? Civvie help / advice

Hi folks. It's been a long time away.

tbh, it can be hard on my heart to read anyone else's stories here after losing Jester.

But I could use some advice regarding one of my civvies - Sage - and vet visits, if anyone has any suggestions.

She tends to get aggressive at the vet - hissing, growling, that sort of thing.

Today, I took both her and Bastian to a low-cost vaccination clinic. Frankly, the wait time was *way* longer than I ever anticipated. We were there over two hours before we got into the exam room for their shots.

By that time, Sage was in a pretty foul mood. She'd already been hissing and growling a lot in her carrier. (Bastian was a sweetie and took it all pretty much in stride.) I've been told that Torties and Calicos tend to get aggressive at times and this would certainly support that theorum.

They needed two vet techs just to attempt to hold Sage and try to give her the shots. After almost ten minutes they gave up. She doesn't have front claws (her previous "family" declawed her) so she couldn't scratch anyone, but she was trying to bite. The whole thing was extremely traumatic for her.

So she never got her vaccinations and the vet techs suggested trying again next month, but that I should give her some benadryl before leaving home.

What do you all think? Any other suggestions for getting Sage her vaccinations? Or have any of you used benadryl to sort of sedate a cat before vaccinations?
I asked about Feliway, but the vet tech said that was for stress, not aggression.

It's been over six hours since we got home and Sage still hasn't completely calmed down. (She fusses when I touch her hind end at all, although right now she's sitting on my lap - not curled up, just sitting.)

Any suggestions and / or recommendations would be most appreciated.

 

My Willow is a calico and does not get aggressive. Just saying.

Feliway is supposed to help with aggression, so it may be worth trying. Having a comfortable carrier that the cat is able to see/use at home can help, and for some cats, covering it so they cannot see what is going on helps. Soothing music also helps some cats. There is a 'Relax my cat' application you can get for your phone. Going somewhere where you have to wait that long is probably not a good idea. Is there a mobile vet in your area that could come in and give the vaccinations? Sage might be more comfortable in her own home.

Every cat is different, so the only way to know what works for yours is to try everything. I tried Feliway spray to calm my girls for vet visits, and I don't think it helped. (I was not using it for aggression, so I don't know if it would have helped with that or not.) Covering the carrier completely seems to help Mia while Willow prefers to be able to peek out. The music seems to help Mia a little but not Willow. I used to have a cat who had to have a mild sedative if I had to take him to the vet. I hated giving it to him, but it was the only way. He was 18lbs and very big and strong and would FREAK out from the moment I tried to get him in a carrier (never aggressive though). So, you may have to resort to something to take the edge off.

 

I second the house call vet suggestion. I had a house call vet in San Diego because Pants is terrified of the car and barfs/pees/poops in her carrier. It was wonderful. She was so much calmer, and no messes to clean up. (Unfortunately, the local house call vet services in DC are awful, so that hasn't been an option for me here.)

If it turns out that's not available in your area, I would try a different vet. Some are great with freaked out and/or aggressive kitties, some are terrible, and it sounds like your kitty might benefit from giving it another go with different people at a practice that runs more smoothly. My childhood cat was aggressive (even when not stressed), and we were told he had to be sedated and hooded/muzzled at one vet, but when that vet's retirement forced us to switch to a different practice, the new vet was able to handle him as if he was a normal cat.

 

Some caretakers have successfully used gabapentin, which is a pain med for nerve pain and has some sedation properties. It is prescription med.