u/ApocalypticWaffles

Wondering if anyone could offer advice or even just commiserate with me.

My sweet girl Mei Mei has always been shy. She doesn’t tolerate being held and spooks at quick movements. She has her boundaries. That said, she does love her people. She adores “talking,” craves scratches, and loves to snuggle.

She was diagnosed with asthma recently and prescribed Fluticasone Propionate HFA. She’ll need one puff daily for maintenance of her asthma.

I began the medication last Wednesday as directed. Physically, Mei Mei is doing very well on the medication. No asthma attacks at all. Mentally, she is not doing well. She’s always been a timid cat. Now, she’s absolutely terrified of the sight of me (despite weeks of training with the AeroCat, lots of treats, patience, and doing my best to minimize stress with reassurance and praise).

She’s just constantly afraid I’m going to try to give her the asthma inhaler whenever she sees me walk in the room. She hasn’t been eating as much, she’s hiding under the bed most of the day, and she doesn’t even want to look at me.

Will this pass? Does anyone have any success stories of their shy torts getting through this hurdle with medication, asthma-related or not? I feel awful. I feel like I’ve destroyed all the trust between the two of us, but I also know she needs her medication to manage her asthma.