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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / October 2003Dr. Jekyll cat is Mr. Hyde at the vet
This has happened twice. The cat in question is the only pet in the household. She is very docile and playful (mixed breed). She loves new people or visitors and sidles up to them and plays with them. Absolutely very social. Not declawed but does not scratch in attack, has never bitten anyone (except pseudo-biting in play - never skin penetration). Will run up and approach people in the hallway to play with them. At the vet, the cat is a completely different animal. Hissing, swiping, growling, even at its owner. This is immediately upon arriving at the vet exam room. Is ok in the waiting room. We are dumbfounded as the other 364.9 days of the year, this cat could win the cat Nobel Peace Prize. It's like Jekyll and Hyde. Any suggestions? (We are also super embarrassed as this is the only side of the cat the vet has ever seen...) If you are inquiring why your cat acts differently, it's because of the scents that are emitted by all the animals that are there, and have been there. Different animals have emitted all kinds of pheromones, urine, feces. one of the most imperative ways in which a cat receives feedback about his environment is smell. Sense of smell helps the cat communicate with others of his own kind and assess the potential risks and pleasures associated with every waking moment. It's literally on sensory overload. > If you are inquiring why your cat acts differently, it's because of the > scents that are emitted by all the animals that are there, and have been > there. OK I hear you. Any suggestions on what we do about it? I would like the cat to have a successful vet visit. > > If you are inquiring why your cat acts differently, it's because of the > > scents that are emitted by all the animals that are there, and have been [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Any suggestions on what we do about it? I would like the cat to have a > successful vet visit. Rishi, Try spraying a little Feliway into the carrier about 10 minutes before loading the cat. It has a calming effect and may block out the other scents. We used to have a cat who was very nervous at the vet's (not uncooperative, like yours, but he would pee all over himself). We found that when he rolled in catnip, it zoned him out in a sleepy sort of way. So we put a sprinkle of catnip in the carrier, and by the time we got to the vet, the cat would be really mellow. However, catnip will make some cats excited and have no effect at all on others. Good luck finding a solution for your problem. Annie A couple of things: 1) Have you had the cat since it was a kitten? If you got her as an adult, she may have had a bad experience at the vet. One of the adults I rescued was like that too. 2) There are lots of smells in the exam room: other animals, medicines that were given to previous pets, etc. that may bother her. 3) You might try a cat only vet. I use one and found some of the cats are more relaxed without the dog smells and sounds. Good luck.  SignatureJoe http://www.jwpitt.com/cats.htm Cat Rescue http://www.animalrescuefoundation.com God created the cat so man could have the pleasure of petting the tiger > This has happened twice. The cat in question is the only pet in the > household. She is very docile and playful (mixed breed). She loves new [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > (We are also super embarrassed as this is the only side of the cat the > vet has ever seen...) > A couple of things: > 1) Have you had the cat since it was a kitten? If you got her as an adult, > she may have had a bad experience at the vet. One of the adults I rescued > was like that too. Joe - she's been a pet since six weeks of age, but very little contact with other animals ever. Will explore the cat-only vet idea Try a couple of drops of valerian compound into cats mouth then a couple of drops on the bedding, it exerts a calming influence and can be obtained from herbalist for cats quite cheaply and lasts a long time in the bottle! -- Teresa Bryant > This has happened twice. The cat in question is the only pet in the > household. She is very docile and playful (mixed breed). She loves new [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > (We are also super embarrassed as this is the only side of the cat the > vet has ever seen...) >From: "Wayne" ww007b1923@blueyonder.co.uk >Try a couple of drops of valerian compound into cats mouth then a couple of >drops on the bedding, it exerts a calming influence and can be obtained from >herbalist for cats quite cheaply and lasts a long time in the bottle! Good idea, Wayne. I have used this one and it works well: http://www.ediblenature.com/tranquility-ext-blend-1oz--aa.html Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm This is not unique to your cat; many otherwise perfectly sweet cats act like this when they're at the vet's, & one feels obligated to reassure the vet that, really, at home the cat is a placid, friendly being. ;-) Cathy -- "Staccato signals of constant information..." ("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon > This has happened twice. The cat in question is the only pet in the > household. She is very docile and playful (mixed breed). She loves new [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > (We are also super embarrassed as this is the only side of the cat the > vet has ever seen...) circa Thu, 23 Oct 2003 16:30:01 -0400, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, Cathy Friedmann (clfr@adelphia.net) said, > This is not unique to your cat; many otherwise perfectly sweet cats act like > this when they're at the vet's, & one feels obligated to reassure the vet > that, really, at home the cat is a placid, friendly being. ;-) Heh. I can't count how many times I've said, "he's really not like this at home..." ;-) Laura SignatureThere's a great power in words, if you don't hitch too many of them together. -Josh Billings > circa Thu, 23 Oct 2003 16:30:01 -0400, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, > Cathy Friedmann (clfr@adelphia.net) said, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Heh. I can't count how many times I've said, "he's really not like > this at home..." ;-) Me, neither. ;-) Truly, she was the quintessential lapcat at home. And my sister has a cat, Ed, whose file at the vets' is labeled "Dangerous". I told her about the "Fractious" label earlier in this thread, & suggested that she suggest that label to her vet - sounds a bit nicer. <g> Cathy -- "Staccato signals of constant information..." ("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon > This has happened twice. The cat in question is the only pet in the > household. She is very docile and playful (mixed breed). She loves new [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Any suggestions? Same experience with our recently deceased cat, who was also an "only child" and a lovebug except when she was at the vet's. As others mention, I think a lot of it is sensory overload in an environment the cat is not used to. I think they may associate the smells with some of the uncomfortable things the vets do to them if they go to the vet often enough. It *is* kind of embarrassing to have the vet page for help because your cat has transformed into a feline demon from hell, but if the vet (and ours *is* a "cat only" vet) has a a professional attitude it's probably no big deal to them because they've seen it all before and know that some cats just freak out when they are at the vet. > (We are also super embarrassed as this is the only side of the cat the > vet has ever seen...) We had the same exact same reaction. We've gone back to the clinic looking to adopt a new cat (they have a large number of cats being fostered there) and it's a little hard to hear the vets and techs commissurate about how Prissy was so "feisty" and "full of piss and vinegar", you feel like they missed out on getting to know the real personality. > Same experience with our recently deceased cat, who was also an "only > child" and a lovebug except when she was at the vet's. Some cats are just fighters. A former co-worker's cat had "BAD CAT" written in large letters on her file. The vet staff would argue about who had to handle the cat this time. In normal circumstances the cat was fine. SignatureWhen the fog came in on little cat feet last night, it left these little muddy paw prints on the hood of my car. >Some cats are just fighters. A former co-worker's cat had "BAD CAT" >written in large letters on her file. The vet staff would argue >about who had to handle the cat this time. In normal circumstances >the cat was fine. ROFL. That sounds like my old Cherokee. The top of his file said "fractious animal." He was better with female vets, and better if I stepped back where he could not see me. Sherry << ROFL. That sounds like my old Cherokee. The top of his file said "fractious animal." >> That's funny...that's the exact term one of my former vets applied to one of our now-deceased kitties, Miles, in her chart. Must be a word they use in vet school as it certainly isn't a word one hears commonly elsewhere. Candace (take the litter out before replying by e-mail) See my cats: http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace "One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human." (Loren Eisely) ><< ROFL. That sounds like my old Cherokee. The top of his file said >"fractious [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Candace How interesting. That's the first time I'd ever heard that word used. I think your theory must be right, then, it's a "vet school" term! (sounds better than "The Cat From Hell" though. Cherokee was *awful*. And he was so strong, 26 lbs., fully clawed and when he bit, he sunk his teeth in and didn't let up. I'm sure they hated to see us coming. << And he was so strong, 26 lbs., fully clawed and when he bit, he sunk his teeth in and didn't let up. I'm sure they hated to see us coming. >> Wow, he musta been a little intimidating. Little Miles weighed 8 at her heaviest but she was a terror. She had this low guttural growl that would start the second we got there that would then accelerate into a high shriek...without even being touched. It sounded like she was being tortured and was very disruptive to any other animals/humans around. She also twisted and turned and clawed and bit. Very darling. In order just to take blood for tests, they had to anesthesize her. Candace (take the litter out before replying by e-mail) See my cats: http://photos.yahoo.com/maccandace "One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human." (Loren Eisely) circa Fri, 24 Oct 2003 01:43:51 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, William Hamblen (william.hamblen@earthlink.net) said, > > Same experience with our recently deceased cat, who was also an "only > > child" and a lovebug except when she was at the vet's. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > about who had to handle the cat this time. In normal circumstances > the cat was fine. Alex's file had "WILL BITE" written across it- I made sure to inform every vet that ever saw Alex about it. The vets all survived. :-) Laura SignatureOutside of a dog, a book is your best friend, and inside a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx rishi <rishi@unforgettable.com> wrote in rec.pets.cats.health+behav: > At the vet, the cat is a completely different animal. Hissing, > swiping, growling, even at its owner. This is immediately upon > arriving at the vet exam room. Is ok in the waiting room. > > We are dumbfounded as the other 364.9 days of the year, this cat > could win the cat Nobel Peace Prize. It's like Jekyll and Hyde. I have the reverse. Dr. Lancet thinks Kami is such a good kitty. Ha! SignatureBrandy??Alexandre? http://www.swydm.com/?refer=BrandyAlx Well, would you? My Hilary, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago, was wild at the vet. When we moved, I used that wildness as an opportunity to screen vets. At one place, the two vets declared her "difficult." But one of them called in a young intern, who held Hilary firmly but gently on the table while one of the senior vets did the exam. Hilary calmed down a lot. I got the intern's name, and when she became licensed, I started taking my cats to her. She's been the family vet ever since. Daria Timing is everything. circa 22 Oct 2003 20:08:04 -0700, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav, rishi (rishi@unforgettable.com) said, > This has happened twice. The cat in question is the only pet in the > household. She is very docile and playful (mixed breed). She loves new [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > (We are also super embarrassed as this is the only side of the cat the > vet has ever seen...) My cat Alex was like the above, but easily ten times worse. He was just plain ROTTEN at the vet. Bit, hissed, spat, shat, growled, shrieked, *screamed*- before anybody would so much as stick a thermometer in him. My vets adored him, as did all the clinic staff. He was their weekly dose of excitement during his chemo, and he had *personality*. Don't worry, some cats just want everybody to know that they're pi**ed off about being poked at, and most vets understand that. Laura SignatureExperience is the name every one gives to their mistakes. -Oscar Wilde
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