Vet made my cat hate vet visits

akitty47

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I am not going to say my cat loves going to the vet, but before she would put up with the visit. She would be a bit afraid but if I put her under my shirt she would be fine. I guess you could she was passive, but the bottom line is she never was aggressive towards the vet or staff.

Fast forward a bit and last year I had a discussion with my then vet about my cat licking raw one of her legs. How this ended up is not relevant to the discussion besides the fact I went to another vet to have a second opinion. When I went there the first time, my cat behaved as usual: she did hide under her blanket in her carrier, but did not fight when I brought her out for the nurse to check her out. And was scared but in a passive way as before.

And then the vet (doctor) came in. And my cat started growling and hissing. pretty loud. Vet sprayed herself in some cat calming spray but my cat would get none of that. But, as soon as she was back inher carrier she hid under her blanket. And when she got in my car she was calm and just checking things out. And when she got home she sniffed about and went to eat.

Next time I went to the same vet, she was hissing and growling at the nurse. And when the same vet came, it got worse. As in they brought some leather gauntlets. A before, she was quiet in her carrier and completely calm in the car. the third and last time was the same.

Then I decided to go back to the first vet. And now my cat had the same aggressive behaviour and she showed with vet2.

What happened? And can I do for the sake of the people who work at the vet?
 

yayi

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Cats don't like change. Even if the change is in themselves, like being ill, they try to hide it. They also will not forget a traumatic experience. Perhaps your cat now associates the smell of an animal clinic with the treatment of a previous illness.

 It is great that your cat finds comfort in her carrier and blanket (and you) when she visits the vet. Unlike mine, they know that the carrier means a vet visit. 
 I bring them there and hope for the best. 


Anyway, I am sure the vet and staff  are aware of any aggressive behavior of their patients. A growl and a hiss from both a new and regular patient is no surprise. What you can do is put her back in the comfort of her carrier/blanket when she gets upset. Some vets will wait till your cat calms down but  others will likely say it's okay and go ahead with the consultation. After all, they have other animals to see. 

I hope your cat is feeling better. 
 

tulosai

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I agree with the above.  Basically, I don't think the vet was to blame, the cat just for whatever reason decided she was not enjoying that experience ( with how much cats hate change and the fact that, like almost all cats, your girl has never enjoyed the vet much, it's not hard to imagine why
) and now associates all vet visits with the experience. While I know you are worried about your cat, the truth is that her reactions and behaviors seem well within the range of normal to me, and this is probably just something you'll have to deal with going forward when you have to take her to the vet.  As yayi says, though, vets are will trained to deal with these kinds of issues, and I truly don't think your cat is likely suffering any long term trauma or anything.  I think it's best to just accept this as the new normal at the vet for now.
 
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jdanke

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My male Spike is very anxious. The female vet we had understood this and would take her time with him. He would hiss but it was mostly a bluff and she knew it, after some time the exam would be finished and on our way. Eventually we showed up to find that she had moved to a new location and we would see a new male vet. When he walked in spike crouched and hissed (normal) and the vet said "yeah..ok ill be right back". Spike is a very large cat with large paws and when he fluffs hes twice the size.. The vet came back in with huge leather gloves and started the exam with scruffing him to the table and taking his temp.. this turned into spike latching onto the leather glove and the vet placing him back in to his carrier (unsuccessfully) and saying hes fine as he left the room. I put spike back in the carrier and needless to say any time we walked through those doors he was horrified.  In emergencies we ask for another female that he kind of deals with, but she wears the leather gloves because he now has a giant red folder which translates danger!!  He is now older 14 years and I only take him to the vet if it is absolutely necessary. He hasn't been in a very long time and they recently told me for his anxiety medication (over grooming which i think is an allergy but they disagree) he would need a follow up. I explained the situation and told them they would do him more harm than good if I were to put him through a vet visit.  As of now they refilled his medication but i think ill have to return with him soon.  Im thinking that I might call another office and see if someone would understand the situation and just charge me for meds vs a visit.            Anyway  Im thinking that younger cats might benefit from frequent visits however, if the cat is not showing signs of illness or issues maybe it would just be less stressful to forgo the visit unless absolutely necessary because as stated above those doors say no fun and no matter what it wont be fun regardless of the vet.
 

jdanke

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Sorry cannot figure out how to edit.. I was told recently that spike might have a food allergy vs over grooming..  (bare legs) I was told to try natural meats.. goat, venison ect.. boil break them up and avoid other things like treats and dry food. This is cumbersome but I am willing to try it vs giving him anxiety meds which dont really work.. When I do try I will remember your post and give you an update.. I dont know if its the same situation but we all seem to care about our family here and figure its worth a try.
 

yayi

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Thank you for the additional information. 
 

Definitely keep us updated. May I also suggest that you post a thread in the Cat Nutrition forums? I agree about natural meals for a cat. 
 

catlover73

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Sorry cannot figure out how to edit.. I was told recently that spike might have a food allergy vs over grooming..  (bare legs) I was told to try natural meats.. goat, venison ect.. boil break them up and avoid other things like treats and dry food. This is cumbersome but I am willing to try it vs giving him anxiety meds which dont really work.. When I do try I will remember your post and give you an update.. I dont know if its the same situation but we all seem to care about our family here and figure its worth a try.
There is an edit button that is at the bottom of the box when you go to type things.  It looks like a pencil.

I hope you can find some answers with making changes to his diet.  
 

jdanke

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Thanks.. maybe Bacause I'm on my phone its not there, I'll check on the pc.
 

catlover73

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I know where the edit button is and I have a hard time seeing it on my phone too.  I agree about looking for it on your PC first.   Hopefully it will not take you to long to figure out what this food allergy is. 
 
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