Conference misery::feline

    I think you have a combo here of (1) my sibs must be alien beings since
    they smell strange (from the vet handling), and (2) Skeeter going
    bananas due to "anticipation" of what was going to happen to her,
    having seen the results on Alex, etc.
    
    My Holly is somewhat like Skeeter;  when I have multi-cats in at the
    vet's, he always does Holly first, to avoid #2.  Fortunately, I have a
    carrying case for each cat, so no one has to be put in with her.  #1
    wears off in a couple of days.
    
    She just needs time to calm down, I'm sure.  Poor Katie, et al.
    

    This evening has been pretty comical.  The vet seemed to think they all
    have a mild intestinal infection so they are also on pills, Delta
    Albaplex.  It's to be given every 12 hours for 7 days.  Well, an hour
    after I got home, I dosed each one of them and if they weren't PO'd
    before, they are now!  Skeeter has laid on the couch and glared at me
    all night, Katie runs and hides every time I get up and Cleo and Alex
    have spent the evening in on the bed.  They are not happy campers.  I
    do feel sorry for the little guys.  They must think I've turned into
    the Wicked Witch of the West.  But I can't help but giggle at their all
    too human reactions.
    
    Karen

    We once had a very bad vet experience.  In case anyone has this
    particular vet and likes him, I will refer to him here as "Dr. Doofus".
    
    Tiki was taken to Dr. Doofus for kidney sand (which was closer to
    stones - they were BIG).  Tiki had to have the sand/stones removed,
    which of course requires surgery.
    
    The day after the surgery, we called.  Dr. Doofus gave us a basic run
    down of the surgery.  We asked when we could take Tiki home, and he
    said that since Tiki wasn't eating, he would have to stay there.  Could
    we visit him?  No.
    
    The next day we called again to check on his progress.  Dr. Doofus gave 
    us a basic run down of the surgery.  We asked when we could take Tiki 
    home, and he said that since Tiki wasn't eating, he would have to stay 
    there.  Could we visit him?  No, but call tomorrow and "we'll see".
    
    The next day we called AGAIN to check on his progress.  Dr. Doofus gave 
    us a basic run down of the surgery.  We asked when we could take Tiki 
    home, and he said that since Tiki wasn't eating, he would have to stay 
    there.  Could we visit him?  No, but call tomorrow and "we'll see".
    
    First off, we didn't need a complete run down of the surgery every time
    we called, and we told him this.  We also discovered that the reason
    Tiki wasn't eating was because he was homesick and desparately wanted
    to see us.  He thought we had abandoned him!  
    
    After about 6 days of getting run downs and put off, we finally had to
    threaten with a lawsuit if we didn't get our Tiki back.
    
    Needless to say, we haven't gone back to Dr. Doofus, or even RISK
    having him by going to the same building.  We go to another vet, and
    love them.
    
    K.C.

    My poor babies.  None of them feel good this morning.  Cleo is going to
    great lengths to avoid me, she is just sure I'm punishing her.  Alex
    has slept all morning.  Skeeter has calmed down and all she wants is to 
    be cuddled.  Katie is feeling better than the rest and has sat looking
    out the window all morning.  Poor guys.  :-(
    
    Karen

    Karen, would it be less traumatic if you brought them to the vets on an
    individual basis?  Or, possibly take two one day and the other two the
    next?  When we first adopted Chubs & Zelda, I brought one to the vets
    on Monday and the other on a Friday.  Granted, it was scary for them
    the first time around and when they got home, the other sibling sniffed
    and hissed but soon after, they were "back to normal".  Then another
    time Chubs had to return to the vets so I brought Zelda along just for
    the ride (to keep him company).  She (Zel) did not mind the trip to the
    vets at all and was perhaps perplexed as to why she wasn't poked and
    prodded at.  Maybe it would be a suitable thing to just take the cat
    out for a ride in the car and come home without making a stop at the
    vets.  That way there, they won't always associate getting in the car
    as meaning it's for a trip to the nasty vet?  
    
    Our other cat, Lea, is a nut - she jumps in our cars during the warmer
    weather (if the window or sunroof is open) and insists on going for
    rides.  I always take her on my errands!  She sits in the back by the
    window with her head bobbing up and down.  She looks just like one of
    those fake statues you used to see 15 or 20 years ago and people laugh
    when they see her up there sitting pretty.  (this is the only time that
    Lea likes me :^)  Lea is another story when we take her to the vets.  I
    make my husband take her because she screams and hisses.  She HATES the
    vet.  In fact, last time there, the vet and her helper did "dump the
    kitty".  They tipped her cage on it's side and dumped the cat out. 
    Everyone but Lea thought it was funny.  :^)  It really is a shame that
    we can't talk to them and tell them that we are only trying to help. 
    Going to the vets is always an interesting and enlightening experience.

    Pearl also seems to not recognize her buddy, Zeno, after a trip to the
    vets.  I know she *hates* getting her shots, but then she'll hiss at
    Zeno like it was all his fault!  She is a complete b*tch for a day or
    two, continuing to hiss at her best friend.
    

    This sounds all too familiar!  Barney and Gonezo just turned 10 and
    have never been a problem at the vet's.  However, Benjamin, whom I have
    had 9.5 years and I'm his third owner, is a different story.  Dr.
    Migday still has scars on her arm from one of Ben's attacks.  On one
    visit, she even put him in a little "kitty pillow case" (at least
    that's what it look like) so his claws would not be exposed, while she
    unzipped the back end to give him his shots (meanwhile, his head was
    poking out the front.. it was quite amusing).
    
    I realized that it was the waiting in the outer room that caused Ben to
    freak out... cats on one side, dogs on the other.  He let us know, in
    no uncertain terms, that he did not like waiting in the wating room. 
    So now, when I schedule their yearly visits (or any other visit that
    Ben is involved in), I schedule the first visit after lunch and wait in
    the examining room.  Ben has not been a problem since (and this was
    years ago) and it seems much less stressful on all three cats.  I wait
    in the exam room, let them out of their carriers, sniff around, and get
    used to their surroundings.  About 10 minutes later, Dr. Migday arrives
    and there's no problem.
    
    Mary
    

      Well... after hearing all this I guess I should be proud of my kits..
    
    Smokey CANNOT be fed for at least 12 hours prioir to the vet trip, but
    it's the car that causes his distress...once he gets to the vets it's
    no problem, even though his first vet trip was to have his front leg
    removed after he was caught in a car's fan-belt.
    
    Cookie is a little angel...She stays in her crate, feet folded under
    her, and when the door is opened in the examining room, she slowly
    comes out and sits in front of it waiting...and she never tries to
    struggle or scratch when being examined... When she's had her exam and
    whatever shots are due, she very calmly goes back intothe crate and
    waits...
    
    Stormy is a panic!! She stands in her crate, looking around very
    curiously, and when the door is opened, she saunters out, rubbing
    against everyone, begging to be petted, and when the vet tries to use
    the stethoscope he always begins to laugh..saying: "I'm SURE she's got
    a heart...but I can't hear it....that thundering purrr of hers is
    drowning everything else out!!" He never HAS beenreally able to hear
    her heart well, becuase you can hear her purring about a block away.
    Stormy actually causes more struggle putting her back into the crate to
    take her home...
    
     John McD

    Furby doesn't mind the trip to the vet in her carrier, and loves up on
    the vet when she gets there! Gettin gher back in the crate is usually
    the problem with her too!
    
    Feendoonie is another story. She hates to ride in the car, but I always
    know I'll have a stool sample in the crate if needed when we get
    there! PHEW! What a stink! ;-)
    
    The vet I use now is very nice. My girls like him a lot, and I feel
    comfortable with him myself. Thanks Nancy Cross for pointing me to him!
    
    Y
    
    

    I used to dread taking the cats in for their annual exams and vaccines,
    until I found a vet in my town who makes housecalls.
    
    There are a lot of benefits with a housecall vet.  First of all, you
    have their undivided attention, since there are no interruptions such
    as phone calls, waiting clients, etc.  Second, the cats feel
    comfortable in their own environment, and are not stressed out by the
    carrier, car ride, and strange cats and dogs in the waiting area. 
    Third, I have found a much better rapport was built with a housecall
    vet.  She respects my beliefs and opinions, and I hers.  She learns from
    me, and I through her.  For instance, she wasn't very familiar with
    some of the purebreds I own, and is very open to question and answer
    sessions regarding their history and characterisitcs.  She is open to
    teaching me how to vaccinate and administer needles if the need ever
    arose.  Overall, we have developed a very good relationship and I am
    pleased with her services.  Another plus is that she prefers evening
    hours for routine calls, so our work hours never collide with one
    another.  She has spent a full two hours at my place giving all five
    cats their annual tune-ups.  :^)
    
    The downfall to a housecall vet is that the cats are sometimes too
    comfortable in their own territory, and will fight her instead of
    "freezing" like they do in unfamiliar surroundings.  It has been more
    difficult to obtain blood samples or give intramuscular injections
    without me frantically trying to hold down the cat.  She works on the
    kitchen counter which unfortunately leaves quite a mess upon
    completion -- fur everywhere, pieces of claw from clipping, etc.  I
    always end up vacuuming and washing down the counter and floor after
    she leaves.  At 9:30 p.m. +, this isn't my idea of fun!!
    
    If a hospital stay is required, she has an office built onto her home. 
    If more sophisticated diagnostic testing is necessary, we go directly to
    Tufts, since both of us live in Grafton.
    
    I highly suggest the idea of a housecall vet for those felines who
    freak outside of their territory.
    
    -Roberta
    
    
     

    Misha has now been to "his" vet often enough that he likes
    her.  In fact, we couldn't get him to stop purring last time
    long enough to hear his heartbeat (one of *those* purrs).
    Unfortunately, while he like *being* at the vet, he doesn't
    like *going* to the vet and he always pees in his carrier.
    
    One of my former cats, Dream, always got very nervous at the
    vet.  We used to call her "Sit N'Shed" because that's all she
    would do :-) Sort of the feline equivalent of Pig Pen with a
    fur cloud instead of a dust cloud :-)
    
    Mary-Michael
    

    Stitch behave like such a little angel (if they only know).  Actually
    when Scott is done with him he jumps off the table, jumps into his
    carrier and curls up.
    
    Gino is totally quiet except for the dental part of it.
    
    Pippin never presents a problem except for leaving Uncle Scott a "poop"
    present on the table once in a while for which he replies "oh boy -
    presents".
    
    On the whole all three have been very well behaved.
    
    BTW, my mom's got her cat from hell at the vet as we speak - last year
    he almost devoured the vet.  I can hardly wait to hear what this
    "little prince" pulled this year.
    
    Giudi

Most of my cats are pretty good about the vet.  That is except for my
dear Tabitha!  We named her right! (she's a black cat and we named her
after the little girl on BEWITCHED).

She's had some "problems" at the cat shows, so she is no longer shown.
She tried to attack a judge at one time just because she was so nervous.
I tried telling Dr. Mulcahey this, but she didn't pay much attention.

Eileene was just about to give Tabitha her shots and I said to her, 
"Be careful!  She's a wild one!"  Eileene just looked at me and said,
"Are you questioning my veterinary experience??" (playingly of course!)

"No, I just know my cat" I told her.  Well, she STILL wouldn't believe
me and tried to give Tabitha her shot by herself.  WRONG move!  
Tabitha jumped out of her arms, turned around and scratched Eileene
across the arm!  Then ran to the floor.  I finally caught Tabitha
and calmed her down while Eileene tended to her wounds!  It was SO 
funny to see her face!  She finally gave Tabitha her shots with ME
holding her!

A few months later, we brought Tabitha to be spayed.  No problems
there, but when we brought her back to get her stitches out, Eileene
asked ME to hold her. (-:  Then she looked at Tabitha and said, "Now
NO rabbit kicks!!  You understand??"  We all just laughed!!  She
now KNOWS to have me hold Tabitha when giving her shots! (-:

Holly

    Rico is the "perfect patient" at the vets.  He doesn't move.  I mean,
    literally.  He does not move.  Not so much as a whisker.  He is frozen
    in fear.  He stays curled up, and you can pick him up to reposition
    him, and his legs stay curled up under him.  Its like picking up a
    stuffed cat.
    
    K.C.

	Re. -.1  Beau is *exactly* the same!  He's an absolute angel at the
	vet's because he's terrified.  Try to pill him at home, though, and
	he turns into the cat with 16 paws (all moving at once).  Whenever I
	tell the vet or his assistants that he's impossible to medicate, they
	look at me very strangely :^}

	Sandy

Ha!  Hannah's rule is hiss first and then find out what is going on....
the first time the vet met her, she was a little startled to be sure....Hannah
immediately hissed at her and then sat quietly and waited to see what would
happen....as if to say, listen, don't mess with me or I get mean!

She actually is a sweetheart - she just bluffs real good.  Dilly, on the other
hand, cutes her way through a vet visit - and it never fails, the office
stops when she arrives - all run to the exam room to admire my little angel..
and she prances and flashes her tail around for good viewing.  What a ham.

    I'm lucky.  After one office visit, my vet elected to come to me.
    I don't have pussy cats, I have PUSSY CATS.  They don't fight of make a
    fuss, they are just big, strong cats and everywhere at once.  Four were 
    just three cats too many for the vet.
    
    Unless there are three of us, plus the vet, in the room Guido Tiggerini
    has to be anethetized before you can cut his back claws.  I'm not
    kidding.  With three people: one to hold his front end, one to hold him
    around the middle, one with gloves to allow Tig to attack their hand
    and the vet to do the clipping--it's a three ring circus.

    I was reading through this note and saw a few times where vets where
    having a hard time listening for a heartbeat due to loud purring....I
    also had a cat with that problem and the solution was to bring the cat
    over to the sink and run the water....she automaticlly stopped purring
    every time.  Some of you might want to suggest it to your vet the next
    time he/she is having this problem
    
    Carol

    With my Casey, it's the growling that makes it hard to listen
    for the heartbeat....
    
    L

if you gently touch the cat on the nose leather with your finger, she/he
will stop purring/growling/etc. in surprise.  The vet can then hear all
the needed stuff.  Simply hold the cat by the scruff and then touch the
end of the nose.  Works everytime.

				D

    Casey would then bite that finger, while still growling!
    
    

And what the vet to shut down the purr beasts was simply
spray a cotton puff with alcohol and hold it in the
generally vicinity of their noses. With Spike (an incessant
and LOUD purrer) she had to darn near wedge it in his nostril
but he finally toned down enough that his heart could 
be heard.

Thanks,
Keith

    
    Casey had an appoint ment to go in for treatment of his chronic
    asthma last night.  I guess I got lucky, because I noticed blood
    in Pepper's urine last night, while just being lucky enough to
    be in the right place at the right time. (Pepper using the litterbox
    while I was puting laundry in the dryer....)
    I apologized to the vet for showing up with an *extra* patient, but
    other than increasing the vet bill, (; , Pepper turned out to have
    nothing more than an infection, which I now get to shove 2 pills down
    his throat twice a day for....(8
    
    So much fun pilling 2 cats! 

    It is my opinion that there are good human Dr's and bad human
    Dr's...as well as good and bad vets...and it's up to us to
    know when to look elsewhere.   My own personal opinion is 
    that if something was "really" wrong with one of my cats, 
    I would definitely get a second opinion even if I had full 
    faith in my own vet.   Anyone can make a mistake or overlook
    something.
    
    I'm glad you found a vet you liked and feel comfortable with..
    because it makes a big difference.   

    RE: .23
    
    I would like to second the recommendation for Dr. Raiford Claxton
    of the Small Animal Clinic in Whitinsville.  He was recommended to
    us by the shelter where we adopted our first kitten.  (a non-kill
    shelter called Dog Orphans)  
    
    He is extremely gentle and caring with my pets.  Over the summer
    my cat got very ill suddenly.  She was very dehydrated.  We brought
    her in and we got a couple of prescriptions and some shots.  But they
    insisted that we call them on Saturday to see how she is progressing.
    
    I believe the source of the illness was an open compost pit that some
    of our new neighbors had over the summer.
    
    Welcome to the feline notes conference!
    Donna

    
    Another veterinary hospital in the "metrowest" area that deserves
    consideration is Westborough Animal Hospital.
    
    As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm very fond of the Westborough Animal
    Hospital.  Their vets routinely call a few days after a visit to check
    up on how our cats are doing, they've sent us handwritten condolence
    cards when the visit was the last for one of our treasured furry
    friends, and I always walk out of their offices feeling like they have
    a special affection for my cat.  Their veterinary care has always been
    the best, and I've felt I or my babies would (or could) have been
    treated better anywhere else.  When we've used them on weekends they
    always respond to messages left with the answering service in a very
    short time.  They're a bit pricey, but they're worth it, and as I've
    never balked at paying their bills, they may be accommodating of
    the indigent in way sthat I've never needed to be aware of. 
    
    len.
    

    Len,
    
    When I used the Westboro Animal Hospital for my cats, I was pleased
    with the service, but also found them a bit pricey.  I don't know if
    they have changed their policies since 1990, but back then I switched
    vets because they were unwilling to accept payment plans in the event
    of an emergency.  This is very important to me.  We all want the very
    best for our pets, but sometimes unforseen circumstances don't allow
    our budgets to be accommodating.  Aside from that, I found the staff
    very compassionate and pleasant, especially Dr. Stuer.  Is he still
    there?
    

    
    Yes, Dr. Stuer is still there, as is Dr. Mackenzie.  Last year they
    added Dr. Lois Palin, fresh out of veterinary school.  My and Sandy's
    cats have seen all three doctors, Sandy (like most women apparently)
    prefers Dr. Stuer too.  I'm sure his resemblance to Tom Selleck has
    nothing to do with it...
    
    When I was bringing Merlin in for repeated visits, they let me "run a
    tab" and pay for everything on the last visit [of the series - Merlin's
    still with me, hopefully he won't be going to his *last* visit for some
    time yet].
    
    len.
    

    Hee, hee, gee Len, I never noticed Dr. Stuer's good looks when my cats
    frequented the place.  NOT!!  I used to secretly hope he was the
    attending vet on site that day.
    
    Aside from his good looks, he is also very capable and compassionate.
    (and married... sigh.)