Have you ever felt so anxious you thought you needed a chill pill?...that's what we decided our cat SweetPea was needing...and being averse to giving her medication, we tried something different...
We bought her a Thundershirt...cleverly designed from a soft stretchy material and velcro, the Thundershirt swaddles her like a baby...the underlying idea being that constant pressure to her torso has a calming effect...minimizing any anxious feelings...the ones that she manifests by looking disoriented and crying...often...and loudly...
We tried it for the first time last night...she didn't resist a bit...and you can't really tell from the image...but the shirt was so effective, she reacted with what the company calls "freeze and flop"...ably demonstrated by Ollie and Beans and anonymous...except that in SweetPea's case, she didn't freeze...she just flopped...once the shirt went on, she didn't even attempt to stand up...
SweetPea, flopped in her Thundershirt...
Although it is far more likely SweetPea was having the "limp" reaction...the one cats have when grabbed by the scruff of the neck...we decided instead that she was totally blissed out...and now we know that...like psychotropic treatment options...there may be a period of adjustment required before she acclimates to her new clothing...
Although I must say I really prefer the explanation offered by furtjager117 who wrote..."Its [sic] a scientific fact that cats are controlled by government satellites. The shirt must block the signal, so the cat shuts down."