Sunday, September 15, 2013

Please Tell Me I’m Not the Only One

Doesn't he look like a sweet cat?
It seems that many of you are animal people.  That’s at least part of why I like you.  I’m hoping (because misery loves company, right?) that at least some of you will tell me I’m not the only person with a cat who carries on like a demon spat straight from the very depths of hell at the vet.

I know cats don’t care for the vet.  I get it.  Cats tend to be somewhat contrary.  They aren’t like dogs.  Our praise means little to nothing (sometimes less) to them.  If they’re unhappy they want us to know it.  I get it. 

That being said, I can’t help but think that our cat Milo is an extreme case.  We’ve found only one vet (fortunately we like her and she’s a good vet) who will see Milo and actually do anything other than quake in fear before the wrath of Milo. 

He’s terrible at the vet; he growls and hisses from the moment we walk in the door until the moment we walk out the door.  He bites and scratches.  He latches onto fingers/hands/arms with his claws and drags them to his mouth to bite.  He clamps down and doesn’t let go.  Giving Milo an injection is a four person operation; the vet to administer the injection and three of us to hold him down. 

We’ve tried various things to make his vet visits less traumatic for everyone; they plug in a Feliway diffuser hours before we come, we give him treats in the carrier, we put nice soft blankets and/or an article of clothing that I’ve worn (I’m his person) in the carrier, and we all speak in soft, soothing tones.  The vet’s office also schedules his appointments so that we spend as little time waiting as possible.  I’m not entirely sure if this is just to give Milo less time to get worked up, or if it’s also to keep from frightening other people and animals waiting in the lobby. 

Yesterday morning Milo had an appointment for a skin problem.  I took him in the nice big carrier, padded with a blanket and the t-shirt I slept in the night before.  He rode in the passenger seat with me reaching in to gently pet him on the way.  We sat in our little corner of the waiting room and were taken to the Feliway scented exam room almost immediately. 

A clear plan of action (there are probably military operations performed with less planning than goes into opening Milo’s carrier) was in place before the door to the carrier was opened because Milo has a history of coming out swinging.  Yesterday he outdid himself.  He shot out of the carrier and grabbed the nearest vet tech.  He left her with a nasty scratch on her hand that bled all over the place.  He escaped our grip twice and screamed as though we were skinning him alive when he got his shot.  Everyone in the room, except Milo, was bleeding by the time it was over.  The furniture was knocked over and there were blood spatters on the floor.  All from giving one cat a shot.

I worry about what they think of us there.  I can’t help worrying that they think we’re abusive, or at least mean, to Milo at home because he’s so hateful and angry there.  I don’t think they believe me when I tell them he’s a sweet kitty at home.  It probably helps some that our cat Howard is so good at the vet; he happily bounds out of the carrier purring and rolls over to have his belly rubbed. 


I hope Howard earns us some redemption for Milo.  I still worry, though, that they suspect us of doing horrible things to cats, or at least to Milo.  So please tell me I’m not the only one with a cat like that.  Do you have a cat who behaves that way at the vet?  Better yet, do you have a solution for dealing with a cat who behaves that way at the vet?  

12 comments:

  1. omg Danielle. I'm so sorry but I snorted laughing. Gah you just got to love them and all their devil spawn ways. Mine are the opposite. I spent a year. A YEAR trying to catch Piedmont because he needed a dental. I bled so many freaking times. Ended up sitting and panting on the floor from trying to get him. Finally get him in to the vet and I'm a nervous wreck b/c omg what horrors is he going to inflict on us. And he purrs at them. Purrs. The little freak of nature was on his best behavior and so sweet to them. I couldn't believe. lol

    Margarite our dog is bad about getting her nails done. I have to take her in for them. It took a vet, 3 techs, me, a muzzle and her on the table to get them done. And she peed on us. You can do anything else to her and she's a total sweetie but her nails are a no-go.

    Have you thought of maybe trying a home vet? So he doesn't actually have to go in to the clinic and they just come to you? My mom's vet does that for our ferals and it helps a lot with the stress. Still not exactly easy but better than having to go through a car ride and the clinic.

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    1. I know you can't help laughing when it's someone else's fur kid acting that way. I know I laugh when I hear the stories about my sister's cats misbehaving. :-)

      I've never looked into a home vet. I may have to find out about that.

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  2. Your cat is like my Magmonster, although I can not imagine dealing with a cat's claws in that instance. Those things are deadly!! Oh my.

    We have to sedate our dog to groom her. She freaks out!

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    1. Our vet refers to Milo as being "fully armed" meaning that he has all of his claws. I cannot imagine what would happen if he had to be groomed. That's the stuff nightmares are made of!

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  3. See if you can pay a vet tech to come give a shot to him at home. The dogs we have now are the opposite, so nervous they have accidents on the office floor even when they just went outside. Our cats do not like the vet at all and act surly, but not like your cat.

    As a last resort, if the cat is only going once in a while to the vet's office, perhaps you can get a very mild sedative from the Dr. to give him before each trip there. If it is only a few times a year, shouldn't be too bad. Sometimes people sedate their pets before long traumatic plane rides etc. Just a thought. Sorry you are so inconvenienced.

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    1. Most of our cats aren't thrilled about the vet, but no one else acts like Milo does. Very thankful for that! They always have to sedate him if they're going to do anything like x-rays. We may have to look into getting something we can give him at home before we get to the vet.

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  4. Wow! I'd say shoot him up with a tranquilizer before you go to the vet! (I just glanced up and saw what Rita said. Maybe an in-home vet visit would be the solution. Less stress for Milo.)

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    1. I think we may check into finding a vet that comes to our house.

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  5. Don't worry, you are not the only one! Our Maggie, before she went to the Rainbow Bridge, used to have a red sticker on her chart at the vet. That meant "use extreme caution." But at home, she was a total sweetie pie!

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    1. Milo's old vet wrote "CAUTION" across his entire chart in Sharpie. I guess they wanted to make sure no one missed it. It's amazing how different they're behavior can be between home and the vet.

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  6. :))))))))))) She seems like a very temperamental lady...My cats are generally reasonable, except maybe to my 17 year old Birman cat. She doesn't stand anyone but me. They all have their personalities....You just need a lot of patience :)

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    1. At 17 I think the cat has a right to be a little less than reasonable. They definitely have very unique personalities. I guess that's part of what makes us love them so much.

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