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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / April 2007Vet Tech Journals: Lion tamer
This afternoon, I checked in a family with an OLD 19 year old cat with tan fur. I got his weight, but he seemed a little grumpy. As I lifted his tail, it was like turning up the volume, cause all I did was touch the thermometer to his but and he let at LOUD GROWL. "Um, ok, I think we'll just WAIT on taking his temperature...." Then Dr. S went to see them and then came back and put the cat in our quiet room. This is a small room, with a separate exam table and counter. The two doors can both be shut so you and another technician can work with a difficult animal in peace. He wanted bloodwork, urine, a cat vaccine and a fecal. Uh excuse me, a fecal? This cat screamed when i just touched the thermometer to his butt, like he's really gonna let me stick a fecal wand up there. So i got all my syringes and tubes and waited for a coworker to help me. Oh and while i was getting everything ready, the cat was growling and complaining and the whole carrier was SHAKING. *gulp* Anyone got a whip and chair, so i can go in like a lion tamer? Ok, the plan was to let the cat out and go NICE AND SLOW His name was Woody and he came out willingly. Then 'J' (a strong guy) put the towel around his neck and scruffed him. "Ok Kristi, i'm ready.." "Ok, lets try to get it from the jugular..." RRRREOWWWWWWW!!!!!! "Um, or maybe lets try from the back leg...." This cat had EVERY paw flexed out and i could see every one of his large and sharp CLAWS. J got the cat on his side and I got into position. Then just as I was about to stick the needle in... REEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOWWWWWW!!! The cat went berserk and i jumped back to avoid the flailing claws. "Ok, this isn't gonna work. I'm gonna go talk to Dr. S." I talk to Dr. S, and he said to try to get one more person to help. So I grab the other J and she helps hold the leg. Then slowly but surely, I managed to ge the blood. I was sweating and i'm sure my heart was racing. GOT THE BLOOD!! WHEW!!! I let J let go of the cat, mainly so he could rest his hand. Then i told him we needed to get urine. He wasn't happy, but i told him I at least wanted him to give his hand and arm a break. I got the next syringe ready, and J started to move the cat on his side again. We were almost there when the cat leviated about 2 inches off the table, screaming his head off. I jumped back. J tried to manuever him but Woody screamed and struggled again. I jumped back this time and the other J was kinda laughing and said. "Uh you want me to get it? You seem a little jumpy." I nervously laughed and said, "No, I want to do this. I can't let this get to me." Ok, earlier this year while working on a fractious cat in an exam room, a cat twisted his way out of my coworker's grasp. I was justa standing in the corner, not doing ANYTHING. He landed on the floor and literally CAME AT ME HISSING AND SCREAMING. I managed to step back but he still manage to swipe and claw my ankle hard enough to draw blood. I was ok, but inside i was really FREAKED out. I wanted to stick this one out because (I later told my coworkers) because I HAD to deal with my 'fear' of fractious cats. I was NOT gonna let this cat scare me or intimidate me. I was in treatment looking at the chart, when Dr. C came in and asked if i was available to help. "Uh no, sorry, J and I are trying to deal with this lion, i mean, cat." The cat kept struggling and after another explosion of screaming and evading really sharp claws we gave up. I may want to face my fear but there IS a limit where safety has to come first. The vaccine was intranasal and I got a little bit in. And i firmly decided that a fecal was OUT of the question. Dr. S came in and heard the tale and laughed and said, "It's ok, we can get it another time." He then asked me how i was. I said, "My heart is going about 100 miles an hour." We all kinda laughed, but he did tell me that sometimes with fractious animals you gotta know when to stop. Woody went back into the carrier, and though we put the towel over it, the carrier was still shaking and growling noises coming from underneath. E, a kennel worker joked and said, "You know what that cat was saying, right? 'LEMMEOUTLEMMEGO!!" I said, "Uh, no, this cat was saying, "I'M GONNA SLICE YOU TO PIECES, SUCK OUT YOUR SOUL AND PISS ON YOUR GRAVE!!!!!!!" I think that translation was more accurate. sheesh.......... I'm sure it was pretty horrendous at the time, but from here, it sounds hilarious. What a video that would have made! Joy > This afternoon, I checked in a family with an OLD 19 year old cat with > tan fur. I got his weight, but he seemed a little grumpy. As I lifted [quoted text clipped - 103 lines] > > sheesh.......... Oh my, Kristi! I know with at least 2 of my cats (Frodo, RB, and Midnight) my vet and I agreed you could pick maybe a couple of things you wanted to accomplish per visit -- and let me tell you thermometer readings were skipped routinely -- we went for the test we wanted most, which was usually bloodwork. Poor you but also poor grumpy old Woody; how traumatic for all concerned! purrs, Christine > This afternoon, I checked in a family with an OLD 19 year old cat with > tan fur. I got his weight, but he seemed a little grumpy. As I lifted [quoted text clipped - 103 lines] > > sheesh.......... I remember the first time Harmony (RB) got her temperature taken. I'd just adopted her and Melody from the animal shelter, and one of the requirements is that the pets have to be taken to your family vet within 48 hours. So I had Melody (also RB), who was 4 months old, and Harmony, who was 3.5 months old, both at the vet. When it came time to examine Harmony, things started out all right. But the instant that the thermometer went in, this little tiny black powder-puff-sized kitty let out a deafening shriek that would've drowned out the noise of a jet engine. I was imagining all the animals in the waiting room having to be peeled off the ceiling after hearing that indescribable screech. The vet tech removed the thermometer IMMEDIATELY, and we never did get a reading for her temperature that day. Your lion kitty sounds like he's got the same set of healthy lungs that Harmony used to have. ;o) I think your vet's right -- between the hazard to human health, and the extreme stress it can put on a fractious cat, there are times when deciding to pospone a particular test is the lesser of the two evils. Donna, Captain, and Stanley, who have behaved very well at the vet's office so far (knock wood) > I think your vet's right -- between the hazard to human health, and the > extreme stress it can put on a fractious cat, there are times when > deciding to pospone a particular test is the lesser of the two evils. Especially if your cat is not sick to begin with and his ears don't feel hot. --tension > This afternoon, I checked in a family with an OLD 19 year old cat with > tan fur. I got his weight, but he seemed a little grumpy. As I lifted [quoted text clipped - 103 lines] > > sheesh.......... I fail to see the purpose in doing such extensive testing on the old fellow. Why not let him live in peace and pass on when the time comes without all that misery? Anything they do is not going to make him young again. IMHO keeping him comfortable is the most important thing and all those tests cannot be "comfortable". MLB >> This afternoon, I checked in a family with an OLD 19 year old cat with >> tan fur. I got his weight, but he seemed a little grumpy. As I lifted [quoted text clipped - 109 lines] >again. IMHO keeping him comfortable is the most important thing and all >those tests cannot be "comfortable". MLB I think it's very important to get a regular good check up on ANY cat, but especially a geriatric one. There are a host of problems which could crop up; if caught in time, they could be treated, giving the elderly cat several more years. With some luck, of course. Once a cat gets this elderly, more frequent check-up are really a very good idea. Money permitting, of course. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Life without cats would be only marginally worth living." -TC, and the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico kitty, Kenzie. How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven. - Robert Heinlein Life is very difficult. Once you understand that, life becomes easier. -Buddha Wow, I had forgotten about this posting. I posted this last year. When animals get to the elder years, it is recommended (yes recommended,) that they get an annual exam every 6 months to a year. Blood tests and labwork, I was taught, are like photographs. Biological photographs of the animal internal system which can give the vet an idea of how they are functioning. This is recommended even in a healthy animal, simply because if the animal becomes sick, the vet has something they can compare it to. Also with lab work the doctors are looking for trends. Elevated liver enzymes might be a flag but not necessarily a problem, since there are other things that could elevate the liver enzymes. Howver if over the course of a certain number of tests the values are still elevated and depending on how much they are elevating, could be an indication of a possible problem. For example, a healthy looking elder cat has lab work that show that his kidney values have been increasing each year. It's possible his kidneys are still ok, but it wouldn't hurt to suggest putting him on prescription diet for kidney animals. I've had clients that share your concern and say the same thing, how they don't want to put their animal through so many 'painful' tests. But sometimes these people then turn around and are frustrated that we (the vet and hospital staff) haven't found and/or solved the 'problem' when we ourselves aren't complely sure what the problem is. I'm not trying to be preachy, cause i do understand where you are coming from. And yes keeping him comfortable is something we try to acheive. However sometimes it can be hard to help keep him comfortable if we are not sure what is making him uncomfortable. That was just my two cents, or maybe it was like a quarter's. You're totally entitled to your opinion and i respect that. :P take care, Kristi > The cat kept struggling and after another explosion of screaming and > evading really sharp claws we gave up. I may want to face my fear but [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > laughed, but he did tell me that sometimes with fractious animals you > gotta know when to stop.//// Robbie, the Ginger Ninja, earned his name at his USA vets office. She was trying to take blood for his rabies blood test & passport. He kicked off. It took my mum, the vet and 2 vet techs to persuade him to let go of the ceiling (YES, the CEILING) tiles long enough to get him back into the carrier. He gets a bit fractious at the vet. Last week he nailed the vet when he went for his senior exam and blood tests. He also nailed the vet tech with his teeth. Which was pretty good going, considering he only has 4. ;) Helen M > > The cat kept struggling and after another explosion of screaming and > > evading really sharp claws we gave up. I may want to face my fear but [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Helen M Yes, Ted (RB) was very proud of her "dangerous animal" tag on her vet file. She only acquired it as a somewhat elderly cat of 12 or 13 and she elaborated on it at every vet visit until she passed away at 19. Her crowning glory was putting her one remaining tooth (a canine) through a careless vet tech's thumb webbing (the thin bit of skin between the thumb and the rest of the hand). *We* felt bad about that one, but there was nothing more we could have done (having previously warned the vets that Ted was tetchy). They used to have to put her in a restraining bag to get blood for diabetic assessment. It didn't take us long to persuade the vet that getting blood from such a highly stressed (distressed) animal was unlikely to generate a realistic glucose curve, so we ended up assessing her insulin needs on a more holistic basis (behaviour, weight, activity levels, appetite, absence of infections and urinary output), which did the job as DH and I kept a *very* close eye on her. Our current pair go very quiet and inert at the vet, which helps everything to go quickly and smoothly. (thank goodness!) Tish >Robbie, the Ginger Ninja, earned his name at his USA vets office. She >was trying to take blood for his rabies blood test & passport. He kicked >off. It took my mum, the vet and 2 vet techs to persuade him to let go >of the ceiling (YES, the CEILING) tiles long enough to get him back into >the carrier. Reminds me of Fugazi (RB) after her spaying we were asked if we were sure she was a domestic queen on the grounds of "We've neutered feral tom's that were a lot less trouble" Apparently, when they opened the pen, she sunk her teeth into the nurse. Then having been hauled, growling and hissing to the table, she dived off the table and headed towards the vet who got scratched as well. The anaesthetic didn't work and they needed to give her a second shot but by this point, the only way to do it was to have two nurses holding her down while the vet stood in front of her waving the needle while a third nurse crept up behind and shoved the needle in her backside! During this confusion, she got the vets hand (twice) and one unscathed nurse who made the mistake of relaxing her fingers slightly As the nurse was telling us this and handing a very groggy cat out of the pen, she said "But you didn't get me did you?" At which point a bright yellow stain appeared on her white coat! Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs > Reminds me of Fugazi (RB) after her spaying we were asked if we were sure she > was a domestic queen on the grounds of "We've neutered feral tom's that were > a lot less trouble" A total contrast to Huey, who purred the whole time they were getting him ready for his neutering, purred as he went under the anesthesia, then snuggled and licked the Vet Tech as he was coming out of night night land. She said that she'd never seen a cat so forgiving of anything. Pam S. meowmie of Huey the lurve kitty >> Reminds me of Fugazi (RB) after her spaying we were asked if we were sure she >> was a domestic queen on the grounds of "We've neutered feral tom's that were >> a lot less trouble" > A total contrast to Huey, who purred the whole time they were getting him ready for his neutering, purred as he went under the anesthesia, then snuggled and licked the Vet Tech as he was coming out of night night land. She said that she'd never seen a cat so forgiving of anything. Mandy has always been an absolute horror to take to TED. She's getting old and more fragile these days, but still hates being messed with (defined as anyone handling her in any way that she does not initiate) so much that I hesitate to subject her to TED visits on the grounds that they might be too hard on her. Earlier in her life, I was more worried about the visits being hard on TED. During her first visit, she was taken into a back room to be restrained for a blood test, and the whole clinic shook with noises that *I* didn't even recognize as coming from a cat! There were regular checkups which were largely performed by the vet standing as far from Mandy as she could get and saying 'she seems healthy', presumably on the assumption that no animal with that much energy could be sick. Naturally, this is the cat that's needed the most vet care over her life - she got hit by a car when I rather naively assumed she'd stay in the back yard without a leash and harness, and her teeth tend to develop tartar, so she's had to have them cleaned. After Sam had exercised his claws by digging every single one of the front ones into a borrowed hardcover book that I had to replace, someone asked 'don't you clip his claws?' I'd tried and failed miserably to clip Mandy's claws when she was a kitten, and dreaded forcing big tough-looking Sam to submit to the treatment. But I decided to try again with Sam. Sam sat quietly in my lap and didn't stir as I clipped his claws. He's such a big softy!  SignatureCheryl >E, a kennel worker joked and said, "You know what that cat was saying, >right? 'LEMMEOUTLEMMEGO!!" [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >sheesh.......... ROTFL! When a cat's head spins around more than 360 degrees and he/she is still fighting you, it's time to get the fsck out of there! :O Signatureannoyed@net.spammers Craig, Kathi & "Cat Five" the tabby girl >>E, a kennel worker joked and said, "You know what that cat was saying, >>right? 'LEMMEOUTLEMMEGO!!" [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >ROTFL! When a cat's head spins around more than 360 degrees and he/she is >still fighting you, it's time to get the fsck out of there! :O Yes, they already have the vomit-on-demand skill mastered, although I haven't seen any thus far produce pea soup. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria |
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