Cat Aggressive after vet visit

[blumarine916]

Today I took my cat Meffy to the vet for her annual shots. I took her to a different vet nearer to my house since it’s just for shots. When the vet was taking her temperature, Meffy lashed out at her. I’ve never seen her do this for the past 9 years during her annual shots at other vets. When the vet was about to giver her shot, she did it on Meffy’s thigh instead of the skin on her scruff like other vets do. Meffy growled and lashed out again, this time scratching the vet. I was shocked and tried to calm her until the shot was done.
Once I arrived home, she became very aggressive towards my other cat! I’ve never seen her act like this after a vet visit. Usually she’ll be normal and hang out like any other time.

Now 2nd cat is terrified and hiding under the bed. Meffy also won’t let me touch her and she looks like she is uncomfortable sitting down.

This may sound stupid but could the vet have done something wrong? Did she insert the thermometer wrongly that caused Meffy to be in discomfort? Is it normal to give injection on a cat’s thigh?

They were just playing around happily before the vet visit. She won’t even let me touch her and seemed to be angry at me too. Please help me understand what’s going on.

 

[Katen2Kits]

I'm so sorry you had that awful experience. Sounds like Meffy definitely didn't like that vet. I have never seen a cat being injected into the thigh - my cats have always been injected into the scruff. It might be worth contacting the vets to discuss.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Sounds like Meffy is experiencing re-directed aggression. I've included a link below to a TCS article about it in case it would help you any. It pretty much tells you to leave Meffy be until she settles down. You may even want to give her some place to hang out that is by herself, with all of her possessions, for the remainder of the day - that will also help your other cat.

I haven't had vaccinations with Feeby (16+ yo) for years now, but I can tell you that when the vet draws blood for testing it is taken from the back thigh area. I agree with Katen2Kits about contacting your regular vet to ask about it.

I don't know how many vets have taken up the practice of using the scanning thermometers like are used on humans nowadays, but my vet recently did, so no more temp checks via the rectum. Hopefully, that will become a regular routine and one less aggravation for our cats!

Re-directed Aggression In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

The practice of giving injections in the scruff (vaccines anyway) was changed to giving them in the legs several years because of the possibility of vaccine sarcomas. Though slight, if it occurs, you cannot amputate the scruff area, but you CAN amputate a leg. This is why the protocol changed. If your Vet is still giving injections in the scruff, they apparently didn't get the memo Additionally, some medications require they be given directly into a muscle, and what better muscle is there than the thigh? So, all in all, I guess it depends on what her injection was for.

As to her temperature, our cats always get stuck in the "booty", and they don't like it, but we just hold they little faces and sweet talk them while it's happening. I'm pretty sure the Vet Tech puts a little vasoline on the tip before inserting, and sometimes it does take a couple tries. Hubby sometimes helps hold up their hind end otherwise they are trying with all their might to sit down, which doesn't work well

Every time one of our cats goes to the Vet, we have the aggression issue when they return. If they both go together, everything is fine. It's usually the smell from the Vet's Office that returns home with the cat that causes some issues. And yes, we get growled at too, but it doesn't normally last too long. Once I feed them, then I'm a friend again, but the other cat may be a foe for a few days. I usually brush both of them with the same brush (without cleaning it out) over and over to transfer their scent to each other.