Andy went missing in the apartment two days ago when he and his brother Dougy had an appointment for shots and an examination. I rescheduled him for yesterday, and made sure he was available at departure time by putting him in the carrier right after I gave him his medicine. He was NOT happy!! And he had to wait an hour and a half in the carrier till it was time for his appointment.
Once there, he seemed OK, but he had a temper tantrum when they tried to take his blood pressure. Ultimately, his veterinarian decided it best to try in December. He’d examined Andy’s retinas (blood pressure will damage those….) and saw no damage, so waiting is safe! (That was great news!)
=(^+^)=
Andy spent too long in the carrier. He was not happy!
He was much calmer on the scale than Dougy was earlier this week.
Dr. Y checked his lungs and heart.
We were especially happy his retinas are OK! The blood pressure medicine is worth the effort.
Of course, Andy came for a couple of shots, one of which was in the butt!
Shaving his foot to take his blood pressure, Andy started to get owly, hissing and fighting all the way. It took three of us to keep him down and somewhat calm…. sort of!
After fighting the blood pressure check, it made little sense to try to take it: It definitely would have been high!
In all, though Andy got upset, he was mostly a good boy, and his check up was good. You bet I set out some kitty treats when we got home! Later, I reassured him with some good, old “scritching”!
Good news everything is ok
I make sure they get regular examinations because I hope to have them around for many more years!
Glad to hear they are both doing well. Yes, cats can sure get upset at the vet clinic. We had to take Wynken in on Tuesday for a urine check and bloodwork, and leave her there until they could get to her. They got the urine sample, but no way was she going to give up any blood! She bit the vet and escaped the tech. When I called later to see if she was ready to pick up, they told me what had happened, and said they chased her around the clinic for a while until they could catch her. She was not a happy cat when she got home.
The kitty boys’ veterinarian and staff close the door to the examination room for that reason. Just standard practice, and one that is particularly appropriate when Dougy’s there since he gets really excited about examining new places. He usually tries to hop off the examination table so he can sniff around the room. Andy stays put.
I can imagine Wynken was really, really, really upset about her experience! Andy’s like her in that he tolerates just one or two things well, then he gets owly.
Oh poor kitties, they hate these visits 🙂
For sure!
I’ll bet your blood pressure was way up, too!
Yes, a bit!
When we have to do something unpleasant to one of our cats we wrap them in a towel or thick small throw/blanket. Bundling them and stopping them lashing out actually lets you work faster and they are less likely to get hurt. With a milder cat it is best to let their head out.
I used to have to do that with Andy to give him his medicine. I still occasionally have to do it if he’s having an anxious day. At any rate, that’s an excellent suggestion, one I recommend, too! The kitty burrito trick, I call it! LOL!
What a great name.
LOL! I don’t think I came up with it, though I can’t remember reading it anywhere. It seems to calm him down, make him feel secure, though he still tries to turn his head away from the syringe full of medicine.
Andy was clever to hide. That is nice that you get to be right there, Phoebe got her bp checked the other day and the techs took her out back.
I think it helps to have a familiar person there with them in the examination room. One rason I like the veterinarian clinic (and staff) where I take the kitty brothers is they encourage you to be there with your pet. It’s the best way to learn what’s OK or of concern at the time it’s discovered rather than hearing later. I like to ask questions and suggest what else I’d like the veterinarian to check out (based on things I suspect might be wrong or need care). Just like my relationship with my own doctors, I like to be fully involved in my kitties’ care, and this arrangement at the clinic helps me to be just that.
I am delighted Andy’s vet visit was so good. Sounds like he wound himself up before the blood pressure test and it was best to leave it till the next visit.
Jean
Yes, it was encouraging! His last blood pressure check showed he was at the edge of high or high normal. I was given the choice of continuing his medicine or dropping it. Given the issues blood pressure cause in Persian kitties (blindness, kidney failure), it was a no brainer to take the conservative route and continue the medication!
My Lillian doesn’t like the vet either
she’s a house pet
We take her out
But pretty much she an insider
Hope all is well Doug
Have a great weekend
Sheldon
It’s going great, Sheldon! Thanks! And the same to you! Actually, Andy is more anxious than unhappy at the veterinarian’s. Dr. Y. is great, a compassionate, concerned, competent doctor of small animals, and his staff are all great with my cats. Except for the blood pressure matter, where they have to shave fur off the underside of his tail or foot, Andy is tolerant most of the time on the examination table. However, he becomes impatient, then growly, then starts saying naughty words in Catinese, like >hiss!<
I like that Catinese
It has limited vocabulary, but cats are pretty direct anyway!
Children! They are all hairy little kids! Who could not love them?
I’d miss them a lot if I didn’t have them to lighten my day! Of course, one day, I’ll have to deal with their passing, but I do everything I can to make their time with me fun, pleasant, and happy.
Andy has been a good willing boy during the examination and shots excepted for the blood ptessure taking…but his retina is Ok . Don’t worry,Doug.
In friendship
Michel
Yes, Andy is known to grow impatient, too. He had a full examination plus two shots before we got him prepared for the blood pressure check. He will do better when all they do is the blood pressure check in December. He is, basically, a “good boy”!
Yes , this time he was heavily loaded ! 🙂
Kitties are such temperamental creatures. Yours are so cute!
Thanks! They are that, but they also are full-blown kitties, with all of the good and bad qualities of cats. Dougy is a notorious furniture scratcher, for example, though I provide scratching polsts in every room. Yes, he uses the correct ones, too!
The photo were Andy is in a carrier really shows that he doesn’t like it, his eyes are so big. But I understand why, chasing a cat under a bed or some high places is a sweaty tast just before you have to go.
His problem this time was he had to wait in the carrier for and hour and a half. I caught him easily and without a chance, gave him his medicine, then put him in the carrier. If I had let him wander away after the medicine, I guarantee I would have had to do the chase business! He is a very good hider!
Oh pooooooor Andy. Couldn’t you have at least locked him in the bathroom or don’t you run to two of those? My catz, the few I can catch, go bat shit crazy in lock down. ~~dru~~
The bathrooms have excellent places for a cat to escape to, and I am physically limited in my ability to chase a kitty!
I have to use stealth or end up having to reschedule appointments. With dialysis three times a week, I have limited times I can schedule appointments, so it is important I not have complications like Andy hiding on the day I need to get both kitties to appointments
Haha! Poor thing, my cat is the same, she’ll tear your hand off if you do anything she doesn’t like 🙂
My kitties generally are very mild tempered, but Andy just had all the fussing around he could handle yesterday.
First of all, the pressure of the compressing blood pressure cuff no doubt felt like an attack on him, and they have to do the check five or six times to get an average. Poor kitty was probably scared!
I am glad to hear the good news. Who can be happy in doctor visit 🙂 dear WB, I can almost understand the feelings… Blessing and Happiness, have a nice weekend, Thank you, Love, nia
Just like people, animals tend to have higher blood pressure at the doctor’s than at home. Anyway, I was pleased Andy’s doing well (as is Dougy!).