A few days ago I called and made an appointment for our cat to get her annual shots.
30 minutes before our appointment I went to the kitchen to get the kids a snack to eat in the car. After all, hungry kids are no fun when running errands.
As I was packing yogurt-covered raisins into baggies, the kids grabbed hands and started playing a super-fast version of Ring-Around-the-Rosie.
Bam!
The next thing I knew the 3 year-old was crying, blood pouring from his mouth. He had slipped on a cardboard sign they had made earlier and had left on the floor.
I scooped him up, tried to look in his mouth, and realized it was impossible to really see the issue. To calm him down, and make it easier to assess the damage, I got a popsicle out of the freezer. After a moment I took the popsicle and looked in his mouth: the blood was coming from around his top front tooth.
Oh, no! I thought… Please, please don’t let his tooth be loose! I started second-guessing my choice of pediatric dentists since ours is over an hour away…
I tried to wiggle it, and it seemed okay. His tears were already drying as he asked for his popsicle back.
Figuring things were okay, I went to put a bag of old towels in the car that I planned to donate to the vet’s office. I slammed the door to the car and, “Meooooowwwwwww!”
Remember how our cat loves cars, even after her near-death experience this summer?
You guessed it, I looked down and there was the cat, tip of her tail stuck in the door.
Quickly I opened the door and she ran across the garage.
I hesitantly walked over where she was, and she appeared no worse for wear. At least we’re heading to the vet, I thought.
I went back inside, got the kids into their coats and loaded them into the car. Now all I had to do was get the cat and we were good to go.
“Here, Kitty-Kitty….” She came right to me, and I preceded to try to put her in the brand-new cat carrier.
To say she didn’t want in the carrier would be an understatement. I swear her 4 legs went 8 different directions. After a minute or so of wrestling, she twisted herself out of my grasp.
No problem, we’d just try again.
She came right back when I called, and again those legs were flailing, this time she hooked her claws into me, getting my hand pretty good. Blood dripping, I called to the kids, “Mommy just has to put a band-aid on and then I’ll get the cat!”
Heck with the darn cat carrier! When I was younger my mom and I always took my cat to the vet in a pillow case, twisted around at the top and held closed. I’d do that! I grabbed a pillowcase from the linen closet and returned to the scene.
This time she was wise to me. I had to coax her from hiding with the laser pointer that she loves to chase. Once I got her, I tried sitting her on the open pillowcase, her body twisting and turning like her life depended on it. (I’m thinking this was easier when I was younger because one of us held the cat and one of us pulled the pillowcase up….) Despite my grip on her, she was gone in seconds.
At this point I was thinking we needed to cancel the appointment. After all, if you’ve been counting, 3 of us had injuries now, and we only had 5 minutes until our appointment time.
I had one more idea. A box. Before I got the cat carrier, the cat had gone in an old diaper box. (I only got the carrier because the vet had suggested it.)
I raced inside and down the steps and grabbed on of the boxes. Hmm… It looked kind of small now that she was no longer a kitten. Then a light bulb moment happened: a storage tub!
You know what’s great about storage tubs? They have a nice big opening at the top, and the lids snap on fast.
Once again the cat came out for that red dot she loves to chase.
Before she knew it, she was in that tub, and we were on the way to the vet.
The cat’s tail? So far, it’s still okay, although the vet told me to watch it for the next 2 weeks. If it start to get hard at the tip, we’ll have to go back and get it amputated.
I’ve already told the husband he gets to take the cat to the vet next time. (Allergies or not, he’s got to have an easier time of it!)
What wild experiences have you had with taking pets to the vet?
cindy says
We have one that is oversized with a larger door so we can get the cat in it. It works pretty well. We had a smaller one as well but had the same issue so we donated to the vet.
OneMommy says
See, now I was just thinking of what I could do with the thing…. Donating it sounds like a plan. I think I’ll get a smaller storage tote and put a few air holes in it for next time.
This Busy Life says
This story shows just how persistent you are. I think I might have given up after being scratched, but then on second thought probably not. Lol!
OneMommy says
You know, I thought about it, but then I decided I was not going to let the cat win! LOL.
annie says
Wow. I took the dog to the vet this week with my toddler and it was pretty tame compared to your adventure, although I had to lead a 100lb Golden Retriever into the office while pushing a stroller but there was no carrier, pillowcase or box.
Meeker people may have “accidentally” lost the cat on the way to the vet. Good for you for getting through it!
annie (visiting from SITs)
OneMommy says
Yeah, I thought about “losing” the cat…but my son has really started to enjoy taking care of her….
I can just picture a stroller and a 100 lb. Golden Retriever… 🙂
OneMommy says
Oh, I can’t imagine having to take both the dog and the cat in the car at one time….That would definitely be quite a trip!
Glad you had a friend who was there to help you out.
OneMommy says
LOL — I love that — glad she wasn’t hurt when she ran into the door! I can just picture a lab trying to sit in a chair, though… 🙂
Dawn says
Oh my goodness it sounds like you get the same adventures as I had! Before passing away, my male cat was the handful with taking to the vet! I always showed up at the vets office explaining to them that any blood in his white patches of fur was mine and that he was not bleeding.
We had a small dog carrier, the cat carrier was not big enough with his ability to fight me every step of the way. It took 2 of us adults 40 minutes to get him in this small dog carrier and yes I was scratched up pretty good. He would bite the vet and growl and hiss at him too. Yes it was always an unnerving event to get him to the vet! Surprisingly our vet thought that he was such a cool cat after all the office went through with him!
But what was funny is that I started to use a leash and collar, that worked much better until he too got his tail stuck. He got it stuck in the window. He was on my friend’s lap and we had the windows open a little. He stepped on the window closed button with his tail in the window. I tried to get the window down and actually had to press the window lock button so I could be the only one in control as his paw was still on the window up button! No damage done to the tail fortunately.
My female is much easier to get to the vet 🙂
OneMommy says
Oh my goodness, he sounds like quite a handful!
I wonder if I should try the leash… Our cat used to like walking on one when she first started living with us. Hm…. All I know is I am NOT using that little carrier any more! 🙂