Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
My cat, Graylie, was traumatized during a hospital stay by his treatment and the staff. He had a really high temperature, so they had him immobilized with an IV and he was sitting on a cold grill that had freezing air under it. He screamed for the entire two days he was there.
I got him to a vet after that, but he went berserk there and they were very rough with him in order to do his exam and cut his nails. The next time I tried to take him to the vet to get his annual rabies booster, her fought me and I couldn’t get him in the carrier. I’ve bought “calming” stuff at the pet store — various kinds, expensive stuff — and I don’t see that it helps.
I’ve investigated having a vet come to the house, but that vet is going to bring a helper that sounds like muscle to wrestle the cat. I’m not glad to think about Graylie being manhandled in his own home.
What other options do I have? I’ve been told by a vet that sedating him is a bad idea. Do you agree? He is past his time for his rabies protection now; fortunately, he is an indoor cat, but I’m out of compliance with state law. Is there any way I can calm him at home long enough to get him into a carrier?
~ Karen
Siouxsie: We certainly don’t blame poor Graylie for being traumatized by that! Wow, what an ordeal!
Thomas: One of the reasons why cats get to the vet so much less often than dogs is because so many cats don’t like carrier rides and lead their people on a merry chase, which often ends up with the cat disappearing and the person having to call the vet and cancel the appointment.
Bella: House-call vets can be a godsend for people whose cats freak out at the vet, and that may be a good option for your Graylie.
Siouxsie: We understand your concerns about the vet’s assistant being “muscle” to wrestle the cat. However, many restraint techniques may look like wrestling but, when done properly by people who know cat behavior, make the physical exam and treatment safer and less traumatic for owner, vet clinic staff and cat alike.
Thomas: There are some great videos available on how to handle and restrain fractious cats. Veterinarian and animal behavior pioneer Dr. Sophia Yin (1966-2014) shared this video of correctly restraining a feral cat for an examination.
Bella: In this 10-minute training video from DoveLewis Animal Emergency Hospital in Portland, Oregon, a pair of vet nurses demonstrate safe restraint techniques for a very fractious cat who has been “fired” from two other clinics because of his aggressiveness:
Siouxsie: So, Karen, you can see that vet clinic staff trained in safe, low-stress restraint techniques can keep even a freaked out cat from getting hurt or hurting the people trying to treat him. And probably this is why the house-call vet wants to bring an assistant. Just make sure that both the vet and the assistant are experienced and comfortable with restraining cats — it’s a lot different from restraining dogs!
Thomas: You may know your cat better, but a trained professional will be able to quickly and restrain Graylie in a way that’s not about manhandling but about safety.
Bella: Whether the vet is visiting your home or you’re taking Graylie to the clinic, he’s going to be restrained if he’s as aggressive as he sounds.
Siouxsie: Your vet said sedation is a bad idea. We’re not veterinarians, and even if we were, we don’t know your cat and we don’t have his medical history in front of us, so we can’t make any judgments about that. Some cats are a poor sedation risk because of health issues, but we don’t know if your cat is one of those.
Thomas: Sometimes sedation is required for the cat’s safety as well as that of the clinic’s staff. When Kissy had to have X-rays of her bad leg, the clinic staff had to sedate her because she was screaming and fighting and trying to bite — and she was ordinarily pretty cool at the vet.
Bella: When a cat is sedated for diagnostics or treatment, that cat is carefully monitored by the vet and the techs, and the sedation is reversed as soon as it’s no longer needed.
Siouxsie: You can try some of the restraint techniques on your own if you want to try and get Graylie into a carrier, but Mama has found that the easiest way to get us into the carrier is to take it out the night before she’s going to take us somewhere and leave it open for us to explore.
Thomas: Dr. Patty Khuly wrote a list of tips for getting your cat to like (or at least, accept) the carrier so you can get him to the vet.
Bella: What about you other readers? Have you found house-call vets to be helpful for your skittish or aggressive kitties? What techniques have you used to get your cat to love the carrier? Do you have any other tips to help Karen help Graylie? Please share them in the comments.
JaneA Kelley is a punk rock cat mom and award-winning blogger. She is a regular columnist for Catster Magazine, and she and the Paws and Effect Gang share a home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
my twins caterwaul all the way to the vet… To the point where my husband refuses to drive. It’s just too painful to hear. That said, we found a closer vet (30 min drive vs 10!) and they handle our little psychos just fine. My girl had a few nasty dreadlocks forming and they actually apologized that they had to cut it- I told them it was no biggie but they wanted to do their best. She was “becoming agitated” and the staff didn’t “want to stress her out any longer.” I’m totally fine with that.
What a great article! I paid particular attention since I have to take two of mine to the vet today.
My oldest usually will fight me a little but since I started putting him in butt first, has accepted it.
My youngest fights me more and when I get her in the carrier, caterwaul so loud the whole trip that I wear earplugs in the car!
But once they get there, it’s easy to hold them and the vet will let me do it instead of the tech. That way they don’t freak out!
I leave cat carriers out as a matter of course so that my kitties are accustomed to seeing them. You can even feed a cat in the carrier to facilitate the process. However, this won’t help Graylie once he gets to the vet. He has every right to have horrible associations for such visits. Shortly before the vet comes to her home Karen should restrict Graylie to a bathroom. This way no one will have to chase him around a larger room which would increase his stress. Karen should remain out of the bathroom while he is being given the injection because her nervousness will add to his. Scruffing a cat can look unkind but it really is not. A good vet will use a combination of scruffing and a towel wrap to hold him still. Drugging a cat alters his vital signs which would interfere with an exam. Karen should ask the vet ahead of time his/her opinion of tranquilizers. The drug may also mask any signs of a reaction to the vaccination afterwards. Remember that when a cat is sedated at the clinic his health status has already been determined by the vet and his vital signs are monitored by professionals. Good luck, Karen !
I have my carriers out 24 /7 and use them to feed special food in.. all the cats know when the special bowls and special food come out they go into the carrier.. no mess no fuss.. even if it is a single piece or chicken or cheese they are happy.. my cats use them as beds .. our problem here is getting the cats out of the carriers.
We leave the carrier out quite often so it is a familiar place. Also we will take Duke on rides with us. we want him to know that not every car trip ends at the vet.
My cat dislikes the car ride more than the vet visit. She’s scared at the vet but she doesn’t vocalize. She just hunkers down on the exam table. Thankfully, my vet is good at handling cats, so she never seems to be traumatized. The car ride is worse because she usually howls the whole time and presses her face against the side of the carrier. A soft-sided carrier helps, but what helps the most is more frequent car rides. Cats generally dislike new things. Even things you think they would like, like a new treat, takes time for them to accept. A car ride every week or two works wonders when accompanied by treats and no vet visit at the end.
I have carriers with a top door as well as a front door. They make it easier to load a cat that is reluctant. That may not help your poor kitty – sounds like he had quite an ordeal and is understandably upset ! Prayers & paws up that you find a vet you are happy with and can take care of your Graylie !
None of my cats have ever been happy about their carriers or going in the car. And I have had to cancel Vet visits when a cat disappeared on me. For my current two, Charley and Mya, I do leave the cat carriers out a day or two before the vet visit. When it’s time, I put a carrier in the bathroom, grab one of the cats, go in, and shut the door. I stand the carrier on end and slide the cat in butt first. Then of course they whine all the way to the vet. Once there, we usually have to take the top off the carrier to get the cat out (I love how they stay in the back, with their back to you on the theory that if they can’t see you, you can’t see them). My vet thinks my cats have no bones as both Charley and Mya lie on the table like limp ragdolls looking very pathetic. Of course getting them back in the carrier is no problem — open the door and they dash in.
My daughter has a cat, Neko, that hisses and bites. However, she has been in and out of her carrier for reasons other than the vet, so even I have been able to get her in the carrier. When she was younger she spent time in my daughter’s office. She’s also made the trip from Virginia to our house in NJ (and back). According to my daughter, Jimmy Buffett music keeps Neko calmer.
Bringing the veterinarian to your home for an unruly cat is such a great idea. I think having your fur baby in a familiar environment will automatically help them keep calmer. This is especially true if their most trusted human can be in the room with them to sooth them. I really ought to consider doing this for my cat for her next check up.
I’d love to take my cat to the vet for a visit. However, I had to cancel the last time. My arms were torn up trying to get him in the carrier. Blood everywhere. I got him to the vet once when he was very sick. Easy to get him in the carrier then. However, when he was feeling better at the vets, he was not nice to them at all. My vet told me to come and pick him up and that he was the worst behaved cat they ever had. She sounded like the life had been sucked out of her. Home vet visits sound ideal to me.