Vet vs cat

[Medicimama]

My female dc (dear cat) is four years old. She is affectionate on her own terms but does not like being picked up and will hiss even at us if she’s not in the mood. She likes her face being stroked and will purr and will jump onto our laps (usually at inconvenient times).

At this morning’s vet appointment she hissed at the vet and tried to run off when the vet held her to listen to her heart and feel her tummy. The vet didn’t attempt the tooth check as she said the cat was too aggressive. She suggested next time we give her a sedative before she comes in. This costs an extra £30 or so. We have had another two vets at the practice - one was even less confident around the cat while the other took it all in her stride and was delightful but sadly she is on mat leave.

Is a costly sedative a normal recommendation from vets? Not all cats are docile tummy tickling lovers! I would have assumed they’d try to give them a bit more time to adjust to the environment and then go in for the checks, especially as it was super quiet.

Does anyone have experience of cat only vet clinics and are they better or do they have the same level of zero tolerance?

It all depends on the individual vets. Giving a cat a bit longer is unlikely to help. A sedative is a good idea. The cost sounds a bit steep for one tablet though.

My vets wouldn't consider hissing as being aggressive, biting and clawing maybe. First time Tobias went in (unmedicated) he hissed at the vet then jumped off the table & hid under her desk. We just talked about him for a few minutes while a nurse fetched a towel then picked him up in that (not full burrito either).

He does have to be sedated for us to be able to catch him to get him to the vets, he's terrified without it and is the wriggliest cat either I or DSis Annie has ever met, plus if the vet needs to take blood tests etc then he does get very swipy with them un-sedated. But not just being examined!

I'm not sure what my vets is charging for Gabapentin at present as Tobias's stuff goes through the insurance, and it's hard to get a price on line as technically it's a human drug not a pet one, but human prices are in the region of around 8-10p per 100mg tablet, and I give him 2 x 50mg the night before and another 2 x 50mg in the morning of the appointment. I'd guess the cost is around the prescription itself, though I thought you only needed to pay for that if you got the script from the vet and got the meds elsewhere?

We used to use a mobile vet- they were excellent and the cat was much less stressed. With multiple cats this might be a good option for you. Obviously if you need X-rays or something you have to go into the practice.

If it’s gabapentin that she’s suggesting, it’s fine, just chills the cat out for a few hours and makes them more amenable. Yes it is a sedative but it doesn’t knock the cat out or anything.

If you want extra time you would have to pay for a double appointment, which would be more than £30 at my vet(!) and I don’t think would be much help.

Cat bites can be really nasty, my SIL is a vet and was in hospital for a week after one, so I don’t blame vets for being wary of angry kitties!

Honestly, this sounds standard to me. Vets run tight schedules and can’t afford to spend ages letting cats adjust before doing even basic checks.

We had a cat like this when I was growing up. Most vets he would attack, but we had the occasional one where he was docile and as good as gold. I really think it comes down to the skill of the individual vet and how they handle the cat.

In any case we never gave ours a sedative, neither were we asked to (not sure whether they even existed in those days). We just let him bite the vet 😂. Really, it is their job to know how to handle the animal.

Recent prices in the last month at my vets were
£103 a bottle (liquid, about 60ml)
roughly £1 per 50mg tablet

My cat has attacked the vet at every annual health check/booster appt for the last 10 years and they've never tried to sell me a sedative. They just push through as many checks as they can and get me to hold him for the injections (which is probably the bit he's least bothered by).

I do agree with pp though that more time probably won't improve the situation.

Cat One needs a sedative before a vet visit. It’s worth it for him. It’s stressful worrying if he’s going to go Rambo and have the nurse bring out the welding gloves.
It’s fair enough for vets to be cautious. It’s the vet’s skin at risk, after all. Cats are a furry bundle of unpredictable razors from the vet’s side of the table.
If it’s too high in price for you, that’s okay. It’s just a suggestion from the vet.

One of our cats used to have a sedative before a vet visit. It was best for both vet and the cat. I’d see it as a good thing. Having pets is costly.

What we now know is that the cat who is trying to bite and swipe us is a very stressed and unhappy cat.
using medication (gabaoentin or pregabslin) has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety in cats. This makes the vet visit less of a drama which further reduces the stress.
Yes getting occasional scratched by a cat is part of my job, I will accept the occasional mild bit, but getting savaged, having attend A&E with blood pouring everywhere and needing time of work should not be a standard part of my job.
But think of it like this how deeply unhappy was the cat who sent me to A&E as an owner do you want your cat to be that unhappy? You are being offered a way for your cat to be less unhappy. Plus this is considered the best route for the cat’s physiological welfare. The vast majority of us try to work to the ‘fear free’ principles for our patients.

A cat who is attacking the vet is stressed and unhappy - luckily most vets know better than to “push through” nowadays and will recommend appropriate medication to keep the cat as calm and relaxed as possible.

I don’t think that my cat was particularly stressed or unhappy, he was a bully. Large male cat who would bully other animals (cats and small dogs). He wasn’t a nervous cat at all, but he was grumpy and highly intelligent. Mostly good with us, but might occasionally bite or take a swipe if you did something unacceptable (such as not allowing him to sleep on the chair that you want to sit on). Being manhandled by a vet was most definitely seen as unacceptable behaviour.

The cat I have now is extremely nervous. Frightened of strangers and her paws sweat when she goes to the vet. However, she’s so gentle and has never once bitten or scratched anyone. I don’t think that is all down to stress. Some of it is down to the personality of the cat.

I have never had this issue with a vet demanding that the cat be sedated.

Usually they just ask me to hold the cat while they do whatever checks/injections are needed.

My cat have all been rescue cats. The current one did tried to jump of the vet examination table but did behave once I held her.

The cat I had before that was more aggressive and did manage to scratch a couple of vets but again I never had any complaint from a vet, just the request to help holding her still.

Frankly your vet sounds like they are in the wrong job...The occasional scratch/bite is rather normal I would say in that profession.

Of course it is different from having to deal with a full on, out of control, dangerous cat or dog but a nervous/scared cat is not uncommon.

Frankly your vet sounds like they are in the wrong job...The occasional scratch/bite is rather normal I would say in that profession.

Hmm, yes, but you also have to consider what's best for the cat - it's not fair to put them in a position where they're lashing out and terrified when all it takes is a tablet or a few ml of sedative.

@warmapplepies

Most cats won't enjoy being given tablets either...it is stressful too for them.

My previous cat was an older cat with a heart murmur and the last thing I wanted to do was give her meds that were not essential.

I have cats all my life and have received more than a few scratches and light bites. It comes with the territory...

My previous cat Bluebell was a demon, I can't recall ever being asked to give her a sedative.
Even at 21 she was formidable and a really big cat. Current two cats are pretty good at the vet.
If I had guests round Bluebell had to go into my bedroom, she couldn't be trusted with strangers or even people she knew other than me lol.

Just crush the tablets and mix with a lick-e-lix, it’s so easy and not stressful for anyone involved.

My lovely (now dead 😢) cat was a vet hater. They used gauntlets for her and had a warning on her file.

We used sedative pills for blood tests and invasive stuff - all of which were done only in extremis.

It was actually lovely to handle her when she was stoned. The best cuddles ever. And then she was back to her 'fuck off human' behaviour 😂😂😂

£30 seems quite a lot though.

Yes perhaps my expectations are too high! She does emit a few warning signs before swiping - hissing and then growling first. She doesn’t like being held - only stroked on the face. I asked the vet where our cat was on the aggression scale and she said 8/10. Most cats are apparently 4! I just assumed all cats were arseholes. Some interesting feedback here including from a vet. My inner cynic thought perhaps they’re trying to extort more money from me and isn’t it their job anyway to be able to handle domestic animals? Then again if it’s causing the cat stress maybe we should swallow the expensive pill? My initial thought was the sedative is for the benefit of the vet to make their job easier but perhaps that’s the wrong way of looking at it!