by mockingster

Created on: January 20, 2009

Taking your cat to the vet can be most stressful for your cat as well as for you. My father's cat is eleven years old and will be twelve next month. She is the most difficult cat to take to the vet. In her younger days, as far as I can remember, it was not such an issue, but of late it is quite a big hassle taking her to the vet.

Usually when we have to take her to the vet, we first get dressed up and then only do we bring her carry case out and keep it in a place where she does not see it. Next we catch her and put her in the carry case. Somehow when we carry her I don't know how she suspects that she is being taken to the vets and she screams her head off and struggles causing quite a loss of fur and quite a few scratches on me. The whole journey through she screams and her scream is rather annoying because she is a very big fat cat and her meow is very loud and piercing. It is almost embarrassing as the way she screams you would think that someone is hurting her. She invariably urinates through fright every time she goes to the vet.

The amazing thing about this cat is, for the next few days if we get dressed up, she runs and hides why? Because she thinks we are taking her to the vet. She does this for about a week or so and then forgets about it till the next time.

When you have to take the cat to the vet, try as much as possible to relax and not get anxious as cats are very sensitive to this and they can sense it. It is also a good idea if you can take them to the vet on an empty stomach, less chance they will dirty. What my father and I often do is speak to our cat on the journey to and from the vets and also at the vets I constantly pet her and try to pacify her.
Sometimes she tries to jump and make a break for it and as she is a big made cat it is very difficult to hold her down.
What I most often do is catch her by the back of her neck like how most mother cats carry their kittens.

Always take your cat to the vet or for that matter on any journey in a carry case. This will prevent them from running away and also at the vets there may be dogs who are a little too friendly or inquisitive and who could make your cat a trifle nervous making them run off.

The most amazing thing I have encountered however is, after the vet has done whatever she has to do with the cat, my little fat girl will just walk back into her carry case but of course she will keep hollering the whole journey through.

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