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withhold food before vet?

post #1 of 10
3/1/07 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 
My cat doesnt travel well. In fact he's the least happy cat in a car ive ever known. Invariably, when we go to the vet, he craps in the cat carrier. The last time I went I brought two of them with me, and transfered him from one to the other once we arrived there because again he made a mess. The vet I go to is a 20 minute drive away. Next time I take him in for a checkup or whatever, would it be a good idea to not let him have food for maybe 24 hours before and watch the litterbox to make sure that he's "empty" before we go? I havent figured out a way to make the drive less stressful, and I dread the fact that about halfway there my Jeep fills with that horrible ammonia smell. What else could I do, suggestions please?
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post #2 of 10
3/1/07 at 10:01am
I wouldn't withhold food for 24 hours, but when I take mine to the vet I do always feed them when I get back (eg if I go to morning surgery they wait til we get home for breakfast and if we got to early evening surgery they wait til we get home for their dinner). Lots of cats wee and poo when they travel and I think the best thing to do is just be prepared by putting something absorbent in the bottom of the carrier to deal with the wee etc or taking a second carrier like you did. If they haven't had a meal for a while there's less to come out of either end but you don't want to dehydrate him just so that he won't do a wee. If I'm doing a longer journey with my cats I'll give them a very small meal beforehand because I think having a totally empty stomach can make them feel nauseous.

I sympathise about the smell - if it's a longish journey Jaffa usually does a poo which doesn't smell too good!
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post #3 of 10
3/1/07 at 10:07am
Whenever you leave your cat for a procedure, they always want you to withold food and water the night before. At least that was my experience when I had my cat fixed. So, this does not sound extreme to me.
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post #4 of 10
3/1/07 at 10:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Persi View Post
Whenever you leave your cat for a procedure, they always want you to withold food and water the night before.
But not for 24 hours!
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post #5 of 10
3/1/07 at 10:51am
I think maybe there's some confusion regarding a regular vet visit vs. an actual "operation". In the UK, 'surgery' just means clinic, AFAIK.
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post #6 of 10
3/1/07 at 5:07pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah I mean just for a checkup or something minor. If there were specific vet instructions id follow them.

I was thinking I could get a big box with litter covering the bottom and have him do the journey in that so it'd absorb his excrement and cover the smell, then just switch to another carrier once I arrive. He doesnt need to go anytime soon so its not today's problem.
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post #7 of 10
3/2/07 at 12:41am
Can you get vetbed bedding where you are? It's a soft fluffy fleece that water passes through so if they wee on it the surface stays dry. You do need to put something absorbent underneath it to absorb any liquid but it helps prevent them lying in wee and getting it all over them.
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post #8 of 10
3/3/07 at 4:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Persi View Post
Whenever you leave your cat for a procedure, they always want you to withold food and water the night before. At least that was my experience when I had my cat fixed. So, this does not sound extreme to me.
they only tell me to withhold food from 6 pm the night before, but they can have as much water as they want.
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post #9 of 10
3/3/07 at 4:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaws808 View Post
Yeah I mean just for a checkup or something minor. If there were specific vet instructions id follow them.

I was thinking I could get a big box with litter covering the bottom and have him do the journey in that so it'd absorb his excrement and cover the smell, then just switch to another carrier once I arrive. He doesnt need to go anytime soon so its not today's problem.
i would not withhold food or water at all before a check up.
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post #10 of 10
3/4/07 at 7:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbantigers View Post
Can you get vetbed bedding where you are? It's a soft fluffy fleece that water passes through so if they wee on it the surface stays dry. You do need to put something absorbent underneath it to absorb any liquid but it helps prevent them lying in wee and getting it all over them.
Ooh! Im glad I read this! Kitty always wees copiously when we go to the vets and though its only a 10 min journey at most, he gets covered, the exam table gets covered... A towel in the carrier just seems to slid about and not absorb it all so Im going to buy some vetbed tomorrow from the shop round the corner!
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