Apparently, I have a vicious critter...

[protege]

Yesterday morning, I thought it was time to take the new kitty (Abby) to see the vet. Nothing serious, just a checkup. While I was at it, I thought I'd get Baxter's physical in too. Two cats, one appointment, what could go wrong?

Monday morning, I found out just how much Abby does NOT like her carrier. Baxter was all "whatever," and walked into his; she required a lot of effort. Yes, I got scratched. Multiple places, in fact. Of all the cats I've owned, seeing her carrier 'walk' across the basement floor was a first. Yes, she was pissed, and trying like hell to get out Pissed off in the carrier, pissed off in the car, and then pissed off in the waiting room. Rather than risk the vet/tech getting scratched, I warned them that she was wasn't happy, and that she's probably scratch or bite.

She got dumped out of her carrier, got checked out, and then went back in. Baxter came out, got his blood drawn, and then curled up in his carrier for a nap. He knows to chill--if he's good, he knows that he'll get a treat when we get home. If that was all that was going to happen at the vet's...I wouldn't be typing this.

As I'm paying the bill, I had both cat carriers sitting on a nearby bench. We're talking about 2 feet away. I'm at the counter, trying to pay, when in walked a couple and their quartet of yippy, annoying, little dogs. The wife and 3 of the annoying dogs took a seat across the room, while her husband...decided to take the other dog, and sit right next to my cat carriers. The entire waiting room was open, why did you sit there

Not even a minute after he sat down, his dog stuck its nose into Abby's carrier, and she swatted it. Dog yelped, the wife was like "what the hell are you doing?" before he moved. As I'm on my way out, the guy let out a comment about how "people with vicious animals shouldn't be allowed in here."

Really? You don't control your dog. Your dog sticks its face in a strange carrier, with a cat that's already pissed off (many cats don't like the vet because they have to be in carriers), and my cat is the asshole? You're lucky that's all she did--Baxter would have *eaten* your dog. I can guarantee that if the situation had been reversed, or if someone else's dog had snapped at his, he'd have been the first to bitch

[Pixelated]

I'm guessing he either literally didn't register that your cat carriers were there, or he just decided that his doggy wanted to be "friends" with whatever was in the carrier. But yeah, that's stupid ... not unlike letting your kids run up to a strange dog.

[bainsidhe]

Clearly he isn't used to cats, or for that matter, any other animal that isn't his own. Not every person or critter likes to have strange dogs foisted upon them.

[notalwaysright]

Oh yeah, you have a vicious cat who swipes at a scary loud dog who invaded it's space. But he doesn't have a vicious dog? The dog could have tried to bite your cat, who was minding her own business. I wish these sort of people would stop getting dogs, even small ones, because they don't think they need to train them. Everything is the other person's fault.

Random, but my vet has a really cool office setup. There is the door you go in at first, the normal waiting area. Then when you see the vet you go through a half door, and when you're done you pay on the other side of that half-door. The counter is like a big U shape, half of the U is on the waiting area side, and the other half is on the other side, near the exam rooms. There is a separate exit door.

[AnaKhouri]

My family used to have a Yorkie with a solid case of Little Dog Syndrome. He was high-strung, not as bad as some I've seen, but like a lot of dogs he got very nervous at the vet.

Once my mom and I took him and were sitting in the exam room, Fergus in my lap. The tech stepped out and left the door cracked. This kid who had been in the waiting room comes barging into the exam room, says, "A puppy!" (lots of people assume small dog = puppy) and shoves his hand into Fergus' face before we could stop him.

He didn't get bitten but he was snapped at and growled at. He retreated back into the waiting room, screaming, "That dog is MEAN!"

No, he's just nervous and you came into a private exam room and shoved your hand into the face of a strange dog without even asking its owner's permission. I'm amazed by the number of people who never bother to teach their children how to properly approach strange animals, for their own safety and the animal's.

[protege]

I don't know how he could have missed the carriers. Baxter's is pretty large. Still though, if his dog would have attacked my cat, her injuries would have been the least of his problems. That is...I'd go out to the car, get my tire iron, and he'd need a vet himself Seriously though, there's a reason for the "cats must be in carriers, dogs must be on leashes" signs in waiting rooms. Pets are stressed out enough, and shouldn't have to deal with stupid owners that cannot be bothered to train/control their animals. Such owners tend to see their critters as "accessories" and shouldn't be allowed to have them.

[Nunavut Pants]

As I'm on my way out, the guy let out a comment about how "people with vicious animals shouldn't be allowed in here."

"You're DAMNED RIGHT--you should at least have kept that thing on a LEASH you inconsiderate ASSHOLE!"

[Yurimaru]

Two of my dogs are chill at the Vet, and being relaxed, they love to meet and greet other pets. However... I always ask first. Whatever happened to asking if it's okay for the pets to meet? Often, my dog will be tail-wagging and so will the other dog, but the owner might prefer they not meet, if their pup has been inured or sick. And never do I let my dogs run up to the kitty carriers. Anyone should know not to let their dog stick his or her nose into a kitty carrier, or the carrier of any small pet. Of course any kitty will panic with some strange drooling animal snuffling in and cornering them. Protege was a model of restraint, and it's a good thing Abby was okay. It was totally that jerk's fault that his dog got swatted. It's his responsibility to control his pet, and he caused his own dog to get a swipe.

My Vet's office has two or three Office Cats, and those are the ones who are bothered by nothing. They lie about in the chairs, or they slink gracefully along, touching noses with all the dogs, cats, bunnies, etc, in the waiting room. My cat-loving dogs can get their kitty-greeting fix just fine, without disturbing any of the feline patients.

[Sparklyturtle]

Something similar once happened at the vet back when I had a small long-haired cat named Molly. Molly didn't like being in a carrier, and I found out early on that if I didn't catch her first I never would, as she could find places to hide that Turtleguy and I never thought of. Anyway, Molly was in her carrier at the vet's office, and a yellow Laborador puppy who was dragging a leash galumphs over to the carrier and sticks its nose up to the door. That puppy about lost that nose right then, as Molly let out a yowl that could be heard in the next county. At least the puppy's owner came right over, apologized, and retrieved their dog. It was a classic case of "I thought you were holding onto the leash!" "I thought you were!"

[Kit-Ginevra]

*has been very good and not commented at all about getting into trouble by poking strange pussies without asking*

[RootedPhoenix]

Most beings, either human or animal, are nooot pleased with being at the doctor and aren't feeling terribly social.

I'd make more of a point to ask, myself.

[dakhur]

I've always informed vets and nurses that any pets, especially the cats, may require a genial and authoritive nature -- and possibly a set of falconry gauntlets. The most spectacular trouble I ever had was the day some idiot came into the waiting room and put a yowling cat carrier down beside my two young rottie pups, who responded predictably.

Thankfully, the receptionist told them off, over the bouncing barking of the pups and the yowls of the cat, and pointed out another seat across the room.

[Slave to the Phone]

Gather 'round, children while I tell the (long) story of my vicious cat who ate the vet's recovery room after surgery and chewed on a poor innocent vet tech.

When we bought our first home (a single wide trailer with avocado green carpet and brown kitchen appliances), it came with land and trees and a drip system for the trees. It also came with a little black freeloading cat who was there for the water, grasshoppers and mice. We had 3 cats already. We did not want another cat, no matter how sweet she was.

So, I figured that she was only hanging around because she was hungry, so I started putting food out so she would have the energy to find a new home. That didn't seem to work out, so I started giving her a bowl of water as well, so she would hydrate properly and find a herself a home.

That didn't work, so I thought that maybe she was too tired to find a new home because she didn't have a safe place to sleep (besides under our trailer) so I put a bed on a camp table for her.

Finally, one day, as I was sitting outside with her on my lap, I noticed that she was showing signs of going into heat.

This would not stand!!!

At that time, we were too poor to own any of those fancy pants plastic pet carriers, we just put our cats in cardboard boxes when it was time for a vet visit. Freeloader didn't seem to mind at all and off we went. Got to the vet and Freeloader was sweet and calm and loved everyone. I left her in their capable hands and went home to wait for them to call me and say it was time to come and get her.

When I got the call, it was several hours earlier than I expected, but off I went. When I got there, the techs didn't seem nearly as friendly as they did when I dropped Freeloader off, and they told me that I would have to get her out of the cage myself, but they wanted me to pay first.

Very odd, but it was a new vet after all...

When I went to where she was in a rather large stainless steel mesh cage big enough to hold a St Bernard, one tech followed me in with a net and then closed the door behind us. I took my box to the cage, scratched Freeloader through the bars and opened the door, pulled her out, gave her a cuddle and put her in the box. The tech was amazed.

Apparently, Freeloader was just as nice as could be until she woke up very early from surgery as they were releasing the leg restraints. (not to restrain her struggles, she was having surgery, she was drugged and out of it, but to hold her legs spread so the vet could spay her) She climbed the walls, chewed the heck everything she could get her mouth on and badly bit a vet tech after she had been netted.

Didn't matter how well she behaved for the rest of her life, her chart always had a black star on it.

[Minflick]

An educated guess says that it's at least in part because she doesn't react well to what ever meds they used on her. There are quite a few different drugs that can be used as a pre-med before inducing anesthesia, and there are SOME combos that cat do not react well to at all, in my experience. Poor cats come out of it with ginormous eyes, and convinced that we're all space aliens out to devour them, and They Must Defend Themselves Firmly. It can take hours for that stuff to wear off. Or, of course, some cats just don't like anybody not their own people.

I'm glad the Freeloader was successfully spayed, though!

[greek_jester]

Apparently, Freeloader was just as nice as could be until she woke up very early from surgery as they were releasing the leg restraints. (not to restrain her struggles, she was having surgery, she was drugged and out of it, but to hold her legs spread so the vet could spay her) She climbed the walls, chewed the heck everything she could get her mouth on and badly bit a vet tech after she had been netted.

Didn't matter how well she behaved for the rest of her life, her chart always had a black star on it.

I don't care how good natured you are, waking up with a hole in your belly and your legs tied up will make anyone go ballistic.