Bringing Cat To The Vet

I discovered that my cat has an abscess on her back so I booked an appointment with the vet and went to bring her there this morning. I put her in the pet carrier and she just completely freaked out, she was frantically meowing and trying to get out. She got even worse when I put her in the car. My local vet was not open today so I was going to be bringing her to a vet that is about 15 minutes away. My cat just got more and more panicked to the point she actually urinated on herself so I had to turn back. When I let her out of the carrier she just lay down on the floor for a long time and her breathing was really really fast. I’ve booked an appointment for tomorrow for my local vet that is only a two minute drive away but my question is, is there anyway to calm my cat down? She’s 11 years old this year so I don’t like putting this extra stress on her. I tried putting some old clothes belonging to me in the pet carrier and I sprayed it with cat nip which she usually loves but this done nothing, she was still so panicked. I hate seeing her so stressed im afraid she could actually have a heart attack with how panicked she gets.

I got some calming treats on Amazon and gave one, not three like recommended. They really worked. That doesn't help you now of course. She does sound much too stressed. I have one cat now that does that, but he is younger. If the abscess has burst and is draining, she will be fine with an antibiotic. If not, it soon will burst. Applying a warm, wet compress helps with the pain and the draining. Call your vet and see if they will give you an over the counter antibiotic for an abscess, say you are afraid she will have a heart attack. The surgery for an abscess is very invasive, I always swear I won't go in again for the next one, my ferals come through them fine with an antibiotic. My poor senior went through two surgeries and I said no more. The surgery was harder on him then the abscess.

My cats dont like the carrier, or the vet trips either. I do think for an abscess a vet visit is needed. It needs cleaned, and normally a vet will give an antibiotic shot, which may be better than oral antibiotics.

One thing you can do is ask your local vet for a light sedative, one you can give your cat a bit before taking her in. It might make it easier on everyone. something that smells like you is good to put in the carrier. Not sure i would do cat nip. If cats smell cat nip they normally get more excited, if they eat it is is calming to most. guess it works different depending on how they get it.

sorry you guys are going through this, but at her age vet visits will become even more important as she ages. Figuring out now how to make it easier would be a good thing. Keep us updated.

Around here draining an abscess ends up costing $500. It seems excessive, but I dunno about oral antibiotics being safe and am skeptical any vet I've used would give them. Couldn't hurt to ask your vet though.

All of that said, what you are describing is not so unusual, and I think your heart attack concern is unneeded unless the cat has a condition. I'm admittedly not great about wellness visits, so my cats don't go that often. EVERY cat I've had, EVERY time, wailing the whole way. My wife calls it the "universal sound of cat distress." And yes, I had one cat that poops in the carrier EVERY TIME. The vets aren't fazed by that, they just clean it up. Its not that rare a thing. I've never tried the calming treats...sounds like a good idea...but regardless, I think you just have to harden your heart a bit for their own good and ignore the crying during the drive.

Thanks for the advice, I got her some calming tablets, it says they should start working within 6-8 hours, I’ve given one already so I’m hoping it will have an affect by the morning when I have to bring her to the vet again. One of my concerns with her as well is that she’s quite a heavy cat, she weighs between 5-6 kg so I don’t think that helps with her breathing when she’s stressed. The last time she had to go to the vet she got so stressed that she started panting like a dog which really scared me, so I’m just hoping she won’t be that bad again.

My vet gave me prescription sedative to use before bringing him and my cat still freaked out! These kitties can be touch. Good luck!!

kpc1024 said:

My vet gave me prescription sedative to use before bringing him and my cat still freaked out! These kitties can be touch. Good luck!!

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I put mine on just enough gabapentin that he was slow and uncoordinated, but he would need a much higher dose to keep him from being stressed at all. Just making him unable to freak out and run around so readily though was all that was really needed, so the vet could give him his shots quickly and he wouldn't have to be stressed for as long.
As long as your cat was easier to work with, that's probably all the vet was going for (although maybe a stronger dose is in order if that wasn't the case!)

@OP, Spraying the carrier with feliway may also help!

Feliway spray + cover the carrier with a towel or blanket so that she feels (relatively) "safe" in her little cave.
There is an excellent book called The Trainable Cat - I highly recommend it. If you have the patience, you can get your cat used to the crate and car. It does require some perseverence for the nervous cat but could be worth it.

I’ll second pipperoo ’s comment about covering the carrier. I always cover mine with a towel before I carry them (three cats, three carriers) to the car. It helps that they can’t see the scenery whizzing by as the car moves and it really helps in the waiting room where there are usually several other animals and people, and lots of strange noises. Certainly not the total solution but anything that takes the stress down even a notch is a plus.

aldewyne said:

I put mine on just enough gabapentin that he was slow and uncoordinated, but he would need a much higher dose to keep him from being stressed at all. Just making him unable to freak out and run around so readily though was all that was really needed, so the vet could give him his shots quickly and he wouldn't have to be stressed for as long.
As long as your cat was easier to work with, that's probably all the vet was going for (although maybe a stronger dose is in order if that wasn't the case!)

@OP, Spraying the carrier with feliway may also help!

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When I put my cat in the carrier, he pees right away if his bladder is full. It is quiet the challenge to get him there without making a mess....and the yowling!!! And feeling horrible that I am causing stress. I think for him, I will try to find a visiting vet who comes to the home. He has no major health problems, even though he is a biigggg boy

Have any of your cats started panting/ hyperventilating while in the carrier or car? I think it’s the thought of her doing that again that scares me the most

The closest I ever came to that was transporting a semi feral 400 miles by car to her new home. It was 12 degrees F. when I trapped her. She was extremely distressed in the car and began to pant heavily. She finally stopped when I turned the heat off completely (and drove bundled up in coat and gloves). Also, my parents always took their cats from Ohio to Florida for the winter, and one of the cats would pant and cry uncontrollably. The only thing that seemed to keep her comfortable was to turn off the heat in the car and turn on the air conditioner. Snippet would ride with her face up to the vent.

Your situation sounds extreme and I’d be a wreck, too, if mine did that. I hope you find a strategy that works.

Becca96 said:

Have any of your cats started panting/ hyperventilating while in the carrier or car? I think it’s the thought of her doing that again that scares me the most

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Mine does sometimes! I'm in school, and the drive to go home for holidays/summer is about 3 hrs. For the first hour or so he tends to have his mouth wide open, breathing hard. It's a relatively normal stress response. I find if I cover his carrier it's not as bad. He also likes if I acknowledge him and give him attention, and finds it soothing if I talk to him (although he'll hiss at anyone else in the car that tries to even look at him!).
Don't feel too badly about it. It sucks, but cats definitely need to see the vet. Too many cat owners don't bother. Stress sucks, but there are ways to reduce it (I'm a huge fan of pre-appointment sedation!)

kpc1024 said:

When I put my cat in the carrier, he pees right away if his bladder is full. It is quiet the challenge to get him there without making a mess....and the yowling!!! And feeling horrible that I am causing stress. I think for him, I will try to find a visiting vet who comes to the home. He has no major health problems, even though he is a biigggg boy

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Don't feel horrible! You're doing what's best for him, he just doesn't realize it. I definitely think it's a great idea to see if any vets in your area do house calls. Just bear in mind it may be a bit more expensive.
It also sounds like you may need to make the carrier feel safer. Do you leave it out for him to use every day? I give mine lot's of treats whenever he's in the carrier so he doesn't associate the carrier with bad things (he just doesn't like the car rides or vet now, but the carrier is not a big deal anymore).

A puppy pad will absorb any accidents.

Can you ask your vet to make a house call? You'll need to put your cat in a closed off room so you're not searching for her when the vet arrives. A bathroom typically works but if you have a really tiny one with barely enough space for you, the bedroom is a better idea unless you live in a studio.

I brought her to the vet this morning and she was really good. She was still meowing but her breathing didn’t get too fast or anything, she was definitely more relaxed. She just lay on the vets table and didn’t even flinch when she got the antibiotic injection. Then when I brought her home she just wanted food and she was purring away eating her food. I’d highly recommend the vetIQ calming tablets.

G

Whew! What a relief...for both of you! I got stressed just thinking about her reaction.