Sheesh

[telophase]

Got up early yesterday - myrialux had to take his car in to the shop at the buttcrack of dawn, and once he got up, Sora was very very worried that he wasn't going to get fed, so bothered me until I got up.

Finished making a test bag, which turned out horrible, then made a new bag, which turned out pretty darn good. (Am going to see if I can make it even easier today.)

Then ... we had to take the cats to the vet.

Mistake #1 was letting Sora see us put Nefer in her carrier. He was NOT HAPPY about that and escaped under a bed. And then we finally managed to get him out from under the bed and trapped in the hall, whereupon he escaped into the built-ins, and, not to put it too delicately, took a dump as part of his fight-or-flight fear response.

He also scratched up my chest and back, and ripped a few holes in my new short, during the various times I'd actually managed to get hold of him. A long pair of silicone kitchen gloves (gloves, not mitts!) did the trick of getting hold of him, and we shoved him into his carrier, from which he proceeded to make it known that he wished to register a complaint.

Once we got to the vet, Sora's fear made him go almost catatonic, so he was easy to examine. Nefer, on the other hand, had very strong opinions on the matter, and was not about to be poked and prodded, so I get to bring her back to be sedated so they can do blood work on her. She ALSO has earwax clogging her ears, and infections in them, and so I have to SOMEHOW get her to let me clean out her ears and put medicine in them. They have to SEDATE her to examine her, and they expect me to be able to put medicine in her ears? DOES NOT COMPUTE.

And oh yeah, I discovered the KEEP REFRIGERATED sticker on the med this morning when I took it out of the paper bag they'd given me. GREAT.

Finally got home, cleaned out the built-ins from Sora's little 'accident,' then went out for dinner and to Hobby Lobby to get more fabric for the bags (you saw that yesterday), then we crashed before 11 PM and woke up at 9 and are STILL TIRED.

Comments

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

I guess I am lucky that my kittens like the carrier. Also I really hate when vets do that. Can you try the towel method?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Sora usually loves to chill in the carrier ... we left them out in the living room, and he spent all of today sleeping in Nefer's!

We've done the towel method when pilling Nefer. It's about as traumatic for her as it is for us. (mind you, she forgets it faster.)

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

yes, but probably less so than poking the ear and screwing something up, which is what I would be afraid of.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

She actually likes being rubbed extremely hard in the ear ... it's just a matter of getting the cleaning solution and antibiotic in first. :/

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

yeah and as soon as the solution touches it she's going to shake. Good luck, but it sounds like a sucky situation.

[naitachal666.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest a little bit of carrier/crate training before the next vet trip. If they take to it, it may make it an easier process, because you never know when there will be some kind of emergency in which you will have to put them in the carriers quickly or for long periods of time. And yes, I know it can be hard to train a cat anything, especially grown ones that are set in their ways. But, food and treats usually bring them around quite well with time.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea. I keep thinking that I should at the very least pick Nefer up and put her down periodically, as she hates being picked up, so she'd get inured to the process.

Sora's big problem was seeing Nefer put into her carrier, I think. He often spends time chilling in them - we left them in the living room yesterday, and he spent all of today curled up sleeping in Nefer's! Getting him in is usually a matter of play-chasing him around, and when he runs into the carrier, zipping it shut. :/

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

Lol. That's too cute.

[naitachal666.livejournal.com]

well, it seems you have a descent start already. But picking up Nefer regularly may help, although some cats don't ever improve on that front. My cat used to not particularly like being held for long periods (although she never really tries to get away), and still doesn't, but she is much more willing to be held if she thinks there is a promise of a treat reward in the offing.

[batwrangler.livejournal.com]

I was once supposed to put ear drops in a hedgehog's ears. Here's hoping you will be more successful with your cat than I was with my hedgie.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Nefer actually likes me digging in her ears and squishing them around. Just not with cleaning solution or antibiotics. :/

[xebra42.livejournal.com]

Can they clean out her ears while doing the bloodwork? Since she will be less protesty (she's a cat, they are never NOT protesty), they could get the wax out and then you just have to be sneaky with the meds mid-ear rub after that.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they can do that and I'll be sure to mention it to them, but they wanted me to start treating her now.

[xebra42.livejournal.com]

Well, speaking as someone that has had to clean out a cat's ears...if they do more than mildly protest, it's a totally wasted effort. I was paranoid enough because ears are delicate and Qtips are pointy that I was convinced I was going to lobotomize my cat if she twitched wrong while I was swabbing. But that's my two cents and I'm totally not a vet :)

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I can actually get in her ears with my finger, and she likes the base of her ears to be mooshed around, probably because the wax buildup makes them itch. It's more the smell and temperature of the cleaning solution and antibiotic that she shies away from, plus anything that's not my finger. (If I have to stick my fingers in my cat's ears, I'll do it, I guess!)