Taking a Cat to the Vet

HaHaCharade

I don't care if this post makes me sound like less than a man, lol.

I hate taking our cat to the vet. She freaks out *so* bad when being put in the carrier and sometimes even goes to the bathroom she's so scared. Plus she despises me for months afterwards. She is prone to urinary tract infections so I have to take her back to get checked out before they'll put her on another dose of anti-biotics.

So the question is - I'm thinking of asking the vet for a tranquilizer. Is that cruel/wrong? Would the vet even consider it? It would make taking her in easy, but maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get her in there despite the effect it has on everyone lol.

Any cat owners that can relate?

scriver

How bad are the freak outs?

HaHaCharade

scriver said:

How bad are the freak outs?

Bad enough that I feel like I'm going to accidentally hurt her, putting her in the cat carrier because of how much she struggles. Maybe I just suck at this, lol.

scriver

Well, if you think you might hurt her you definitely have cause to ask for a tranquilizer, at least. Probably wouldn't have to be very strong, either. It's hard to say from over the internet how valid the concerns are, and the vet would always know better anyway, and there's no harm in asking. If he thinks you're a bit overly worried about it, then whatever, it's only because you care about her and what's wrong with that?

mch202

How old is your cat?

HaHaCharade

mch202 said:

How old is your cat?

Like 3

Troodon80

HaHaCharade said:

Bad enough that I feel like I'm going to accidentally hurt her, putting her in the cat carrier because of how much she struggles. Maybe I just suck at this, lol.

I get the same thing on occasion. Most of the cats I have had in the past were feral (or just stray), so they're not particularly trusting. The more tame they are the less problems I have.

The vets where I am won't even consider selling tranquillizers. But it certainly won't hurt to ask.

Personally, I found that by putting a small bit of tuna (not a lot, otherwise they get sick on the journey) in the carrier to entice them in is the best bet.

Sophia

I have four cats and I usually ask my vet to come to my house when they need to take vaccines, your vet does not do home visits? Or, if your cat has a cronic disease, can't you just give her the antibiotic at home instead of taking her to the vet?

Awong124

My cat doesn't really make a fuss going to the vet. He doesn't mind his carrier. We leave our carrier open in the living room, so occasionally he'll even sleep in it. Maybe that's something you can try. Just leave your carrier out so your cat can get familiar with it and not associate it just with going to the vet. Also, I don't usually take him to the vet by myself. Usually one of us would drive and another would stay with him in the back seat to reassure him.

Tucker

try maybe getting a carrier that comes apart so the roof comes off it use the bottom half as a form of bed for the cat make it very comfy for the cat so it enjoys it and go's out of its way to sleep or relax on the makeshift bed.
when you put it back together try not to disturb the bed as much as possible make sure the cat can remember some of the comfort factors you have tried to get it used to simple things like smells and recognizable materials should make the carrier seam a little less threatening.
maybe in time your cat could start relaxing the the carrier intact with the roof on i know your pain its not nice to see animals panic especially when it starts to make you think your doing more harm than good.

BaldursCat

@Tucker's suggestion is very good. You could try leaving the carrier out permanently, perhaps with something she likes to sleep on, or an item of clothing of yours, something that will encourage her to lie in it so she doesn't automatically associate it with a trip to the vet.

Also, if you can get it, Feliway sprays and plugins can help to make your cat relaxed. They're a synthetic version of the hormone cats release when they rub their chins against things, if you spray the basket it should help reinforce that idea it is a nice thing.

One more thing, Rescue Remedy is fine to give to cats, pop a couple of drops into her water to relax her a little. Check out www.vickyhalls.net for more tips, she's a feline behaviour therapist who's written a few books on the subject. HTH?

Awong124

Also, if you haven't already, line the bottom of the carrier with a swatch of carpet or a blanket or something so it will absorb your cat's scent.

HaHaCharade

Sophia said:

I have four cats and I usually ask my vet to come to my house when they need to take vaccines, your vet does not do home visits? Or, if your cat has a cronic disease, can't you just give her the antibiotic at home instead of taking her to the vet?

Not sure if we have vets where I live that will do that for a cat... I wish!

HaHaCharade

Tucker said:

try maybe getting a carrier that comes apart so the roof comes off it use the bottom half as a form of bed for the cat make it very comfy for the cat so it enjoys it and go's out of its way to sleep or relax on the makeshift bed.
when you put it back together try not to disturb the bed as much as possible make sure the cat can remember some of the comfort factors you have tried to get it used to simple things like smells and recognizable materials should make the carrier seam a little less threatening.
maybe in time your cat could start relaxing the the carrier intact with the roof on i know your pain its not nice to see animals panic especially when it starts to make you think your doing more harm than good.

Thanks for the suggestion. I think she pretty much hates the thing now, anytime she sees it she freaks - but maybe if I leave it out she'll get used to it. Cats seem to have pretty good memories lol.

rufus_hobart

Agree with Tucker there, the best strategy we've found is to have the carrier out and available for them to investigate if they like...one of our cats sleeps in his from time to time...have a favourite blanket in it perhaps, something with their scent on it...with our big Turkish Angora, we had a favoured toy in with him at first, but that can cause problems if the vet/nurse tries to take it off them! Some treats can be a good strategy as well if she has a brand she's particularly fond of

Feliway is good, but can get quite expensive...we actually use a device called a Breathe Easy at home, kind of a room sanitizer with all natural products but our cats love it, calms them down with no problems.

best of luck!

Paladin

I'll say this as a fellow cat owner. Don't use tranquilizers. They really aren't good for the animal. Take Tucker's advice and try a different carrier. My cat hated his front-loading carrier. We switched to one with a zipper on the top that we could set him in and it was much easier. Get one that is nice and big, put some comfortable bedding in there, and put him in from the top. Seriously, it's a cat, no need to get a tranquilizer. If this was some sort of vicious mastiff, sure. But, c'mon.

rexreg

i went from a front-loader to a top-loader & the difference is amazing

ginger_hammer

My girlfriends 3 year old cat used to hate those carriers but as the post above said the top loaders are sooo much easier and she just plops him in and its such less palava. We leave the carrier out too so he can sniff around and it doesnt freak him so much.

rexreg

@ginger_hammer...

ginger_hammer said:

We leave the carrier out too so he can sniff around and it doesnt freak him so much.

this, as well...the cat carrier is usually sitting in the middle of the living room the night before the cat goes on his little trip

rexreg

@HaHaCharade...plz let us know how things go for you & your feline

HaHaCharade

rexreg said:

@HaHaCharade...plz let us know how things go for you & your feline

Well it's surgery for the kitty. She's got a bladder stone of the type that won't dissolve on its own... But I guess it could be worse. Thanks to everyone for the tips and advice.

Moomintroll

The best bit of advice I read for our two cats was to put a blanket or sheet over the carrier while they are in the car. We drove from Horsham to Derby (probably means nothing if you aren't from the UK) with our cats this way and they were calm, didn't meow or anything. On the other hand they may have been cowering silently in a corner.

I made a similar journey onces before having given the (other) cats some sort of sedative, in pill form. Meowing still occured + some cat wees. - we hadn't heard of puting a sheet over them at the time.

HaHaCharade

Just an update for any who care - She had surgery and is doing quite well. We go in a couple weeks from now to have her sutures taken out. Thanks to everyone again.

BelgarathMTH

@HaHaCharade, I'm really glad your kitty's all right. Out of curisosity as a fellow cat-owner, what behaviors was she doing that let you know something was wrong before the diagnosis? Did they catch it on a routine visit, or did she let you know somehow that she was in pain?

My poor kitties get so traumatized by having to go to the vet, I have to admit I don't take them in unless they clearly need to go. But sometimes, it can be hard to tell, as cats hide when they are in pain.

Thanks.

rexreg

glad the little girl is ok...has she been cursed w/ a cone of shame?

old_jolly2

I took a seagull to a vet once , fallen to our apartment yard. He or she was not able to fly , I stepped in. The vet said it was @ a shock , it may fly if let go at sea level somewhere. So I drove him/her in my car , from Istanbul to Eskihisar , playing it my Konec playlist along on the autobahn. It was looking to me at the box right below the passenger seat. I think it lost the interest in me , but was checking me out often , which is a good thing , it still can think logically at some level , as I am a stranger for it. Some fishermen I think , or boatmen were there where I let it to sea , and it swam to night dark seas... I dedusted my hands , and walked off.

AcridSyphilis

if you don't live too far from the vet, you could also just have her relatively loose in the car. In my experience, all of the cats I have had freaked out about the cat carriers way too much. One cat would drool, poop himself, and mew the most mournful meows ever heard by man. It was terrible. However, and this requires more than one person in the car with you, we found by having one person hold the cat, they would always be happier travelling. One of our cats loved the car, and would meow if we went too slow or fast (she loved looking out the window).

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it on super long trips, but on short vet visit, for us it was always a more pleasurable experience for both the owners and the cats.

ChildofBhaal599

Why so many resurrected threads recently?