If you have a pet, you will know what it is like having to drag your poor little defenceless furry (or maybe not furry) friend to this strange place that smells funny, has weird and unusual noises and people in scrubs who poke their little faces and bellies, look at their teeth, stick sharp needles into them, or even worse (ouch!) – measure their temperature! Our cats really do not like going to the vets, even though it is only once a year that we (and our cats) have to go through this ordeal when visiting vets surgery for a check up and vaccination they know that when the pet carrier is brought from the garage and sprayed with Feliway it is time to run and hide. Even doing it days in advance does not help – our cats avoid going anywhere near the carriers, never mind getting into them!
This evening was no exception – we had to hunt Anton down and, once we got hold of him, reversed him into the carrier – this, we have discovered, is the only way of pushing him into the carrier. If you attempt to put the cat into the box the with his head in the front, the cat turns into a star shaped figure and there is no way to fit the star into a small opening of the box.
As soon as Anton was all “packed” his little sis Alsou had to be found and packed into her carrier too. She has heard Anton’s loud singing by then, and ended up jumping onto the top of the built in wardrobe in our spare bedroom, so Simon had to climb on the bed and bring her down to the sinful Earth… And the same “reversing” process had to be repeated with her.
Once in the car, we had been treated to a once-a-year-experience of the Russian Blue duet, where Anton sings in long low notes and Also pipes in with the small high notes in between. My heart breaks for them, but internally I can rationalise that it is for their benefit.
Anton actually has been in a bit of a pickle last year – he ended up in the animal hospital for a while under the drip back in October – his neck went wonky all of a sudden and we were worried that he suffered a stroke. After a few days of investigations (ultrasounds, x-rays, biopsy, blood tests and blood pressure measuring) he was diagnosed with Conn’s Syndrome and hypertension, so he is now on 2 prescription medications and potassium supplement for the rest of his life. I guess this time he was more distressed about the visit as his memories are still fresh from his October ordeal. We have been inviting nurses to do blood pressure measurements at home so he was avoiding the stress of going to the clinic but vaccinations and annual examination has to be done at the surgery so we had to take them both there.
We are back now, cats are happy to be home again. Only Nikki is left to deal with sometime in March – she is our local vets’ worst patient, she has has a short fuse and will likely to draw your blood if you annoy her. That’s the feral spirit she does not expose when at home.
About the author:
Hi, I’m Natalya, aka Tatikprice. I am a thirtysomething Ukrainian girl living in the far east of London. Welcome to my virtual home! In addition to guest blogging here on Katzenworld I also run my own Blog.
I like the idea of ‘backing’ the cat into the carrier, and laughed at your description of the star shaped figure. 🙂
Hi Yvonne, it is the only way that works for us! I am glad my post made you laugh. Have a great Sunday!
Great story and you have beautiful cats. Anton’s face is full of character, I love him! Your black cat (Nikki?) is the spitting image of our Monkey. We can get Monkey into the crate no problem. It is getting her out at the vet’s office that gets tricky. Two techniques are a) tilting the crate so that the opening is parallel to the examining table and letting gravity do its thing and b) taking the top off the crate and lifting her out!
Hi Lydia, thank you very much, I am really glad you liked the story! Anton is indeed a character, he is very intelligent. I love the name of your kitty! Yes, getting the cat out of the crate once at the vets is a different story, we use both of your techniques as well and either of them usually works. Mind you, our Alsou usually comes out without us having to persuade her – she loves meeting people and seems very curious.
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My cats act exactly the same way. Funny, as hard as they are to get in the carrier to go, in the vet’s office they will run back into the carrier after the exam like it has a vacuum.
Hi Sheila, yes, they do and they stay quiet on the way back home as they know the ordeal is over.
There are so very many TOP LOADING hard sided cat carriers now made by Petmate and Catuit and other companies. I just assembled a new one for my new 3 year old feral cat to go to the vet. in. What did Kit Kat do? She saw the carrier and jumped right in, so I honestly did not NEED a top loader. Clearly for your pair? You need two top loaders. They are available all over the place. I paid only $29.99 USD for Kit Kat’s but Kit Kat LIKES carriers and cages and that is all she knows after being a feral cat trapped at some point in her life before I adopted her as a special needs cat.
These top loaders have a big opening on top with a metal door already installed and then it has the USUAL front door opening that you are FIGHTING with your cats over now as they will not go in the carrier willingly. With a top loader? Just open up the top door and drop your recalcitrant furr-balls into the carrier and lock it up and toss them safely in the car. With two cats, I would say get two carriers and put them safely in the back seat and buckle them in. Get a veterinarian who is VERY CLOSE to you so the drive and the cat screaming is very short lived on both trips!! That is my recommendation!
Hi Lawjic, well done for adopting your kitty! That is such a kind thing to do. You are lucky with Kit Kat that she likes carriers. All three pet carriers we have are top loading too, but our cats really hate them and refuse to go in either way, when they assume their star shape the only way is the reverse way! The whole experience is very stressful to poor furry creatures, we are lucky our veterinarian is only 5 minutes’ drive away from us (that’s the closest one we have), and we now opt for home calls by the nurse whenever possible as it is a LOT less stressful to kitties.
I agree with lawjic above. Top loaders are easier.
Mol!? “Turns into a star shaped figure!” ? MWAHAHAHA! I thought I had a patent on that!!
I love love love that picture on the bed in the light.Beautiful!
Aww, thank you! Shame that picture could not capture the loudness of Alsou’s purring!
Very cute kitties. I am glad Anton is feeling better.
Hi Ellen, thank you! Love your blog! xxx
It was such an ordeal getting our three cars onto carriers that we switched to a mobile vet who comes to our house to do exams and vaccinations. Much less trauma all around. But I guess mobile vets aren’t an option everywhere.
Hi Jean, I would be happy to pay more for home visits by the vet as it is, like you said, much less traumatic to both pets and their owners. If only this was a more widely available option!
I don’t have any cats… yet. But, I do love reading your stories. Glad to hear that Anton is feeling better.
Hi Jen, thank you so much, Anton is doing well thanks to the medication, he is due for another blood test and blood pressure measurement just to see how he is. I’m glad you like my stories, thank you! XxX
We have 2 cats, both black American shorthairs, a 6-year-old male and a 2-year-old female. We take them one at a time to the vet. To pack them in their cages, I open the cage and back it up against a wall. It stays flat so that the bed and blankets inside don’t tip and get rumpled. Then I find the cat, pick it up, walk to the cage while kissing the cat and telling it what a great cat it is, and then…grip both feet in one hand and both paws in the other while thrusting the cat forward into the cage. By the time the cat has turned around to face me, I have slammed the door and latched it. This sounds devious and diabolical, but that’s the idea. It works. Once inside, the worst is over.
Hi Queen Bee, that’s a sneaky way of doing it, I doubt it would work with our Nikki, she goes ballistic as soon as you pick her up, she usually comes to curl up on mine or my hubby’s lap when it suits her, but gets very growly if you try to hug her. Maybe it will work with my Blues, I’ll give it a try!