But sometimes she needs to see the vet.
I've learned that spraying Felliway onto a towel in her carrier, and leaving her a little hungry before vet visits helps. The Felliway calms her much better than the pill they sold me for use before visits, which really doesn't work at all. The vet has a container of treats in the exam room. I give them to her, one at a time by hand while she is being examined or given a shot to distract her.
The problem is partly her breed background and partly her early life history. I got her from a coworker when she was 9 weeks old. The coworker had the mother, an older kitten, and a dog. My gal, Ember, was the runt of her litter, so she had to be a fighter from the start. The coworker was not a good pet owner. While I was there, the coworker tossed Ember on the couch, flipped her onto her back, and jostled her around with her hand on Ember's belly. Rough jostling, far too rough for a tiny kitten. Also, the older cat had previously attacked Ember, who was rescued by the dog.
Consequently, Ember had a fear of human hands. It took me several weeks to get Ember to let me to pet her on the head. Whenever she saw my hand she went into full attack mode. These were not playful attacks. She meant business. (Now she nudges my hand when she wants to be petted.)
She looks like an ordinary non pedigreed cat, but her body shape and several behavior traits made me suspect a pedigreed breed in her recent history. She was a year old before I knew for sure that it was Egyptian Mau. She does not have the Mau spotted coat, but has one behavioral trait that ONLY Maus have. It's called a "tail wiggle" or "butt wiggle." When excited and anticipating something she loves, her tail goes straight up in the air and vibrates, from her rump to the tip of her tail.
I learned that Egyptian Maus are affectionate, but very touchy about being handled. They require socializing at a very early age. Poor Ember got just the opposite as a kitten before I got her.
She is 6 now and has mellowed from her early defensiveness. She is very affectionate, sweet, and loves to be petted, kissed, and played with. She is friendly even with people she doesn't know. But in her mind, the vet is a bad person who hurt her with needles and surgery (spaying) when she was still a scared kitten. She has an excellent memory.
Example of her memory: When she was 2 years old, the coworker stopped in at my place to see how Ember was doing. The instant that Ember heard the woman's voice and smelled her scent, she leaped onto a counter, arched her back with hair on end, and hissed and growled furiously. She would not let the coworker closer than 6 feet.
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