Taking a cat to the vet just gets harder every time you do it. The more a cat goes, the more she remembers and the more she resists.
Driving to the animal hospital takes about five minutes. Getting the cat ready for the drive can take up to forty.
Rearranging your entire daily schedule to lavish attention on the cat will not make her suspicious at first. She’ll just think you’re finally getting your priorities straight. Until she sees the cat carrier.
The sight of a cat carrier is the quickest way to turn a purring kitty into a screeching bundle of claws that thinks only of escape.
She doesn’t care if there are cat treats and a nice soft towel in the carrier, she is not going in.
Don’t count on taking the top off the carrier, putting her in, and replacing it. Snapping all the fasteners takes too long and gives her a chance to get away.
Instead, try standing the carrier on its back end and holding the cat over the open door, so you can (maybe) lower her into it. Even cats have to obey the law of gravity.
Have a fallback plan. It’ll make you feel better, even if it’s a lame and somewhat unsafe one like putting a harness on the cat and having your assistant try to keep her in his lap in the car.
Once the cat is secured, take time out to bandage your wounds. You don’t want blood dripping on everything, and, more importantly, the cat needs a chance to calm down.
The cat will behave much better for the vet than she did for you. But she’ll be speaking to you again in a day or so.
This is so true about taking a cat to the vet. I have some cats that I cannot take cause I simply can’t catch them. But even the ones that I can catch are very difficult to get into the cage.
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My favorite was the cat I had to fight into the carrier, who hollered and growled all the way there, who had to be removed from the carrier by our taking the carrier apart — and who then strolled out, purred at the vet, cuddled the tech, and hissed at me.
All health and medical information is provided for educational purposes and is not meant to replace the medical advice or treatment of your animal's veterinarian.
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This is so true about taking a cat to the vet. I have some cats that I cannot take cause I simply can’t catch them. But even the ones that I can catch are very difficult to get into the cage.
Super blog
Amen.
My favorite was the cat I had to fight into the carrier, who hollered and growled all the way there, who had to be removed from the carrier by our taking the carrier apart — and who then strolled out, purred at the vet, cuddled the tech, and hissed at me.
Cats!