regular basis)

Most of the UTI diets I can't feed her, because they have corn-something in the first few ingredients, and corn-whatever make her sick (throws them up EVERY time after about 5 minutes)


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Great! I think you'll find that once she's eating raw you can stop the Methigel. 

Try coating the game hen w/ tuna juice. Also, try cutting it into pieces at first (scissors work well for this).


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Nan said:


> They are for dogs. Most cats don't like to be held closely.


Thundershirt has just come out with a cat version. 

I sell the dog version in my store and feedback is pretty good. I haven't brought in the cat version yet. I wouldn't equate a cat being held by a person to the feeling a Thundershirt would give them. Cats tend to like small enclosed spaces like boxes...the shirts are meant to provide that type of feeling.


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

I think I may have to take some of the meat off the whole pray and grind it, and smear it all over the whole pieces the first few times.
My cats don't seem to like chunk stuff very well. For instance, when I was really poor and feeding junk canned food, I still could only get the pate` versions. If I got the "chunks, fillets, shreds, etc.peices" in gravy, they always licked the gravy and left the solid bits to dry out. But if it's mush, they eat it all just fine!


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Chunk canned food and raw are very different. My advice (and this really belongs over on the raw forum!) is to offer raw 2X a day. Separate the cats and give them 20-30 min to deal with it. If they don't eat much or any, let them skip ONE meal a day. On second meal, after they deal with it for a while, offer a little canned. They do need to eat every 24 hours.

Keep in mind that the problem is that canned/kibble are both artificially smelly. Raw meat is almost without smell. They're used to crack; you're getting them to love broccoli. It can take a while.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

lol the cats in the video act the way Cheshire does whenever you try to put any kind of collar/harness/bell on him.


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

LOL yeah, first time I put a harness on Nebbie, she crouched down like she was ready to bolt and find a place to hide as if she was in trouble 

Though I'd much rather have Paizly just flop over, than clawing off my fingers (still got a nice slice on my pinky from the other day)


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## Seakazoo (Sep 2, 2012)

Bumping for interest.

Does anyone else have any input on these? I'm in the process of introducing a foster cat to a very fussy cat who has been alone for a few years. My mom told me about the Thundershirts and I've heard they work well on dogs, but I wanted to hear a bit more input from some cat people before I decide to get one for my kitty.

Thanks in advance!


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