Grumpy cat and vet

[Scaredatthevets]

Hello all, wondering if anyone has experienced similar?

Took the cat to the vet today to have a check up and claws clipped. Cat is pretty temperamental and although is lovely at home, can hiss if annoyed and doesn’t tolerate being picked up. We have rehomed her from an unsuitable household and I believe she is happier and more relaxed in her new setting. She is an indoor cat.

It’s a struggle to even get her in the carry case but manageable. Had one previous visit at the vets where she wasn’t happy but was managed very well.
Today however was not the same experience. The vet was different and I think I should have warned her first of our cats temperament but everything happened pretty quickly. They started to clip her claws and very quickly she was very distressed, they had to take her in a seperate room to put a mask on her and hold her down. They only managed one paw and it was clear from the yells and screams that our cat was unhappy. So it ended on a rebooking with some calming tablets to give her before next visit. If that does not work she will be sedated.

I’m unsure of how practical it is to sedate a cat every time she needs claws clipped I have ordered a Feliway plug in to try and aid the relaxation before next weeks visit. Im
now nervous about stressing her out again on a second trip so soon. I also feel kind of bad she was so difficult at the vets, but had been fine before. Not sure what the reason could be. I also wanted a rash on her tummy checked out but they couldn’t manage that either :(

Any tips or advice welcome 😊

She shouldn't need her claws clipped regularly if she has access to scratching posts and climbing trees etc. at home, so I would start by looking at what you can do to avoid it getting to that point in the first place. If that doesn't work, see if someone can come to your home and do it for you - it will save the stress of travel/getting the cat in the carrier etc.

I have three cats - two of them love the vets (weirdos) but one is terrified and last time he was there, he peed all up the vet when he tried to look at an eye injury, lol.

I wouldn't be putting her through that for a claw clip? Is there a reason why her claws need to be clipped? I've had a lot of cats in my time and I haven't had one who needed their claws clipped, even the indoor ones. Cat trees and scratching posts should take care of that.

I have several scratching posts/mats that she ignores and opts to scratch the carpet heavily, this only seems to happen when they are particularly sharp.
I was also under the impression if they were just left they could become sore, maybe that’s wrong.
Thanks for the suggestion of home visit vets, seems a good idea and I’m looking that up now!

Our cat would not scratch her ( numerous ) scratch posts enough to keep her nails shorter , so we would end up at a trip to the vets for a nail cut. Our cat also hated going there and it is a 3 person job to trim nails. Dh holding , vet trimming , and me with a towel over the cats head ! I once ended up at the Drs needing antibiotics because the cat bit me.
During lockdown vets were mostly closed , or you did the animal pick up / drop off outside. We bought the nail clippers , still use the towel over the head trick and between the 2 of us manage a mini clip every now and again.

Oh god, our cat is the most gentle soul but she is terrified of the vet. From the minute the box comes out she’s a riot. DP took her in last week to get weighed (she was flagged as a fatty at her boosters and asked to be brought back in six months after a diet) and she disgraced herself by weeing on the table when the vet checked her teeth - plus DP had to hold her front paws down while she tried to claw the vet. On the plus side she was half a kilo down from six months of reduced rations. The vets have seen it all, I think. Much like doctors.

I agree with pp , unless there is something odd going on your cats claws shouldn't need clipping.
But if they do I would do the following
Get puss use to been in her carrier to start with if you can take it apart and leave it near places she likes to sit , near her bed / on your bed / on windowsill etc .
Put her fave food / toys in it .
Dont lock her in it until she is happy to go in of her own accord
Then very carefully bit by bit pick it up and mi e around slowly

It took my about a month of very gradually getting my grumpy cat happy in his carrier now I can pick it up and hold it 4 foot in the air and he leaps in, he sleeps in it most days.

Get her use to been handled, touch her paws , gently squeeze her to expose her claws

Or
Rather than taking her to the vet could u
you clip her claws

Thanks for the advice/stories, I guess they have probably seen it all!

I think we have just been too wary/gentle around approaching her and we maybe need to toughen up a bit

@Scaredatthevets it doesn't need to be a vet who comes and does the clipping - it's a service people like dog groomers or walkers might offer for a small charge as well.

I've had some real arsehole cats and have always clipped their nails myself. Wrap her in a towel and stick one leg out at a time and do it very quickly. Give her a treat after.

If they really need doing ask your vet for gabapentin
One night before and one on the morning really takes the edge off most grumpy cats.

I've only ever had to clip the claws on one of my cats (an old boy, who was no longer managing his own, so he used to get his claws stuck to furniture). I used to do a paw at a time when he was asleep. If you are clipping claws for your benefit (rather than the cat's benefit), don't bother.

I have 2 indoor cats. Girlcat manages her claws very nicely, but Boycat needs his trimmed regularly. As he is a thick-as-shit special needs (vets term) scaredy cat, visits to the vet are kept to emergencies and his annual jabs, so I very, VERY slowly got him used to firstly me playing with his paws, then squeezing the toes gently to get the claws out, then eventually clipping his claws myself.

First time I literally clipped one claw then praised him & stopped, then 2 claws and so on. His backs tend to grow a bit faster (or he manages them even less well) so I just do fronts or backs depending on what needs doing. He still gets treats once I've finished.

I have 3 indoor cats and cut their nails regularly, they can indeed grow into their pads especially when they get older so they do need doing. Having helped with a lot of similar cats over the years I would say its worth trying the tablets and getting her used to her cat carrier and building up her confidence at the vets, sedation comes with a risk and she would still be aware of what's going on and would be scared so it would make things worse. If there is a specific cat vets nearby (there's not that many around unfortunately!) It may be worth transferring if possible

You seem to be taking it quite personally OP, but try not to, the vet will have seen it all. Our cat is placid and gentle at home but angry and attacks at the vets.

So if she's going for the carpet over her scratch posts, she probably doesn't like vertical scratching. Something to try might be getting carpet samples and gluing them to a piece of board so that she has something horizontal to scratch as an alternative. Put catnip on it, make it attractive as The Place To Scratch. It might not save your carpets entirely but it'll help. If she scratches the carpet around doors you can get plastic protectors that are unobtrusive but stop them getting at the edges.

Do you put her carrier away out of sight? Try leaving it out and open with a blanket inside as a nice warm inviting place to nap. She's probably got serious negative associations with it now but if you can make it a nice safe place for most of the time, you'll have a way easier time getting her into it when necessary. Top-loading carriers are easier than ones with just a front door, I got mine from amazon at a reasonable price.