Keep you dogs out of the cat waiting area

[Toddlerteaplease]

I admit I'm a bit PFB about my cats. But they are very nervous, especially at the vet. My vet has a separate waiting are for cats and dogs. It drives me nuts when people bring their dogs into the cats area. I do not want your yappy dog scaring my poor cat. The staff are lovely but they don't seem to enforce the separate areas.

Our vet has separate cat and dog areas, with a kind of Kallax setup in which you can stack the cats in their baskets so you don't have to put them on the floor to glare at each other.

We have no separate areas. My cats don't like dogs (they hate them totally, utterly and completely ) but they're safe in their carriers hence OK. Don't be so precious, just focus on your cats and calm them down.

I have a cat only vet.

It’s so good. All the staff love cats. There are a million feliways plugged in. Fish for the cats to watch. If they ever need to stay in, the cages have one way glass so they can’t see what’s going on and freak out.

AND there are free biscuits.

Yadnbu
To the dog owners in the waiting room who give their yappy charges free rein to to sniff round and torment the stressed out cats in their carriers - fuck right off.
And to the woman who told me her dog wouldn't harm my clearly distressed cat. How about keeping your dog under control and stop it terrorising the cats and other small animal in the waiting room.
I did tell her that she was absolutely correct - her dog would not harm my cat. And how she prevented that from happening was entirely up to her.
She was not happy, I didn't care entitled dog-owning twat

My old vet had separate areas but some woman allowed her massive dog (Alsatian type dog) to keep wandering over ro 'say hello' to my cat.

The first few times I managed to push the dog away with a chirpy 'not now doggo' type chat to which the owner replied that he was just being friendly I then had to tell her to keep her bloody dog away from my quite clearly terrified cat. She got the hump.

Just say something! I'm just as anxious to keep my dogs away from your cats, and from other dogs for that matter.

Not sure what we would do at a separate waiting area vets, we usually take out cars and dogs at same time for their jabs.... I'm fact off with one cat and one dog tomorrow 😸

Ours isn't separate but I wouldn't mind if people just kept their pet quietly to themselves. I once had my cat in a carrier (he is great with dogs but had been run over so was upset) and a woman let her dog go right up to the carrier and shove its nose up against the cage. My cat swiped it through the bars. The woman got a bit grumpy and "your cat just hurt my dog". To my surprise people in the waiting room sympathised with her!!

I once had my poor cat in his basket on the floor and a dog came in on one of those extending leads, which I fucking hate, charged straight over to the cat basket and actually bowled it over, complete with cat inside. I’m afraid I lost my temper.

I'd be polite but firm to the dog owners, sitting in the cat area, and ask them to move to theirs. Both vets we had to go to have separate places, even towels to out over the cat's carrier which I always used. A friend had a similar problem (possibly a mixed area for everyone and everything) where dog owners were just gabbing about something not noticing how their dogs edged towards the terrified cats in their boxes. Some people are wankers, some others are just in the wrong place.

I would have thought dogs would be separate from all other animals as they are more dangerous and could frighten or harm most pets (unless you own a tiger)

just say something
I do, every time. But why should we have to? It's not rocket science that cats will become distressed by dogs sniffing round their carriers. Maybe keep your dogs by your side in the waiting room and be mindful that cats and their owners really don't appreciate your dog's 'friendliness' in the vet's waiting room

There is a separate area for cats and small furries at our surgery, behind a half-height partition. They provide blankets to cover carriers as well.

YANBU, and have a word with the vet when you see him/her next.

They have separate waiting areas for cats (away from dogs) for a reason.

No separate areas in my vets but I always keep my dogs by me. Animals are at the vets because of illness or injury, so possibly contagious and/or in pain.

It's not a social time.

Wish cat owners would keep their animals out of my garden but can't have everything.

As I mentioned, the vet I use doesn't have designated areas, but there are four separate sets of seats. I'm happy to say that clients seem to use common sense and keep their animals to themselves without needing signs.

Regardless of species animosity, there's always the possibility other animals might be infectious (or awaiting vaccination) in a vet surgery, so it makes sense not to let your dog mingle with other dogs, let alone cats, rabbits etc.

Ours has seperate areas, but today I just stopped by reception with the cat as it was a fast visit. Two lovely dogs nice and quiet on very short leads, one sitting on knees. Cat didn't seem to give a hoot, and the dogs ignored the cat I was quite surprised. If there had been yapping or a dog eager to sniff the cat I'd have gone down the hall to the seperate area.

Mine has cat, dog and small animal areas.
The cat area has little individual cubicles ( like a book shelf on it's side, if that makes sense?) with cloths to put over the carrier, so the cats don't even have to look at each other.
It's great as my cat loathed other cats (and dogs) and would probably lunge his carrier across the floor at a hamster or gerbil!

Can't understand people who think allowing their dogs to sniff around cat carriers is acceptable, and frankly if you let your dog do that and the cat swipes the dog then you've only got yourself to blame.

My dog is very wary around most cats, will tolerate gingers but anything else she's very unsure of. If she were in a confined space and a cat came sniffing round her she'd be absolutely terrified.

Crazy not to keep strange cats and dogs apart. Sometimes you really have to wonder what goes through some people's heads.

Ask them to enforce it every time you go. We use a cat-only practice for this reason, plus they’re obviously very up to date with their cat knowledge.

Yes Poloshot, that’s exactly what this thread is about...

Madam BrokenCat identifies as a princess
She wails horribly, embarrassing tbh. I'm not aware of separate waiting areas.

I haven't experienced dogs sniffing around my cats though, would be pretty pissed off if owner allowed that.

Ours has separate dog and cat waiting areas, but I've known people with cats sit in the dog area even though the cat area is empty, just because they want to chat to other people. Then they look surprised when all the dogs get excited over what is in their carrier.
So it works both ways. But I agree, better all round if people stick to the designated area, as it is obviously there for reason.
(not feeling the cat love this morning as next doors cat pooed in my garden and my dirty little bugger dog decided he'd roll in it.)