Bad Cat, Good Cat

What a traumatic morning... for me AND Wesson! It all started when I sat down at my desk to check e-mails this morning and noticed the reminder from our veterinarian. Ernie (the dog), Smith (cat), and Wesson (cat) were all due for shots. Since they take walk-ins on Saturdays, I decided that today would be just as good as any other day. Appointments don't work too well for me on Monday through Friday because Wesson has to be given a little something to help "relax" him before we head to the vet. The last time I tried this, the sedative had no effect whatsoever on him and he nearly took three people down in the vet's office. I really thought they'd refuse to ever see him again. I called ahead of time to warn them that I was bringing him in and told them that I still had three doses of the sedative left that I had used the last time. They said I could try giving that to him again. I gave him a dose of it, which he takes willingly when it's hidden in a little ball of cheese. I waited 15 minutes, following him around all over the house during that time, waiting to see if he showed any signs of grogginess. Nothing... So I gave him another dose (keep in mind that I've already checked to make sure I'm not going to OD the cat). I follow him around for another 15 minutes and still no signs of getting sleepy. So I gave him another dose (really... it's okay!!). Knowing that I just gave him the last dose in the house, I decided to just load them all up and make the trip to the vet's office. SURELY he'd start getting sleepy on the way over there. Smith and Wesson always share Ernie's crate on the way and then I take the little cat carrier so I can take each one of the cats into the exam room separately. Ernie rides in the front passenger seat. Neither of the cats mind the car ride. Wesson does just fine for the entire trip, except when he's actually in the vet's office. Springfield Veterinary Center was packed when I arrived, so I made sure to tell them how long it had been since I had last administered a dose of acepromazine to Wesson. The wait wasn't too bad, considering how busy they were. I asked to weigh the small cat carrier first so that when I brought Wesson in, we could just weigh him in the crate and then subtract the weight of the carrier. They agreed that it would be best to weigh him while he was confined. I decided to take Wesson in before Smith. I thought Smith might be a refreshing way to end my visit and maybe not leave such a grim memory with the staff at SVC. Wesson was AWFUL, to say the least. From the minute I walked in the front door with him, he started hissing, growling, yowling, and spitting. I warned Dr. Wiseman (Heath) about how bad he would be, but I really don't think he understood just HOW bad it was about to get. Dr. Wiseman removed the top from Wesson's carrier and the slapping began. Going to the vet, for Wesson, is nothing more than a boxing match and he's NOT going to be the one to lose. Lucky for ALL of us, Wesson has been declawed. After several attempts by all three of us (Me, Dr. Wiseman, and Lisa (vet's assistant)), it was finally decided that they would just put a towel over his front end and hold him down while the Dr. gave him his shots. Lisa got the elbow length gloves out and I think they wound up using two towels. Wesson was making the most awful sounds and it was about to bring me to tears (this is my child!!) by the time they got both shots in him. We put the top back on his carrier and I took him back out to the car where he climbed right into Ernie's crate, giving me a goodbye hiss (that's a hiss... NOT a kiss), and Smith climbed in the small carrier. Smith was an angel. He let Dr. Wiseman look in both ears, look at his teeth, feel his tummy, listen to his heartbeat, and took both shots without ever flinching. There was no yowling, howling, growling, hissing, spitting, slapping, or biting. (This is starting to sound like a Dr. Suess book.) I'm fairly certain that we earned the titles of "Worst Behaved Feline Client" and "Best Behaved Feline Client" at Springfield Veterinary Center today. I PROMISE that Wesson does not act like that at home. Oh sure, he has his moments (he's a cat, for goodness sake! Give him a break!), but he's never "out to kill" like that. I'm just glad it's over and that he doesn't have to go back for three years. I'm sure that everyone at SVC is just as glad if not more so. Sorry guys!! Anyway, I came home and made a card for Dr. Wiseman and Lisa. It's a combination "thank you" and "sorry" card. I thought I'd put the picture of Wesson looking sweet and innocent on the front to help erase those bitter memories of this morning. Here it is...

...and here's another picture of Wesson, who is so OBVIOUSLY NOT an evil kitty!!