Yesterday I took Miles, my little black cat, in to the vet for his annual checkup and rabies vaccine. He does not like going in his carrier, so that was the first difficulty (poor buddy!) and then he spent the entire drive to the vet crying. But once we got there, he got very quiet and hid in the back of the carrier–his eyes were very big and he was terrified.
The vet people are very nice, and they gave him time in the room to get used to it and to come out on his own (first we tried cajoling him but he wasn’t having it) and then finally the vet came in. I have been going to the same place for a few years but every visit we see a different vet. This one was very nice and very cat friendly, and we talked about Miles’ weight (I worry he is TOO skinny) and also about Muriel and how she detests vets and growls from her cage and whether we should bring her in anyway.
The main thing that I thought was interesting is that she (the vet) said I should feed the cats some wet food in addition to their dry. I feel like I get a lot of conflicting information about this, whether they need wet, dry, a mix, etc. We’ve been doing only dry for these cats in the hopes of keeping their weight down (I guess I blamed my old cat’s weight on loving their wet food too much!) but apparently dry food is higher in carbs and that’s not good for them. Ultimately we ended up drawing some blood from Miles to make sure he is doing okay and to see if he has any kidney issues, results tba.
At the end, he was wrapped in a blanket sprayed with “pheremones”, being petted and eating some chicken go-gurt type treat while getting his blood drawn. He thought it was all pretty disturbing and perhaps the worst day ever, but later I had to go get my blood drawn for a vaccine study I’m participating in and nobody wrapped me in a blanket, rubbed my head during it, or fed me treats, so he honestly does have it pretty good!
He was quieter on the way home and then ran out of his cage up the stairs to hide for awhile. Muriel was excited he was back home and seemingly a little jealous, haha. She loves the carrier and oddly enjoys new places but NOT the vet.
Not a super happy camper, poor little guy.
Oh, he’s so sweet wrapped in that blanket! My previous cat died young from kidney disease, so I make sure my new cat gets plenty of liquid. We mostly give her wet food, and probably need to monitor her weight eventually because she loves her food (except right now when she’s generally unhappy recovering from a leg fracture). Over here (Ireland) there’s cat soup that you can give as an addition to dry food.
My older cat is also losing weight. We’re going to the vet this afternoon. She LOVES her dry food (1/4 every morning that she demolishes), but HATES the wet food (a 3 ounce can every night that she definitely DOES not demolish). Ugh. I don’t know what to do. If she’ll only eat the dry food and she’s losing weight, should we just switch to all dry? I DON’T KNOW. Hence, the vet visit.
You’re a good human for taking them to the vet, though. Good job!
Mine isn’t losing much weight but he also doesn’t have much to lose!
My kitty is a young lad, and we got him from a breeder (he is hypoallergenic because I am super allergic to cats). The breeder made us aware right away that Siberians, especially males, have a tendency to develop crystals in their urine and need to be well hydrated. So we have been giving him wet food all along. (Plus some dry food, as a snack.) I wonder if the propensity for urinary tract issues is higher for male cats in general?
Love the photo of your sweet kitty. What a good boy, handling his vet visit with such grace! My kitty cries in the car, too, and it breaks my heart.