My Cat has just been thrown out of the Vets...??

I’m a groomer and have shaved many cats … but! When cars have decided they’ve had enough then it’s game over.
All the techniques in the world won’t cut with a stroppy mog.
Good luck?

My Mum once had a half wild cat from a feral litter that lived by the local canal. She just hated humans, she even swiped at you when you put her food down. I only took her to the vets once to have a tooth removed. When I went to collect her he asked me to take her somewhere else next time. His hands and arms had several dressings on them! He was not a happy bunny.

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Grooming tool

FannyCornforth Does your cat need to be clipped/shaved due to matting?

I bought a fantastic grooming tool from the pet shop, last year when my old boy had matts (he had stopped grooming). It's meant for dogs, but the groomer in the store said it's good for cats too. It cost £10 and worked extremely well. It's got a few prongs that have blades in (won't cut an animal's skin) which cut straight through any matts or knots.

Better than struggling at the vet's, and certainly far better than sedating your cat.

Gabapenton is a game changer for cats. I had to travel from uk to France with mine, gave them gabapenton (under advice of vets of course) and they were quiet as lambs all the way (15 hours)

Ha ha ...don;t you just LOVE cats !!!! we had a very old cat who we had to take to the vet when we lived in Spain .....the vet had to sedate her (I think judging by the time it took for him to come round it was quite a large dose !) ...he went to have his teeth cleaned, a shampoo, nails trimmed and a blow dry !) .....when we moved to France he was by then around 19 years old, so I donned large gardening gloves and bathed him with special cat shampoo ,,,,,,he didn't like the bathing but he loved to sit in the hot sun and dry himself ...seemed to love being clean and shiny ! He lived until he was 24 and had done a lot of travelling in his time ...UK to Menorca, thence to Brittany, thence to Charente Maritime but he took it all in his stride, including the Spanish stray and 2 French ones who joined him over the years !!!! Hope you got antiseptic for the wounds ,,,,,,,,,,

A local Maine coon went for shave at vets, he had all fur removed except for around his paws, he looked very odd, a small girl saw him and loudly commented to parent “ look that cat wears ugg boots! , my cat loves being groomed! Favourite place for him is on top of recycling bin! Every time I go to put things in bin he jumps on top for a groom!

Have you tried the burrito method using a large thick towel? With a fiesty feline, giving Gabapentin is a 2-person job. Surprise-swaddle the cat and Person A holds it tight while Person B shoves the syringe into cheek and depresses plunger. No need to open jaw/teeth fully as the liquid gets absorbed in cheek?

Good luck!

My present cat behaves impeccably at the vet's. So did his brother.

I worked out when they were kittens that Trold, the one I still have, behaved well if he was treated first, He then took a relaxed view of his brother's receiving the same treatment.

The other way round was a disaster, If Storm as much as said "mew" Trold would try to help him.

A doll I know got a whole new summer wardrobe made out of the shirt I wore to the vet's that day. Trold's claws went straight through the cloth and into my shoulder.

He has never scratched either a vet or a nurse, though, only me.

He "sings" loudly all the way there and home again. My cargo bike gets some very odd looks, and various concerned dogs have attempted to rescue the trapped cat!

Can't you groom the cat yourself and spare her the trauma of a visit to the vet?

Our cat was a ‘naughty tortie’. Sadly she died in February at the age of 18. Quite strange she could be the most loving and cuddly of cats but could change at the drop of a hat. We had her from Cats Protection where she proudly displayed a label which said ‘this cat bites’. She’d been in there for ages so we knew straight away we’d got to have her. Towards the end it got really expensive as she had to be fully anaesthetised just to get a blood sample. Even in her old age the vet said you’ve got ‘one angry cat there’ but most of the time she was really affectionate with me - well most of the time ??.

Oh how we have laughed and loved reading all these! Mr. L is beside me recovering from a painful heart ❤️ procedure and I thought he was about to burst ? his sutures. Thank you ?

???great stuff! Ive a cat who is very placid rest of time but if it comes to giving medication (drops only- pills are a no-no!) or flea drops etc he's like a cat from hell! Tablets just go in one side of his mouth & straight out the other side- hide them in food? No way- he knows & leaves them.So resorted to drops/liquids- have been giving him medication 2 weeks since his teeth removal op(hundreds of pounds!) and its taken one of us to hold him down in a blanket while other one prises open mouth & squirts medicine in!??? I wouldn't dare attempt trimming his claws.!?

I’ve really enjoyed this message and was having a chuckle, until I remembered I got a worm pill for Harry cat yesterday. He’s fine at the vets, goes flat, as if he’s been filleted but it takes two of us to worm him .

JaneJudge I wonder if it was you I saw in the vets years ago - we sat in the waiting room while dreaful, agonised screaming came from the surgery - everyone looked pretty sick, then the door flew open and a jet propelled dog with owner flapping on the end of the lead disappeared up the corridor. A very flustered vet said 'I haven't TOUCHED him - he behaves like this every time and I lose my nerve!'

My lovely Barley who passed away many years ago was as lovely as pie until anyone tried to pick him up then he was like a thing possessed. On his record at the Vets in big writing were the words 'Only handle whilst wearing gauntlets' . He would rub round peoples legs, sit on any knee that was available but I had to keep repeating to friends and strangers in the street - Do not pick him up. Awwwww I miss that old pussycat.

My OH found a stray in his garden years ago; it looked in a sorry state so he managed to catch it by throwing his overcoat over the cat - it shredded the lining to ribbons. He took it to the vet, who had an elegant house, and warned him of the maniac in the box. The vet scoffed, opened the box and the cat ran up his white coat, over his head and up the curtains, tearing them en route. After some extremely expensive care, she turned into quite a nice cat, but they are a law unto themselves. We are the staff - never forget this.

I had one dog who had to be dragged into the vets and then she hid under my seat having to be carried into the consulting room. The next and same type of dog used to pull me in the door and make a run for the reception desk standing up on hind legs to be greeted by receptionist.

JaneJudge

oh gawd bloody animals! My dog does a high pitched constant scream when we go and she sits under my chair, so there is just this noise coming from between my legs whilst people just look horrified. Luckily last time the horror was diverted by a border terrier taking a crap in full view of the whole room
such joy!

That really did make me LOL!

Hello again
Does anyone have any experience of giving cats (or dogs) gabapentin?
I'm wondering how long it takes to act, and for how long

Alfie hates the vet and the vet hates him. Recently he has to have anasthetic so his ear could be stitched (for a nutured Tom he get into a lot of trouble) and the vet delightedly told me that they had cut his claws so he wouldn't be as difficult to treat just as he was telling me, Alfie bit him!

Twenty years ago my teenage DS spent his work experience week in a vet’s practice. One day he was given the task of helping to brush out the long fur on a cat which had been anaesthetised. He gave the brush such a vigorous pull that the cat shot along the table and flew off the end. Luckily it was caught by a fleet footed nurse.

DS isn’t quite over the fright he got!

My lovely, friendly, cuddly, female calico attacked a vet so hard once it took 3 of us to hold her down. Still bit the vet and gave him an infection. Next time we went in, poor guy had a swollen, bandaged hand.

DD1 really hated having her first haircut at 15 months and she sure let us know. She had so much hair it was essential and the hairdresser was very patient and lovely

Dinahmo
We had a spaniel who could hold a pill in his mouth for ages, hide it in a piece of meat etc, whatever I did but then spit it out later.
Strange because he would eat anything he found that was revolting.

Reminds me that when DS was little he hated having his hair cut and I could never take him back anywhere. But at least he didn’t bite!

My DD had a similar problem with DGS age 2 having his very first haircut last week. ?