Conference misery::feline_v1

    Stephanie,
    
    Could Elsa possibly be coming into heat again?????  Sometimes they act
    VERY strangely just before or during the heat cycle.
    
    cin
    

    
    Cindy,
    
    I thought about the possibility that she could be coming into heat
    again, but she was acting more scared (petrified) then strange even.
    She hasn't shown any other signs of coming into heat, and she's been
    in heat about 4 other times and she never acted like this. Of course
    it is always a possibility. I hope that is all it is. I'm afraid she
    will never act the same again, or that she is really sick. 
    
    Stephanie 

    Steph,
    
    Maybe she's afraid that she'll get pregnant again.  Or, cats act really
    strange sometimes when they're upset with something like a change in 
    their scenery.  She probably didn't mind the scent in the carpet until
    she soaked her fur with it, now she can't get far enough away from it.
    Have you made a call to her vet to ask them about it?
    
    Good luck,
    Sonia

    Stephanie,
    
    How do her eyes look???  Are they glazed over at all, dialated pupils,
    or anything like that???  If it is slight chemical poisioning from the
    carpet cleaning, maybe it would be a good idea to give her a bath and
    get her fur and skin good and clean.  
    
    You might want to call the carpet cleaning company to ask them about
    the possibility of the carpet shampoo being toxic.
    
    
    Hope Elsa's alright.
    cin
    

    
    Thanks for the responses. Sonia, I would have thought she wasn't going
    upstairs because of the carpet, but the carpet is downstairs too. That
    is what I couldn't understand. Her heart is always beeting really fast
    as if she is really scared. I haven't called the vet because I know
    that they will just say, bring her in, and when I bring her in they
    will say they can't find anything wrong with her. They won't be able to
    tell if she is acting strange because they don't know what she is like. 
    
    Cindy, her eyes did look glazed to me, but she sometimes gets eye
    infections which cause them to glaze. Yesterday she had one eye closes
    a little more then the other, but her eyes always clear up in a day or
    two. A bath is a good idea, if the carpet cleaning detergent is
    poisonous, poor Elsa must have licked it off herself after she slept in
    it. 
    
    I'll see how she is tonight, maybe I'll have to call the vet. I hope
    she doesn't have brain damage.
    
    Thank you for your help.
    
    Stephanie

    Stephanie,
    
    Definitely call the carpet company, and find out what they used to
    clean the carpets.  If her eyes are glazed looking, she is probably
    reacting to something....Don't worry about Brain Damage...she's
    persian, and they don't have brains!!!  ;-)  
    
    I would also call the vet...after you call the carpet company...to find
    out if they can give you something that might help elsa.  If your
    noticing that her heartbeat seems faster than normal, I would mention
    that and the glazed eyes to the vet.    
    
    My mom has her own carpet cleaner, but many of the products that can be
    used in it specifically say not to allow animals on the wet carpets.
    
    

    Was there someone from the carpet company that came into the house
    to do the cleaning?  If so,  they probably spooked her, a stranger
    in the house with this incredible, noisy, sucking animal with a long
    hose for a neck.  Or maybe the guy chased her with that incredible,
    sucking machine.  Heck, that would scare anybody!
    
                                Denise

    You know I hadn't thought of the carpet guy scaring her!!!  Is it
    possible that she was upstairs when he was shampooing???
    
    

    
    I thought of the carpet man scaring her too, but she acted normal and
    calm after he left. She didn't act strange until about 5 hours later
    when I came home with my friends. But, when the carpet man came over
    he had the garage door open so I had to put Elsa in the bathroom so she
    wouldn't be able to sneak outside. That was the first time I ever
    locked her anywhere. I would go in and visit her, and whenever the
    carpted cleaner would pull the big heavy hose further up the stairs (it
    would make a load sound) Elsa would jump and act a little scared. After
    he left she was fine. She started to act strange when I came home later
    with my friends. Maybe she associated them with the carptet cleaner and
    got scared. We all went upstairs and she paniced and ran downstairs and
    she stayed down there. One of my friends slept on my couch and Elsa
    doesn't know him. The first couple times I took her upstairs in the
    morning he was there. Maybe that is what scared her. But she isn't
    usually afraid of strangers. I think you might be right that the carpet
    cleaner man could have really spooked her with the loud sounds. I
    called the cleaning company and asked what kind of detergent they use.
    They don't know but said they would call me back. Once I know what was
    used I'll call the vet just in case. If she is just scared I'd hate to
    upset her more by taking her for a car ride to the vet.
    
    Stephanie

    It sounds like Elsa is behaving just like Pookie! We moved house at the
    end of August and about 4 weeks ago she started acting a bit weird! She
    kept on running away from me (and Rob) as if we were about to hurt her.
    She went into some sort of panic mode and just shot off!! It turns out
    that abot 4 weeks ago the 'lady' from acroos the way took exception to
    Pookie investigating her garage and chased her with a water squirter!!
    She did this several times until I found out. I told her to keep her
    garage shut and if I saw her doing it again I would retaliate on
    Pookies behalf with the HOSEPIPE! Needless to say she stopped!!!!
    I know its a good way to discipline unruly cats, but you shouldn't
    frighten them to death in the process. She is still very wary of 
    people that we don't know ie workmen etc and I think some of the
    local children have chased her - just wait until I catch them.
    
    So maybe Elsa is afraid - it sounds quite likely to me!!
    
    Lisa (Percy and scared Pookie)
    
    

    Well, Stephanie, It sounds like your keeping a good watch on her.  I
    know that when I met Elsa, she wasn't scared of me.  She is a very
    personable and loving cat.  
    
    Keep a good eye on her, and if she's still acting weird, and you want
    to call me tonight, you have my home number.
    
    I think a call to the vet is in order once you find out what carpet
    cleaner was used.
    
    Let me know how she's doing...
    cin
    

Yesterday when I got home I was really worried how Elsa would be. As I was
coming up the cellar stairs, she poked her head around the corner, meowed
and ran to greet me as she always does. She purred and purred and was for
the first time since Saturday night acting like Elsa!!! I was so relieved. 
She must have been spooked by the carpet cleaner guy because when someone
comes into my house or she hears a noise (the wind yesterday) she still
panics and hides. Even when my room mate came home she panicked when she heard
her coming up the stairs. Luckily when I come home she hears the garage 
door opener first and knows it's me.

Thank you for all your advise and help. Maybe I over exaggerated but there 
was definitely something wrong. I wonder what was going on in that little
mind of hers. 

Thanks again.

Stephanie