Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 11/14/2010

Question
Hi,
My cat is about 6 years old. We got her spayed at around 6 months old and ever since then she has been exceptionally aggressive around strangers, and vets. She used to be friendly until the spaying, so we think it effected her somehow. She has problems with her fur and I have been been cutting the mats out of her fur and brushing them away for years. This summer I went to Whitehorse, YT for 4 months, and had my mum look after her. My cat would not allow her to cut the mats out, so over the 4 months they worsened. By the time I got home they were so bad that she wouldn't let me even touch them let alone clip them out. They are covering most of her back and I'm sure they must be very painful. We all want to help her but she won't let us get near her. We asked the vet for a sedative so we could bring her in already drowsy but they did not give us any. We managed to get her into her carrier and get her to the vets anyway - they said she was the most aggressive cat they had ever encountered. They tried Happy Cat spray and other techniques but could not sedate her once she was there and already riled up. They ended up turning us away with a suggestion of getting her put under at the cat hospital, which would cost us $250. The money isn't even the biggest issue - it's that we don't see how the cat hospital would counteract her aggressiveness any easier than the vets. She will still be just as aggressive and hard to handle for them. She was so stressed out from this she pooed in her carrier and was stressed for the rest of the day. We really don't know what to do. I can't leave her fur like this as it could cause skin problems and a lot of discomfort for her, but even the vets won't help us now. I'm wondering if there's a safe way for us to sedate our cat when she's relaxed in her home environment without strangers. If we can sedate her ourselves and hopefully shave off the mats then maybe she can be comfortable. I've heard that some things like Benadryl given in small doses can sedate her, but I'm wary of this as I don't want to harm her, however it might just be the only option at this point. Any advice or help you could give would be greatly appreciated! Thanks,
Sincerely,
Abby Truman

Answer
There is a drug called acepromazine that is a very commonly used tranquilizer.  You can give a pill crushed in some food and it takes about an hour or two to work.  Then you can get him in a box and take him to a vet for an injectable sedative so the cat can be shaved down.