I have a semi-feral cat named Camo who lives in my house. She's 8 years old, and the first two years of her life were spent outside as a stray. Her only interactions with people were when people put out food for her and the other strays, but even then she wouldn't let anybody touch her. I took her in when she got pregnant, and now she's fixed and has lived exclusively inside since then. She seems pretty happy to be in the house and she adores the other cats, but she has absolutely no interest in me. Over the years I've tried making up with her but the most I can do is sneak a couple of pets on her head on her terms, never on mine.
This is all fine except for when it is time for vet visits. This year she has been extra horrid. I've scheduled two vet appointments for her and failed to catch her both times. Finally got her in today for her yearly exam and vaccines today after trying for two hours.
And I have to question, is it really worth me doing this, or am I making us both miserable for no reason? Legally, she has to have the rabies vaccine and unfortunately my vet only does the one-year vaccine, but I'm wondering if it would be better for me to take her to a different vet next year to get the 3-year vaccine and leave her alone unless she has some sort of emergency. I love her, but realistically, if she has some sort of medical issue that requires regular care or medication, there's no feasible way for me to do that for her.
Does that sound like a reasonable idea (get her the 3-year vaccine and cut down on the check-ups), or does anyone else have any suggestions? I asked the vet and their only suggestion was to give her a sedative, but again, how do you get a sedative in a cat that won't come near you? She won't even approach me when I have treats or stinky wet food, and I can't hide it in the food without the other cats getting it (unless I get another microchip cat dish, but I think that's probably overkill?).
This is all fine except for when it is time for vet visits. This year she has been extra horrid. I've scheduled two vet appointments for her and failed to catch her both times. Finally got her in today for her yearly exam and vaccines today after trying for two hours.
And I have to question, is it really worth me doing this, or am I making us both miserable for no reason? Legally, she has to have the rabies vaccine and unfortunately my vet only does the one-year vaccine, but I'm wondering if it would be better for me to take her to a different vet next year to get the 3-year vaccine and leave her alone unless she has some sort of emergency. I love her, but realistically, if she has some sort of medical issue that requires regular care or medication, there's no feasible way for me to do that for her.
Does that sound like a reasonable idea (get her the 3-year vaccine and cut down on the check-ups), or does anyone else have any suggestions? I asked the vet and their only suggestion was to give her a sedative, but again, how do you get a sedative in a cat that won't come near you? She won't even approach me when I have treats or stinky wet food, and I can't hide it in the food without the other cats getting it (unless I get another microchip cat dish, but I think that's probably overkill?).