Cat owners: How stressful is it to get your cat to go to the vet?

Mike403Mike403
in General

I took my cat to the vet today for his annual checkup and rabies vaccine and he was screaming and scratching at his carrier in the car the whole way there to the point of completely ripping off a nail. He was bleeding and hissing/growling at them, but fortunately didn't attack them. She said it will grow back but prescribed him some pain medication.

Comments

  • SoosonSooson

    Sister Skinny hates car rides. only a 15-minute ride and she was crying and breathing heavy. my other cats don't act up as much but they just hate car rides. on the way back home i just left her loose in the car but it wasn't any better. jumping around and crying.

  • Mike403Mike403

    @Sooson - I would recommend not letting your cat loose in the car in case you get in an accident.

  • JubalJubal

    Huh. I've never had a cat react that badly to vet trips. They'll cry and yowl in the carrier a bit, but as long as I'm talking to them and reassuring them, they're all well behaved about it.

  • [Deleted User]delicatesoul (deleted user)

    @Jubal You are extremely fortunate for your experiences lol. I’ve had five cats and not one has been easy to take to the vet. The easiest of them all let me carry him in a blanket burrito rather than carrier (I wasn’t driving, I held him, and in hindsight I know it’s safer to be in a secure carrier for car rides). All of my cats have yowled and cried like they’re in mortal pain/danger. I had one calico who was extremely displeased with vet visits and she made sure to let everyone know…

    @Mike403 Your kitty is lucky to have a pet parent like you who prioritizes their health, longevity and quality of life. Sorry they stressed you out during the adventure, but it was definitely in their best interest

  • sethryan44sethryan44

    Not my current cat, but my last cat Salty showed his appreciation for us taking him to the vet by expelling bodily fluids from both ends during the car ride over. Needless to say it stank to high heaven.

  • [Deleted User]delicatesoul (deleted user)

    @sethryan44 My goodness that’s definitely one way of expressing your feelings

    My calico once sprayed the vet and vet tech with urine in an arch I wouldn’t have believed if I hadn’t seen firsthand… I was so embarrassed, meanwhile she’s yowling and hissing and yanking herself away. What an experience that was

  • sethryan44sethryan44

    @delicatesoul On second thought, I think he went #2 because we had to leave him alone at the vet, as it was during COVID so they were only doing drop off and pickup services.

  • Mike403Mike403

    My last cat had to put be down at the age of 13 when they were only doing drop off/pick-up services due to COVID however they made an exception for me and let me be with him as they administered the drugs to put him to sleep.

  • Joe82_Joe82_

    You can ask your veterinarian for a sedative or anti anxiety medication to give your kitty before their next visit. Gabapentin works very well to relieve anxiety and calm your cat before their visit. Melatonin can work in synergy with it as well or as a stand alone calming agent. FWIW.

  • [Deleted User]1_teddybear (deleted user)

  • [Deleted User]Kuddle6 (deleted user)

    I leave my cat carrieries open and in a corner where they can go in and out as they please. When I bring it to the middle of the room for a vet visit, it's a battle to get the correct cat in! Lol

  • TNNativeTNNative
    edited July 2023

    @sethryan44 oh my goodness ... what a ride.

    @Mike403 I take both my cats at the same time and this seems to help them. If they are together they don't seem to cry as much. I have also used the following and had some good results, but I agree with @Joe82_ above, ask the vet for something if the vet will give it.
    https://www.chewy.com/feliway-classic-calming-spray-cats/dp/141900?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12195565633&utm_content=Feliway&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiP3A7sWZgAMVHSzUAR0wSgc_EAYYASABEgImivD_BwE

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery

    The key for most cats I've had is gradual acclimation - and I've had exclusively formal ferals and other rescues, have worked with a friend's feral rescue.

    Most cats HATE change and are not motivated by the same things dogs and people are. Any time I have to do a big change to my cat's routine (new diet, move, introducing another cat, etc.) I plot out incremental steps to baby step them at THEIR pace and only move on to the next step when they've relaxed if I can afford to. By planning ahead, when the time comes for the big move or the vet trip, they're already prepared and it's far less stressful for everyone involved.

    For a vet trip, the prep might look something like this:

    • start by keeping the carrier open in one of their favorite sleeping places, with one of their favorite blankets or clothing that smells like you in it. If they enjoy catnip, tossing some in there daily to entice them to explore doesn't hurt. The goal is to get them exploring the carrier or even sleeping in it of their own choice.
    • when they do go in the carrier, give them lots of praise and high reward treats, whatever they like the most - canned food, bits of hot dog, cheese, regular treats, ear scritches - you know what they like.
    • start desensitizing them to being picked up and held against their will, having their paws touched, scruffing - whatever causes them the most trouble usually. The goal is to get them to tolerate it for 5 seconds longer, then reward them.
    • it's far more important to do frequent short trainings than to try to force long ones - cats do not have long attention spans
    • do NOT try to punish them, and always reward immediately. You want positive associations with the carrier and vet activities, and if you wait too long to reward they won't associate the treat with the desired behavior
    • after they are used to being in the carrier, try carrying it to the car, putting it in, sitting for 5 mins, and then back inside. All while praising and rewarding. Once they tolerate that, go for a 5 min drive, then a 10, then 15, etc.

    And finally, if you've tried everything to desensitize them and are still struggling, it is possible to get anti-anxiety meds from your vet, but it's usually only recommended to be used if behavior plans haven't worked.

  • TNNativeTNNative

    @cuddlefaery .... wow, great info ☝🏻

  • cuddlefaerycuddlefaery

    And for what it's worth, @Mike403 , the nail should grow back just fine. Just try to clean it once or twice a day to get any litter and debris out if the cat will let you. One of my cats gets bad seizures and twice now he's ripped out most of his nails. My vet gave me a hypochlorous acid spray to use that's a lot easier than trying to put his paw in running water lol

    It's hard to see them in pain and not be able to do much about it, but cats are a lot tougher than we tend to give them credit for. Afterall... They did domesticate us humans 😂💖

  • [Deleted User]JessJones (deleted user)

    I’ve had good and bad experiences. But I’ve got both my cats now trained to wear a harness and I tether them in the car, and I don’t use carriers unless they’re seriously injured. The harnesses solved 99% of the issue with my female cat who was very aggressive and violent in the carrier. She’d get so upset she would pee herself. Now she wears a harness and is a perfect lady, no feeling stressed or trapped :) I also took my cats on a road trip from New York to Florida in harnesses. They did great and now we will do that every winter.

  • JubalJubal

    @delicatesoul I'm not sure that I'd call it "lucky" so much as the result of lots of conditioning and patience. We do some of the things that cuddlefaery described, such as leaving the pet carriers open and accessible in the house so that cats are used to being in them.

  • Mike403Mike403

    @Jubal @cuddlefaery - My open cat carrier has been on my living room floor for a year. My cat does go in it on his own from time to time.

  • [Deleted User]ajthahippie (deleted user)

    My cat makes it a bit difficult to be honest. I have to coax her a little bit and love up on her so that I can trick her into letting me hold her and put her in her carrier. I leave her carrier on the floor and let her sniff and walk around it to not create bad associations but somehow she always knows when we’re going to the vet so she becomes more evasive or even if I do get her she use her limbs to keep from going in her carrier. Once she’s in there, she won’t stop meowing and letting me know she wants out of there lol. She’s pretty docile though, so this is really only a few minutes - an hour of inconvenience and noise once a year.

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