Cecil had his annual vet visit back in January. This was a new vet clinic for him, which I hoped would be a good thing. I carefully chose a clinic with Fear Free Certified staff. I had taken both dogs there and really was impressed with how they handled them. And Cecil’s new doctor (the cat vet at the clinic) is wonderful – it was immediately clear that she really “gets” cats!
However, Cecil still had a tough time. He was due for some bloodwork and a physical exam. He has never loved the vet but at other clinics, they have always been able to do what they needed to do. This time, they tried to get blood and could not. He was growling and hissing. I was very glad they stopped, rather than push through and make it happen. I suspect that is what happened at the last clinic and that is why he suddenly was so upset over this procedure.
I feel badly even describing this because I hate the idea of him being so upset and afraid.
They really needed to do the bloodwork because he needed a dental cleaning (his teeth have always been awful) which requires anesthesia. So, we returned a week later with Cecil on some gooood meds and they were able to get the blood sample more easily. He still wasn’t relaxed or calm, but he didn’t growl or hiss. His bloodwork showed a clean bill of health and he got his teeth cleaning shortly after that. He’s as good as new.
Sort of.
He and I have work to do. Before next January, my goal is to help him learn to remain calm and happy during restraint for a blood draw. This is a big goal. We might not make it in 9 months. But I have to give it my best shot, because it’s just not acceptable for vet care to be so stressful for him.
This is another example of something I’ve been working on diligently with my dogs for years but hadn’t tried to do with my cats. I always felt like they could tolerate the vet just fine and that was good enough. It wasn’t until Cecil developed some extreme stress that I realized this is not good enough. And when we know better, we should do better. So get ready for some videos of Cecil’s vet care practice! I’ll be sharing our training sessions frequently on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Lauraperkinsanimalbehavior/
