Conference misery::feline_v1

    Have you tried not feeding her for a good few hours, and then 
    placing food in the pet carrier?  How much does she like her food?
    
    Often making cats 'fast' for a while makes them naturally drowsy. 
    Sounds cruel but it's probably better than relying on drugs, which my
    vet says are 'very unreliable'.

         Food is not a priority with Abbey.  That is how I got her to the
    vet the first time.  But she remembers the carrier and will not
    even sit in the same room with it.  Last year, there was a real
    scene at the Vets.  It took 3 adults about a half hour to restrain her.
    She climbed the panneled walls.  At one point she jumoed from the
    floor to a picture on the wall and they both came crashing down.
    This cat *DOES NOT LIKE THE VET*!  So even if we trap her in the
    carrier, she has to be manageable for the vet.
         I'm painting a very bad picture of my cat, but actually she
    has a very sweet disposition albeit nervous.  As soon as she feels
    her feet leave the floor, she freaks out.  We just do things on
    her terms.  I wouldn't trade her for anything.  But she needs to
    get her shots...
         Is it legal for me to vaccinate her?  Although I still want
    her looked at by a vet.
    
    					Mary
    

    Hi,
    
    Where are you located?  I know of several vets in the metro Boston
    area that do house calls.  There are probably others around (some
    "regular" vets do house calls when necessary, but don't advertise
    about it).
    
    If Abbey doesn't love lots of petting, she will probably be less
    than thrilled with you sticking a needle in her.
    
    Best idea is to have the Vet come to your house, give shots 
    *and* the all-important examination.  
    
    Good luck,
    	Pennie

    I live in Chelmsford,Mass.  My regular vet is Countryside Vet Clinic
    in Chelmsford.  I didn't ask them about a house call.  Maybe I should.
    They wanted me to give her a higher dosage of the tranqulizer and
    then try again.  But I don't think it will put her out enough and
    it is deteriorating her trust in us.
    
    					Mary

    Mary -
    
    I live in Westford and recently read in one of those "freeby" papers
    about a vet in Lexington who does house calls.  She does come out to
    the 495 area and administers vaccinations and does basic checkups.  Off
    hand, I can not think of her name, but all she does is cats and she
    sounded great.  If you want, I can send you her name or a copy of the
    article and you can try her.
    
    By the way, all she does is house calls.  She has no "established"
    office except her "catmobile".  I think the cost was $25 per house call
    plus the cost of the vaccination.  It seemed a little higher than
    bringing a pet to the vet, but sometimes it can be worth the extra
    cost.
    
    Mary
    

    Thanks Mary.  Please send me her nname and number.  I will try to
    get in touch with her if my vet won't do a house call.
    
    					Mary

    Hi,
    
    HouseCall Vet Service in Hudson NH used to make house calls.  Dr.
    Russell Lawson - don't know if they still do.  Might be worth
    a shot !
    
    E.T.

    Ok.  I'll write myself a note and will either send you mail tonight
    from home (when the article is staring me in the face) or tomorrow 
    with her name and number.  The vet sounded real good - she mentioned
    int the article that most cats don't like to travel, owners don't like
    to travel with cats that don't like to travel, and the office visit can
    be less than a desireable experience for both the owner and cat. By
    doing house calls, the cats are more relaxed.  I am thinking of using
    her in March when my guys are due for their shots.
    
    Mary
    

    This note is reminding me of the time when I used the HouseCall Vet
    Service.
    
    The vet and his assistant came in - they decided to Sasha first
    cause she was nearby.  The assistant picked her up and sort of
    held her up to her face to talk to her, with Sasha's legs 
    dangling - Sasha has a habit of sticking like velcro when you
    hold her so the assistant sort of held her a little away from
    her lab coat (good thing) - the next thing I saw was a long
    stream of yellow liquid hitting and splashing on the kitchen
    table !!!!!!  The vet and I howled - the assistant couldn't
    do a thing - she just held the cat until the stream stopped!
    Of course it was then mop-it-up time - we all really roared!
    Sasha thought we were crazy - but I bet she got the last
    laugh!
    
    E.T.

    Have you tried the cat wrap technique?  The idea is to wrap
    a towel securely around the cat's body and leave just the cat's
    head free.  You could use this to get her into the carrier and
    a vet could also use this in the office.  I have bad vibes about
    a vet who wants an animal doped semiconscious.
                      

         The towel trick would definately not restrain her.  When she feels
    threatened, she uses everything she has to free herself.  I can't
    beleive the force and determination she has for a 9 lb. cat.
    Just to get her out of the carrier last year at the vets, they had
    to unbolt the top off of it.  I also can't stand to see her go through
    this again.  Even after they caught her, it took 3 people to restrain
    her so that she could be examined.  The vet, his assistant and my
    husband.  I had to leave the room.
         The vet only suggested that I tranqulize her enough to "take
    the edge off".  I think she needs to be out like a light.  
         I think I am going to try the Catmobile doctor from Lexington.
    Abbey is manageable at home as long as you don't try to lift her
    off the floor.  She probably would still have to be slightly 
    tranquilized.
    
    					Mary
    

    We just went through a similar situation with Pumpkin and Ninja.
    
    What I did is get the cat kennel out about 2 weeks before I wanted
    to take the kitties to the vet.  They are SO supicious of that thing!
    I put it in the dining room (where the cats are most of the time)
    and left it open for their perusal.  Naturally, they hid themselves
    for two days, and acted cautiously for another two days.
    
    Our vet usually has time available late on Saturday mornings, so
    that's when I planned my attack.  Ninja is the tough one, so I went
    for him first.  Pet, pet, grab scruff, airlift, stuff into kennel
    (my husband helped with the stuff in kennel part--he always manages
    to get scratched though).  Pumpkin witnesses the whole thing and
    KNOWS she's a gone-er next.  She is much more meek, but must be
    handled the same way, else she'll escape 'neath the couch or some
    other hiding place.  So now I have Pumpkin, but when I try to put
    her in the kennel, Ninja tries desperately to escape.  Hubby to
    the rescue again.
    
    The whole episode is very traumatic for them.  They start yowling
    and growling because they hate to be confined, but they're even
    WORSE in separate kennels (never again) because they hate to be
    separated from each other.
    
    Then I call the vet and ask if I can get an appointment ASAP.  They
    know what we have to go thru, so they work us in quickly.
    
    This time at the vets, they are both little darlings (except for
    having to literally PRY Ninja out of the kennel, limb-by-limb).
    
    Last time we went, Ninja had a fit over the ear exam, bit someone,
    got off the examining table, and bonded himself to a wooden table
    leg, and dragged the whole table across the room when the vet tech
    retrieved him, growling like a mad-dog the whole time!
                                    
    So I guess your experiences might vary each time.  Getting the cats
    to the vet is traumatic, but I'm hoping that with each visit, they
    might be a little more relaxed.  They don't seem to mind the shots,
    it's just being taken into and out of the kennel against their will
    that they really hate.
    
    As for getting a spaz cat to be more friendly, it just takes lots
    of time and patience.  Take EVERY opportunity they give you to show
    them affection; do it on their terms (sounds like your's has already
    gotten that message across).  Experiment with cat treats until you
    find one she likes (Ninja hates all of them, but Pumpkin is an
    absolute FOOL for Bonkers seafood treats).  Give her a catnip mouse
    to play with (don't leave it around all the time, or she won't
    associate the mouse with playing with mummy).  Spoil her!

    Gee, I guess I'm pretty lucky.  If I have to take one of my 5 to the
    Vet's for anything, all I have to do is put one of the carrying cases
    out on the kitchen floor with case door open and before I know it, I've got
    someone inside it.  Maybe my keeping the cases (3) stored in one corner
    of my room helps their getting used to them.  I leave the doors open
    for whenever one wants to curl up inside them.  When I had to board my
    cats at one time, I was asked to bring in their carriers (only had 2
    cats then) with them and carriers were left in their kennels as their
    "security blankets".  ;-)
    
    When we get to the Vet's, I have one cat, Thai, who insists on bracing
    his four feet to the back and sides of the carrier to try to prevent
    coming out onto the examining table.  I usually have to pry his feet
    loose, one at a time, to get him out.  When exam/shots are done, they
    can hardly wait to return to safety of the carrier.  :-)
    
    Hope things work out well with mobile vet.
    
    Pat, Thai, D.P., Buffy, Holly, & Midnight
    

I have a real feral cat, Nicky, and he protests mightily when I take him
to the vet....but he used to be much worse!  I simply know there are times
when I have to have control of the cats for their own good, so I pick each
cat up at least once a day, talking gently, and petting (if I can free up
a hand) - AND hold gently, but firmly.  I do not put the cat down until
the struggling stops enough that I can PUT the cat on the floor, not
let it fly from my arms.  The other three in the family LIKE being cuddled
enough to ask for it....Nick has learned that I WILL hold him for combing
or placing in the carrier as I need to.  When he is in a really bad mood,
he will scream at me, but he has stopped trying to scratch or bite - he
KNOWS I'm in charge.  I accept the fact that he will never be a cuddler,
but he knows I sometimes hold just to scratch his chin (so everytime I
catch him ISN'T a "lead-in" to a bad and scary thing), and sometimes I
do put him through a bad and scary thing.

I know the technique has worked well for Nick because I caught him
yesterday to clean off one of his feet (he had a bout of the runs
and it was messy) - he screeched repeatedly as I held him and washed
his foot and dried it - but he didn't bite/scratch me and when I set him
down he didn't run away....he let me reach down and scratch his ears!!
He simply wanted me to know he DIDN'T LIKE being held and washed.
I call this real progress.

Whatever you do, make sure your cat doesn't learn that the only time you
hold her is to do something bad.....it will guarentee she fights even
harder if that is the message.

         What is the proper way to pick up a feral cat?  Do you grab Nicky
    by the scruff and then pick him up?  The way things are with Abbey,
    there is no way I could ever control her.  I must be trying to pick
    her up wrong.  I pet her and get her real calm.  I then gently put
    my hand under her belly and try to pick her up.  No way.....  She
    doesn't have the instinct to bbite or scratch though.  Even through
    the ordeal at the vet, no one was bitten.  Some time I get scratched
    if I'm in the way of a flying limb.
         Does Nicky let you pet him whenever you want?  I need to get
    Abbey to this point.  It took me months to get her to let me pet
    her on her terms in her spot.  I don't know what I would ever do
    if there was a fire.  
         As of now, she is mad at me and won't let me pet her at all.
     I'ts been four days now.  Heavy duty CAT GUILT!!!!!!  Hopefully
    she'll forgive me soon.
    
    
    				Thanks for the input,
    				Mary                 
    
    p.s. Mary Tag....Thank you for the info on the mobile vet.  I will
    put a note in about her after the fact so that others with problem
    cats can use her.

I HOLD Nick by the scruff and PICK HIM UP with my other hand under his 
tummy...
I then slide my hand from his belly down to his hind feet which I then
hold gently, but firmly.  I talk to him and just hold him steady until
he lightens up with the struggling a little.  When he realizes I HAVE
him - no escape possible, he will settle down a little.  At this point,
I slide my hand back up to his tummy and hold firmly, and stop gripping 
the scruff of his neck and start petting his neck and head a little.
I stand still - or sit still and just pet and talk to him for a few
minutes and then, KEEPING CONTROL, I set him down on the floor.  He
ran madly away from me for a long time - but yesterday he skipped a
few feet away and then looked at me.  I walked up to him, bent down
and scratched behind his ears (a favorite "pet" for him) and he LET
ME DO IT.  

No, up until recently, he didn't always allow me to pet him and I
had to corner him to handle him - but I didn't have any choice but
to get him to tolerate handling.  WE don't get house calls from vets
in this part of the country and I had made the mistake of allowing
Nick to get by with no handling because he didn't like it...the end
result was a cat that went hysterical when I tried to handle him to
get him to the vets or something because he knew I didn't mess with
him unless I wanted to do something BAD!   Approx. 8 months ago, I
started the "new" plan - handle everyday and make it a nice experience.
He still screeches (I mean SCREECH) when he sees me heading for the
grooming table, sink, or carrier, but he is much easier to handle
and he EVEN has started sitting in my lap AS LONG AS I DON'T TOUCH -
in the evenings while watching T.V. - he has begun to accept more
petting as well.

I really hated forcing myself on him - but it has helped -  and he was
never going to give me a chance to prove I could be trusted to not
hurt him if I didn't insist on the contact.

    If I tried to pick up Little bit by holding him under the tummy, he would
    leap forwards and away.  I found that one hand under the tummy and the other
    in front of his chest blocking him was much better.  As others have
    recommended, try to get Abbey used to being held.  I swoop down on
    my babies once a day and pick them up and cuddle them.  LB has gone
    from struggling, to tolerating it, to cuddling.  Since Abbey seems
    not to bite or scratch, I think you just have to go into "I am in
    charge here" mode.  Really.  This is the one time it doesn't pay to
    be faint of heart -- grab the puss and hold her securely and don't
    let go until _you_ want to.
    

         Abbey has been in the house for a little over a year now. 
    I hope I haven't been soft on her for too long.  I guess I'll have
    to start handling her.  She is so fast that catching her is going
    to be a problem.  She has very good instincts on not getting herself
    into a position where she can be cornered.  It's really amazing.
    She will not run behind anything that she can't get out of at least
    2 ways.
         She likes to be around us and misses us if we aren't around
    for awhile but DON'T TOUCH.  She likes to play paper wadd (sp?)
    too.
    
    					Thanks,
    					Mary 

Yes, getting your hands on the little devils in the first place can be
a chore, can't it?  I use the cat's instinct against him - Nick always
heads for the bedroom to hide behind the waterbed headboard.  I start
"herding" him in that direction AFTER I've shut the bedroom door....
when we get into the hall, I talk to him, walk slowly toward him and
simply reach down and pick him up.  I also drive him into the bathroom
and close the door behind us until I catch him.  Whatever I have to
do, I do....he gets handled everyday. Period.  

You should have heard the screeching when I washed his foot -- I didn't
know my shy little boy could make that noise!  But, once the foot
was cleaned and dried off, he was kinda cooperative....

Also, I suggest you get a soft cat brush and start brushing your cat
everyday when touching her....Hannah came around fast when I started
brushing - that FELT GOOD - and she now demands a brushing twice a
day...even when I'm really too busy...8^}

    This sounds like Christie.  She would at least let me scratch her
    neck and would purr when she was in the isolation room.  Once we
    let her have run of the house we never saw her (except at feeding
    time) and I had to pounce on her to catch her.  A scary experience
    for her.  
      So now she's back in the isolation room with Dusty and already I
    see a difference.  Guess I'll keep her restricted until we make some
    more progress.
      N
    

    We have been very pleased with the CATMOBILE (lexington MA).
    The Vet makes house calls! 
    Evening and weekend appointments may be scheduled 
    in addition to daytime visits.  
    It's convenient for us, saves time and hassle of driving to the
    vet's office.   And it's less stressful for the  cats.