Cat goes crazy at the vets

I have a cat that is almost 3 years old. It is coming up to her yearly vet visit. She just goes nuts at the vets office. She tries to scratch and bite anyone she can get ahold of (usually me because I hold her). Because of this she doesn't get a good exam done. They manage to get her weighed and give her shots but that's it. I know it stresses her out, it stresses me out too. Anyway, last year they gave me a pill to give her 30 minutes before taking her in (it was supposed to sedate her a little), it didn't help at all. I'm thinking of having them completely knock her out this time so that they can give her a good exam (teeth, fecal, etc.). She never gets sick. She seems to be very healthy but I still want her checked. Plus by the next day after her shots she can't hardly walk because she was so tense when she gets them. Any suggestions?

This behavior is called fear aggression. And, literally, fear is what is causing it.

Cats can be trained to not fear vet visits. Behaviorist Pam Johnson Bennett describes how it's done in one of her books.
Also, some good tips here in this article as well:
http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-fear-of-the-vet.htm

And, not much, just a little bit here, too, but also good:
http://www.catclinicplymouth.com/cat_care.html#vetvisit

Basically, all articles you can find on this subject, say the same things.

However, in my experience, what's even better (even though training for vet visits is invaluable), is finding a vet and staff that have the love and patience to calm fearful cats and make the visit a pleasant experience for them. When people are caring enough, the fearful cat relaxes. His heart rate goes down. A murmur that is louder now because the cat is so fearful and excited, quiets down. The cat settles down (either in the vet's lap, or on the soft towel on the table) and, believe it or not, begins to purr. Extremely gentle, loving, patient treatment makes the cat forget its fears. I've seen this so many times. If people don't take the time and are concerned only with getting things done as quickly as possible, the cat will have the scary experience it feared all along.

I would never, ever allow a cat to be "knocked out" for an exam. Or even just being sedated with medication. So my advice to you, start working on this right away and, for now, if necessary, do what needs to be in two vet visits instead of just one.

Also, take a good look at the people's attitude at the clinic (vet and staff) and ask yourself, would you be happy with the same attitude from your own doctor? Your answer might surprise you, because it might be no.

The vets and staff are really great with all my animals. They treat them like their own. She started this behavior as a kitten when they took blood for the FeLV/FIV testing. Since then she just goes crazy at the vets. We have all tried to calm her down but she is too busy trying to eat everyone up. At home she is also very tempermental. Sometimes you can pet her and she purrs and other times she will scratch and bite ( she bites hard but not enough to break the skin at home). I know she is terrified of the vets office (well anywhere but home, really). She's fine in the car and when she gets loose at the vets she goes into her carrier.

I'm going to read the suggested sites. It would be great if I could get her to tolerate the vets office.

How about a vet who makes house calls? Might be more expensive but definitely worth it for a cat who experiences such stress.

I would not ever use any kind of sedative, even if the vet gave it to me, because cats can have bad reactions to sedatives.

However, I actually would let them anesthetize her for a short time for a full exam, if needed. Sevorflurane is a fast acting gas anesthesia that can be used for a short period of time.

Ask your vet about it.

At home she is also very tempermental. Sometimes you can pet her and she purrs and other times she will scratch and bite ( she bites hard but not enough to break the skin at home).

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This has to do with how and where she is being touched and for how long.

In this situation the person who is doing the petting has to learn all there is to learn about petting. Where not to touch a cat, how long to pet, how to recognize the signals the cat is giving out before it starts to bite. Google it and you'll find a long list of articles that have all the answers. Check under petting related aggression, etc. Different keywords will bring up different articles.

We had a cat that could not be touched when we adopted him. In time he asked every day to be held and stroked. The transformation was nothing less than mind-boggling. But we had to do all the work. Learning to watch out for his signals and making him trust the hands that touched him. It was worth it.

Petting related aggression has to do with a cat's tolerance for being petted and, even more importantly, with trust. Also, being touched in some areas can cause a cat real physical discomfort, the reason the cat starts to bite. Any possible physical discomfort has to be recognized and one has to make sure there is no underlying health problem associated with it. Pain just from being touched can be a very real problem and it has to be ruled out as a reason for aggression whenever a cat being touched/petted starts to bite for seemingly no reason.

We know where she doesn't want to be touched and how to pet her. She's just tempermental. We also know all of her signs to let us know when she is done being petted. We pet her and love on her when she wants it and leave her be when she doesn't. She just is the way she is and we deal with it. She's not in pain (trust me, if she was you can't get close to her to touch her). When she is in pain I have to use a towel to pick her up and wrap everything but her head so I can force feed her liquid pain meds. This is usually once a year after she gets her shots because she is so tense that the next day she's in so much pain that she can't walk. I'm tired of her having to go through all that pain after her shots, the fear, and stress of going to the vets, and not getting a good exam every year. That's why I want to just have them knock her out this year. She will be asleep so they can check her completely to make sure there is nothing wrong and when they give her the shots she won't be tense so they shouldn't make her so sore the next day.

Important info for you about vaccination related problems. Pain and other side effects. You'll want to know that the pain has nothing to do with a cat being tense at the vet.

With this link you may have to scroll UP to start reading the article from the beginning
http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-a...ction-thirteen

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5815849_ca...tion-pain.html

Pain
Vaccinations may cause pain or discomfort for your cat at the time of injection and after you bring him home. Pain and swelling may occur at the injection site 30 minutes to one week after the vaccination. Contact your veterinarian if signs of pain appear severe or last longer than one week.

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I think we all know that if your muscles are tense and you get a shot it causes alot of pain. But if you are relaxed the pain at the site is not near as bad.

If it was as easy as working with the cat on it vets wouldn't have cat gloves. Maude never did well at the vet. She took a chunk out of Paul's arm after her rabies shot. The vet was shocked he had never seen a cat do that. Her old vet used to have her hiss at her(and that was no problem all she did was hiss) to check her teeth. She too was very temperamental. You could walk by her and have her hiss and strike for no reason, and yes it was for no reason. You could be ignoring her and she'd decide to whack you.

They would just wrap Maude in a towel to examine her up close. The old vet said she had a calico that was exactly the same.

Some cats are just overly temperamental. Working on it with a temperamental cat chances are won't change anything.

It has nothing to do with the vet, you can have the world's best vet who most animals love and the cat will still be upset and go crazy.

I would ask about having her gassed for the exam. That would make it less stressful. Maude would also tense up for shots and it would hurt her more. The vet even verified that when they tense up it would cause more pain for longer. He would try to wait for the cat to relax but for a lot of animals that isn't happening.

Taryn

Sounds EXACTLY like my Patches. She is a Calico. Lol. My vet said that some cats are like this everytime they go to the vet and that calicos are more fiesty then most cats. I have a tortie who is the same at home as Patches (very tempermental) but the vet visits are fine (even when she broke her pelvic last year). They can check her and she is fine (stressed, but she doesn't fight).

Originally Posted by Taryn

Some cats are just overly temperamental. Working on it with a temperamental cat chances are won't change anything.

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That is a misconception. Fear is a behavior and there are always behavior modifications techniques, you just have to find what is right for your cat's personality. It can be time consuming, but with patience, it can be done.

I actually knew of a behaviorist who had a cat that would freak out at the vets office. They sedated her for up close exams. There is not always a cure, some cats are just temperamental and there is nothing that can be done about it. The behaviorist was a great behaviorist, her cat just didn't do vets and no amount of working on it changed a thing. There are reasons for cat gloves and muzzles and it has nothing to do with bad owners or not working with the animal enough trying to modify the behavior, you can do everything possible and still have a temperamental cat(or dog.) Weird thing was her cat was only like this at the vet's office, other than that she was a great cat. None of her other animals had an issue with the vet, just the one.

I had a cat who randomly attacked full claws(we're talking getting stitched back together attacks), I worked with 3 different behaviorists(all very highly recommended), not to mention went through medications, soft claws and I mean you think of it we tried it. Nothing worked. Spaz happened to like the vet and was a perfect patient.

Behaviorists can't solve everything, there are cases where no matter what you do there isn't going to be a change and a cat who is temperamental in every situation there is especially little chance of a change. I didn't say it was impossible, just said it wasn't likely.

The above 2 cases(while extreme) show that there isn't a cure for every animal, no matter how much you try to modify their behavior. I went through 3 behaviorists and lord knows how many thousands of dollars over 2-3 years trying to 'fix' Spaz and the behaviorists worked with her cat for lord knows how long and it didn't make a bit of difference. Every animal is different. There are not 'always' cures.

I know plenty of animals that have been saved by behavior modification and that have become 'perfect' pets but it doesn't always work.

Taryn

Dude, some cats just don't feel comfortable in a vet clinic, period.

I work in a vet clinic and I used to take Napolean with me to work all the time. He did fine until we had to do an ear flush on him - after that he started associating the vet and me as bad news.

Have your cat knocked out, it would be way less stressful on your cat than wrestling it for an exam. I put a harness on my cat[before we get there], we squish him in his carrier or on the table with the leather gloves and we poke him with DTK [I think dex-dormitor/telazol/ketamine?] do whatever we have to do and then reverse him with Antisedan.

In the past I've brought him in in the tank and we've gassed him down but gassing them down can really freak them out, they struggle a lot and it's hard to watch.

I don't care what anyone says, cats are not like dogs and it's hard to get them over the smells and sounds of a vet clinic. My cat has gone in just for the day to be petted and loved on and he still tries to eat people there. He is totally fine until we walk in the door and then he gets angry. I can do anything to him at home, blood draws, ear cleanings etc. He hates the clinic.

I would not advise using Ketamine ever. Ever. Sevoflurane is a fast acting gas, not traumatic at all.

Last time Tolly had dental surgery (FORL) he had a stitch bothering him a few days afterward. Vet took him in the back,and using sevoflurane, snipped the stitch. They were gone about 5 minutes, if that, and he came back alert and no wiser as to what had happened.

I agree that the kitty in the original post would benefit from anesthesia, because a thorough check up is important. But I would never allow ketamine to be used on a cat of mine.

What's wrong with Ketamine? Never heard of it. But I guess I never thought about what they use to sedate. Anyways, I'm pretty possitive that I'm going to have her sedated to be checked. She needs a complete check up.

Ketamine can be used as a street drug. Ever heard of Special K? I have had it used on me(legally obviously) when I had to have an endoscope done. I don't remember ANYTHING, which is good. I told them if I was with it in the least they were not shoving a tube down my throat(I have a very sensitive gag reflex, throat cultures might as well be a form of torture to me.) It is used as a conscious sedation in humans(for not nice things like colonoscopies and endoscopy) and was actually originally a horse tranquilizer.

It is a powerful agent and I would not feel comfortable using it on a cat. I enjoyed the high(thus why it is used as a street drug.) I remember them giving me the shot and don't remember anything else until I came to a while later. Patrick(my now ex-husband) was there and his mom had already taken Bobby(who was 2) to my SIL's. Patrick says I basically ignored Bobby but asked if the pretzels Bobby was eating were safe for him(Bobby had and still has severe food allergies) even totally out of it basically ignoring my kid I asked if the pretzels were safe, food allergies were imprinted in my mind. I don't remember any of this.

I'm sure someone else can give you the specifics of why it's bad news but it is powerful stuff. Having it used on me I know the power of it and would be very wary of it killing my cat.

Taryn

Ketamine can cause Kidney and or liver failure in some cats; it is safe for dogs, but should not be used for cats if at all possible.... There was also a nationwide recall in the end of last year to make things worst. That is on my NO list at any vet clinic I go to.

My vet uses Ketamine in nearly all aspects of surgery, dentals, etc. Now that my Boo has CRF, I have no real idea where it came from, heriditary or otherwise, but I suspect Ketamine is not totally innocent in the thing. Same with how I feel about Kanamyacin in use for cats, from what I've read recently. But I have to do more research.

Boo is scared poo-less at the vets, but unless he is being force-fed pasty liquid medicine or his rear end is being messed with, he does not bite. He went on a rampage at one of his fluids therapies there and nearly bit through my wrist, but my being upset at the time had a lot to do with it, I'm sure. Otherwise, he just wants to go into his carrier. He is otherwise fine.

Now my Tortie? Wow. At home, I was holding her like a baby in my arms (I have always done with this all my cats) When she had enough, I ignored it apparently, and she reached up and smacked me on both sides of my face and held the heck on. I was so mad, but then realized, hey, that was kinda my fault, too. Then I take her to the vet and the whole car ride she's sucking her toe and sleepin', at the vet she's sleepin', Vet takes her out of the carrier and does a quick exam, she's lookin' around like hmmm what's this place? But at home, she will bite our elbows if we ignore her when she wants petting, she will "Get us back" if we've shooed her away from something, she can be pretty spiteful.

Boo and towels didn't work, the burrito/purse combo worked once and that was it. I agree with the gassing, but not sedation by pill or other means. Definitely not Ketamine and DEFINITELY NOT for a quick exam. If I could afford our other vet's mobile services (70 bucks just to come out) I would so do it. My cats would love it. But it's too expensive.
Ask about the gas.
We also have a vet tech that talks VERY LOUDLY in the small rooms, and it echoes and amplifies it, it even hurts my ears so when I see her coming I cover Boo's ears, because I know it bothers him immensely.

And Carolina I did not know Ketamine was on a recall last year. That is scary because Boo was doing just great up until he had his dental and tooth extraction, two separate events and two separate Ketamine/Valium sedations for it. That was towards the end 09 and by March of this year he crashed with CRF. I can't say it was absolutely the Ketamine, but I can tell you he used to chase me around the house and I him, every morning when I got home, he used to be so happy and so like a child. Now he is just tired, though he is having good days. Just not the days that (I feel) were stolen from him.


It also makes even more sense why it took him more than a day to come out of the stupor and Mom still claims one of his eyes have gone lazy because of the last Ketamine thing.

The gas is what I would go for. Good luck Cslenker

Very important information in this article. EVERYONE PLEASE READ ALL OF IT.

http://cats.about.com/cs/anesthesia/a/understanding.htm

Understanding Anesthesia for Cats

If more people knew the importance of talking with their vet about minimizing the time their animal is under anesthesia, and also the importance of asking the vet about how to look for signs of heart failure and other possible problems afterwards, maybe other pets won't have to go through what Herbie did.

This article is written to further that aim, and is dedicated to the memory of Herbie, and all other cats who have died before their time due to anesthesia-related events that might have been avoided.

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Thanks for all the great information. I think I will need to have a long talk with my vet. I will be sure to stay away from the ketamine.