Louiecattenip
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588
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He jumped out of his carrier and attacked the vet and now they won't see him unless I fast him for 12 hours and let them sedate him, a drop off appointment with half day hospitalization, basically. The money isn't the issue for me, it's just very stressful.
Louis is 15 and I am considering just not taking him back to the vet anymore... How bad would it be if he just skipped the annual vet visits from now on? :((
zoltarpanaflex
I have a home-visit vet, it's not cheaper, but it's a LOT less stressful for my cat. Gabapentin is good, if it works. It works for about 10 minutes on my cat, and she pops RIGHT back up to Loud Doleful Wailing (the last time I picked her up at the vet office, so much noise - I asked how many cats were there that day? "Just yours"…. )
KT8819
Just tell the vet to wear oven mits. Or put those plastic human hands on the cat, those are all the rage these days.
nomnamless
Growing up my parents never took the cat to the vet, unless the rare times she was really sick. She was a indoor cat and lived to be 20 years old I believe
Cats2cats
I had a good vet who let me bring my semi feral every few years for this reason. Said as long as I was vigilant about not letting her outside.
XXXSpork
Had a similar problem with our tuxedo. Vet gave us oral sedatives to give him before a visit. Works great!
Lorielus
That does not sound like good vet, I'd recommend finding a more competent one. If they can't control a cat for standard checkup tests without sedation then they don't have the experience or skillset you should be looking for.
JHStrong
As a vet who sees a lot of cats, find a clinic that will script out gabapentin, pregabalin, or trazodone prior to the visits. Spicy cats need their check-ups too!
vonsmallhausen
I found that as my cat got older, vet visits just got more stressful for both of us. Luckily I found a mobile cat doctor who was able to do home visits (ofc it costed more tho)
justhereforthemimes
Annual vet visits get more important with age, not less. You’re weighing early detection of anything that could be wrong with the risk of sedating an older cat, I’m not a vet so I don’t know which is better/worse but you should look into the statistics to see if he might actually be better off that way
knifeskills
I just got my semi-feral cat back from the vet and they taped her name on the carrier as “runner”. I’d say find another vet who can handle your baby. He should be getting his regular checkups at his age and having a contentious kitty shouldn’t stop your care for him.
klean9
If he’s an indoor cat then I wouldn’t bother. Not because he’s not worth it, but rather the torture of the process of getting to the vet is not worth it to him or you. I speak as a cat owner and retired physician….of humans.
whiskeywonka
Find another vet? We ended up using one 45 miles away because the guy is good and shows it.
Emiloo74
My 15 yo tortie has to be doped up with gabapentin for home visits. And, we only do home visits because it's too stressful for her to leave the house. Can they not give you what my vet calls the happy cat pack? It's weight-dosed gabapentin and fortiflora. We put the gab on wet food first, then cover it with fortiflora.
I feel like your vet's office could offer that to you.
Blackfinity
♫♪♪ Louie Louie Louie Lou-AAAGGH!!!! Get it off me! My eyes!!! ♬
HisBabes
I have a 15yo big boy that digs into my shoulder and sticks his head under my ear. His vet was always great about letting him stay where he was and did shots & exam with me holding him. Either find a better vet or work with yours to cuddle & calm your kitty. Older kitties need yearly checkups more than younger ones.
SunshineRose
Look into a mobile vet, they’ll come to you. One of our cats hates the vet, so much that he starts vomiting the moment his transport bag comes out. This worked for us.
SmashedYourGlasses
Maybe a different vet
hiiamluciole
Skipping the annual appointment could be very painful for Louis, because a vet could discover a cancer sooner than you, because you'll likely notice it only when Louis is in pain. Kidneys and liver should also be carefully checked at Louis's age.
But find a different vet, that one is not good for Louis.
jeffbInternetBeast
You might consider a vet that does house calls.
cytherians
Much more expensive though, isn't it?
Heelcat70
I had a Tuxedo cat that hated the vet too. I went to pick him up at the vet's and smelled a strong chemical. I asked the receptionist what it was. She said that my cat attacked the vet, peed all over the lab room and his shoes, jumped over a dutch door and peed all over the lobby. The docs shoes were soaking in disinfectant in the office. At the vet school they took new students in to see him as an example of a "difficult" patient. He was a great cat to me.
merrowcattech
Find a feline only practice. I've been a tech at one for 16 years. They will know how to safely and kindly handle your Louie. Far better than a mixed practice. We roll the scared and fractious cats into an oxygen tank and give them isoflorane until they are sedated enough to handle. That is the same gas that is used for pediatrics. It blows out of the system rapidly. Your cat will be awake within minutes and ready to go home a few minutes more. Louie should be seen. bloodwork, etc..
feren
Poor Louie. I have a ~14 year old parlor pa ther who also hates the vet. I have to give him Gabapentin so he is less stressed and angry. I endorse regular vet visits for more-senioe kitties of only so you get regular blood draws. You want to keep an eye on kidney and liver values as they get older, @OP.
LosPer
This is the way. A workaround of some kind is important, IMO. You could lose good years from your companion without making this happen. Good luck...and consulting with another vet may be worth it, if your current is willing to give up so easily.
Bondsmith10
Yep. The older they are, the more vet visits matter outside of sick visits.
MollyandSHsittinginatree
Is this an indoor or outdoor cat? Honestly, I think a lot of those services are just money makers for the vet office.
SoberAndBored
My insurance company charges less cos I get my 2 checked every 6 months. Plus I'm paranoid, so getting told they're healthy every 6 months is good for me too.
Louiecattenip
He's been indoors only since I got him in 2010.
Layinginbed
If indoors, don't take him anymore for annuals or vaccines. No point
beeeeeeerkaaaaa
Then I wouldn't stress about annuals. Especially as they age the vaccinations can be hard on them.
FloatingOnACloudOfTitties
Yep! The stress can outweigh any benefits. Best to avoid stress…
SleepyKitten
It's true, some vets can be (I knew a few). But for the most part, vets are trying to stick to a standard of care in their recommendations. It basically comes down to how much risk you are willing to live with by not doing some options. @MollyandSHsittinginatree I grew up having the same opinion until I worked in a veterinary office. There are good reasons behind every test and you should always feel welcomed to ask questions about anything your vet recommends.
MollyandSHsittinginatree
Totally agree - a good sign is if they are listening and considering your individual situation, not trying to push things on you - you know your pet better than anyone else
bdata71
Find a better vet that specializes in cats. My cat took a chunk out of every vet except one. She was very calm and the only vet he never bit or drew blood. If you live in Utah Dr Summers at Antelope animal hospital is the best vet I have ever worked with. I drive 2 hours just to keep seeing her
Angsmt
You found the kitty whisperer.
Majoryucknuts
I second the gabapentin! We use it all the time with spicy kitties to calm them. Might be worth finding a vet that knows how to work with spicy cats. Ours has falconers gloves they can use if needed.
Unfortunately lots of vet offices are corporately owned and just there to make money. If you can find a local small vet or an employee owned one it might be worth it.
If Louie is just getting a checkup you can probably skip.
cllg
I +1 this as well, we had our 16rd old sent back to us wrapped up in a towel, little bit of Gabba before the next try and she was a dream, didn't seem to have any lasting effects
managedgoods
I was coming here to say the same. Sedating is way too drastic... Maybe look for a feline specialist? Gabapentin usually works. If not, do you know any vets who make house calls? Not common, but they exist
brokehackfourlane
gapapentin works for sure
SleepyKitten
Yup! All good stuff from @Majoryucknuts. If you can, try to keep doing the check ups. But there are 3 year vaccines that your spicy kitty can have to help keep them up to date on vaccines without having to come in as often. Good luck from one spicy kitty parent to another!
SnailsAgainstTungstenSpheres
Really? Weird. For people that's like a non-drowsy, mild nerve blocker. Used to have a prescription for that. Weird how different shit gets metabolized by different critters.
Louiecattenip
I did use the gabapentin for this visit. Their instructions were: 2 mL before bed the night before and 2 mL 2 hours before his appointment. It helped me get him in the carrier but not enough for him not to attack, I guess
passwordissteve
Get a 100mg capsule down his neck and he'll do whatever you want.
brokehackfourlane
one obvious question is why he hates the vet. he might have chronic pain, which he associates with checkups.
FloatingOnACloudOfTitties
He’s an older spicy cat, so, getting CBC for organ values is important, BUT, it’s also worth noting that the stress will outweigh any benefits. I would skip this annual & find a new, better, more experienced veterinarian. We have one in my city that deals only in cats & works well with spicy cats WITHOUT using anesthesia… Good luck, I’m rooting for Louie! 😻
Majoryucknuts
If the vet is worth a 💩 they have stronger stuff they should have no problem giving you that they give pets to sedate them for long airplane and car rides.
Thisisnotreallymyname
I don't know about ml, but we give ours a capsule with 100mg
Majoryucknuts
Same! Dunno if the liquid dosing is different but always used the capsules sprinkled in food or hidden in treats.
un1matr1x
Might be also possible to find a vet, that visits you and Louie at your home
BladeTurMoiL
Been wanting this for mine. But regular clinics are expensive enough as is.
Spent several grand on mine and he was stuck overnight for over a week.
LeonessaVista
There is a vet in my city that does this. Best thing ever. Pre-pandemic they would come into the house. They still come to you but they stay in their mobile clinic and you bring your animal out.
ZombeyHepburn
That is what one of my buddies do with her cat. He gets super stressed otherwise, and the medical hangover isn’t worth taking him out of the house.
leadpipecinch22
That's what I do anymore, way way easier and less stressful. Little more expensive, but you pay for the convenience
sydneygirl
our cats are fine with the vet but our dogs are next level. The vet comes to us for the dogs and it is a better experience for everyone.
saeheria
See if you can find another vet who isn't a little bitch
pimt665
This would be very stressful for the cat and unsafe for the vets. Plus cat bites and scratches can become included and may require an emergency hospital visit. Do not bash the vets and vet staff pls
Isthe4thtimethecharm
I heard about one here that makes house calls. Decent rates, too. That has to be a lot easier on the animal.
pettingmycatwhileipoo
yeah, IDK why they didnt bust out the mittens
Majoryucknuts
Well said lol
MightyMorphinFlowerArrangers
Genuinely curious here.. If it's an aggressive cat, is it really out of place for them to ask to put the cat under sedatives ?
batcountry808
No. But at 15 it's also a risk every time you give a cat sedation. Would be better off finding a vet that doesn't need it if possible. Some will, some won't.
SleepyKitten
@batcountry808 is right. It would be more likely that a vet would ask you to pre-medicate at home before travel. Jumping right to sedation is a little much, especially considering age, unless it has to do with the procedure needed. My cat gets very stressed and we admittedly have a long drive to the vet, so we have a mild sedative to give him before we travel.
MyCatsAreTypingThis
For a 15 year old cat, the reward/risk ratio is out of whack, especially for just a check up. Sedatives are risky for an elderly cat. We had a vet that wouldn't see our elderly cat because she was a fighter, but we found a new vet that just put on leather gloves and was like, "eh, I've had way worse."
ThrowAwayAcct0000
Personally, I feel like if a cat is attacking people, it needs to be put down. Why should that behavior be tolerated? If a dog attacked people, the dog would be out down.
HalfATomato
Fellow elder cat guardian here. It's not necessarily that the kitty attacks people or is generally violent. It's that taking them to the vet can be EXTREMELY stressful for them, especially if they are indoor pets. This is how they react. My vet has been on the unlucky end of my kitty's claws. It comes with the territory and he knows how to handle it.
ThrowAwayAcct0000
So the cat does not normally attack people? Then that might be okay.
yupuppy
How understanding of you to call a vet that got attacked a "little bitch!" I hope a fearful cat never tears into you and causes you to go to urgent care.
saeheria
You assume it hasn’t happened to me. Fool.
iamdeathnote
I've been mauled by dogs and cats on several occasions (I tend to jump in between fighting animals) and have had to go to the hospital for stitches. They need to quit being a little bitch
pimt665
And would you like to go get stitches and antibiotics almost daily as a vet or vet tech?
iamdeathnote
You wouldn't get antibiotics almost daily because doctors pay attention to how often you use them to reduce tolerance build-up. But I wouldn't mind, stitches mean scars, and I love the scars across my body.
Baron29
Vets don't enjoy getting bitten by cats. Crazy!
th3guy
A good vet knows how to handle a cat and not get bitten without having to sedate it. It’s a house cat, not a cheetah. It can be handled.
TAMUhowdy82
Yeah as someone in the field for 27 years, that is really not always true. We would take q0 mean Rottweilers over 1 mean cat, because with the cat, you're likely always gonna be bleeding at the end. Most sedatives are quite safe barring a heart problem, as we use them safely on very elderly pets every day.
jayman0123
Actually by big cat standards, cheetahs are kinda tame (not tamable) but well said nonetheless
Baron29
I know quite a few vets (went to a university with a vet program), and they all say the same thing. It's not the dog's that scare them, it's the cats. Even if you know what you're doing, they'll cost you blood every now and then
sesamestreetfighter
I had a spicy geriatric kitty and gabapentin was a lifesaver. It would have been better if we could have had a male, non-smoking, housecall vet but you can't win em all.
Ulthirm
Why... male? I can understand the rest but male, is it a trauma thing for the kitty?
sesamestreetfighter
My grandma abused her and all older women who smelled like cigarettes were declared enemies of the state.
sesamestreetfighter
Really all women who weren't me, but specifically women who reminded her of my grandma were persona non grata.
muffintop666
I too want to know why male lol
sesamestreetfighter
Copy/pasted from my other comment: My grandma abused her and all older women who smelled like cigarettes were declared enemies of the state.
sesamestreetfighter
Really all women who weren't me, but specifically women who reminded her of my grandma were persona non grata.
muffintop666
ahhhh ):