Well, try to look at it from her point of view. Clearly she had a
stressful and upsetting
time seven years ago, and she didn't forget it, although she did
recover. And now it's happening AGAIN. She's mad and upset and worried
and stressed and older "everythings" are often less resilient than
young uns. I have a formerly traumatized cat,
and although she has become a lovely and sweet purr muffin, when she
gets upset about something - she retreats quickly and unforgivably to
the fear place and it always takes a while for her to let go of it.
Every vet visit and even flea medication application takes a while to
recover from. That's how she is.

Your cat experienced some trauma the last time and she has gone to a
place of fear and  anger during this latest stressor. If she is a loved
animal, and clearly she is, she will put herself back together, but it
will take some time. Any cat can be aggressive if stressed and upset
enough.

The best thing you can do is get her out of there as quickly as
possible and try to set up a secure and stable routine for her in the
new house. Buy, replace, take out as many familiar things as you can -
especially her things like toys, beds, fabrics, food bowls, cat trees
and so on. Fill the house with things that smell like you that she can
lie on, sniff, and be with - so it's clear that she is with you again.
Try to regularize feeding times as much as possible so she knows what
to expect. And give her lots of space. It'll be tempting to love her to
death, but that may end up overwhelming her. Just try to act very
nornal and let her come to you as she calms down. And try to let go of
the idea that she is permanently changed. That anxiety will be palpable
to her and it won't help. She's still Meep. She's just scared and angry
Meep.

It may take a month or two for her to fully calm down, but she will.
Just be patient.

Best,

Tracy

Suddenly, without warning, jmc exclaimed (6/2/2006 8:02 AM):

<snip>

Finally heard from the vet.  Meep's fine, but needed an enema (she sheds
when stressed and all her hair comes out that end, so I'm not suprised).
 No sign of cystitis (whew!)  Vet described her as "friendly" so I
guess the handler may have been exaggerating a mite.  She did supply a
bunch of c/d food so she'll stay healthy.

The visit was on the expensive side for what was basically "worried
mommy syndrome" but still worth it in my estimation!

We're reunited next Friday (16 June).  Haven't seen her since mid-April.
 Can't wait to see her again!

jmc