Zivâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s appointment with the specialist is coming up, and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m dreading the 30-minute ride there. Ziv is totally fine in the carrier—he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t fight when I put him in, he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t mind being carried around or hanging out in the waiting room…but he HATES the car. He starts with meowing, which becomes progressively more frantic. Then he starts letting out these deep, gulping meows (think “sobsâ€). Then he starts scrabbling at the sides and bottom of the carrier, and flipping himself over. Last time, he split one of his nails and scratched a big chunk out of his own nose. I talked to him the whole time, tried to keep my cool, and played soft classical music, but this didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t seem to have any effect.
Luckily this time the bf will be with me, but from past experiences we know that this only helps a bit. So far, there are two things that calm him down in the car, neither of which is a good option:
1. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve taken him to the vet in our extra-large carrier, with Eva in there with him (she needed a check-up, too). He was great! Totally calm, didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even meow, and I think he was a comforting presence to her, too. The problem is that sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s such a timid little girl, and she doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t need to go to the specialist, so I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to traumatize her with an unnecessary car ride, not to mention the experience of being at the vet.
2. Against my protestations, the bf once took Ziv out of his carrier and held him in his lap while I drove. I know that this is unsafe for everyone involved, so I hate doing it, but it did make a huge difference. He didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to stay in the bfâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s lap—he wanted to look around—but at least he wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t yowling and harming himself.
Last time we went to the specialist, I asked to have him sedated for the ride home, but that cost $23 (on top of the expensive visit), and itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not my preferred way of dealing with it. Also, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the best idea to sedate him before the visit. (By the way, heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s also fine when weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re at the vet—he likes to explore, doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like being prodded much, but he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t hiss, growl, or lash out. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just the car!) Does anyone have suggestions for how to deal with Zivâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s car problem?
Luckily this time the bf will be with me, but from past experiences we know that this only helps a bit. So far, there are two things that calm him down in the car, neither of which is a good option:
1. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve taken him to the vet in our extra-large carrier, with Eva in there with him (she needed a check-up, too). He was great! Totally calm, didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even meow, and I think he was a comforting presence to her, too. The problem is that sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s such a timid little girl, and she doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t need to go to the specialist, so I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to traumatize her with an unnecessary car ride, not to mention the experience of being at the vet.
2. Against my protestations, the bf once took Ziv out of his carrier and held him in his lap while I drove. I know that this is unsafe for everyone involved, so I hate doing it, but it did make a huge difference. He didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to stay in the bfâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s lap—he wanted to look around—but at least he wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t yowling and harming himself.
Last time we went to the specialist, I asked to have him sedated for the ride home, but that cost $23 (on top of the expensive visit), and itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not my preferred way of dealing with it. Also, I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the best idea to sedate him before the visit. (By the way, heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s also fine when weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re at the vet—he likes to explore, doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like being prodded much, but he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t hiss, growl, or lash out. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s just the car!) Does anyone have suggestions for how to deal with Zivâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s car problem?