A Trip to the Vet

The cats don't like going to the vet.  They don't like going in the car either.  But as a good cat owner, I make sure they go in for annual exams and get the shots and treatments they need to stay strong and healthy.  Yesterday both Curry and Willie were due for annual exams.  I took the camera to the vet with me, and Curry shares the story here.

"It was that time of year again.  The time when I have to go in the car, see the veterinarian, and get poked and prodded.  This time mom scheduled Willie and me for the same day.  As if going to the vet with Willie would make it all better - not!  So, mom gathers us up and shoves us into our respective carriers and then throws us in the car.  (OK, she didn't really rough-handle us, but she may as well have, for as unpleasant as it all was.)  As she's driving, both Willie and I are silent.  Mom keeps talking to us, saying stuff like: 'you guys are so good, no crying at all, I'm proud of you.'  Are you serious, mom?!?  We're silent because we are seething.  You just can't see it from the driver's seat.  We are not being good for you, we are just doing what we need to do to endure this trip.

We get to Ballston Animal Hospital and have to wait for what seemed like an eternity.  Mom says it was really only 10 minutes or less, but to us it was awful.  The kind people at Ballston Animal Hospital are good to us, but still, we don't want to be there.  When Dr. Gallitz comes in, she examines me first.  I hate-hate-hate having my temperature taken, but at least I didn't have to get any shots.  Then I get my claws clipped.  Here is a picture of Dr. Gallitz and the vet tech clipping my claws.  Yeah, they had to hold me down.  Do you think I'd let them do this voluntarily?!?  I'm not very proud of this photo.  It shows me in an undignified light.  But I include it here for one reason: to tell you all that I have claws and I'm proud of them!  If you ever consider having your cat declawed, please educate yourself about it.  I'm so glad mom let us keep our claws.

So, Willie was up next.  I got to go sulk under the examining table while he had his exam.  Willie was only 1 year old when he went to the vet last year and at that time he wasn't fully grown.  Now, Dr. Gallitz said that he is a little overweight at 12.8 lbs.  So, mom has to watch that.  Willie also had to get his vaccinations, which will last for three years.  (Lucky me, I got mine last year.)  Dr. Gallitz also took a real close look at Willie's ears and eyes because mom told her that Willie is uncoordinated for a cat.  Turns out there's nothing wrong with his equilibrium.  He's just a clumsy cat.  Sheesh, I could have told her that!  Willie growled and hissed while he was being handled at the vet.  Mom said, 'wow, he's usually so easy-going; he never growls like that at home.'  Well, get a clue, mom!  At home he doesn't have to endure a rectal thermometer, needles, and being held against his will.  Even a cat like Willie is likely to get stressed out at the vet.

Well, it's over for now.  Both Willie and I made it outta there relatively unscathed.  We each have a clean bill of health.  As much as I hate going to the doctor, I know it's for my own good.  Preventive veterinary care is very important.  As an educated cat, I can tell you that it is much better to see the vet when you are well than when you are sick.  So, all you cat owners out there - make sure you get your cats (and dogs, and other pets) to your veterinarian for regular check-ups.  They may fight you on this, but you know it needs to be done."

Zorro's Allergy Trials

Poor Zorro! He's had allergies as long as I've had him, and probably for his entire life. Shortly after I adopted Curry and Zorro I noticed that Zorro had a propensity toward itchiness. He regularly scratched and over-groomed the fur near the base of his tail. It was so bad that he developed a temporary bald spot there. Of course, as a good cat owner I consulted my veterinarian. Because Zorro was new to my household, the doctor first thought the over-grooming was a behavioral issue and prescribed, of all things, Valium! It was a very low dose, and it chilled him out, but it did not prevent Zorro's over-grooming. Next, the vet gave Zorro a steroid shot (depomedrol) to see if that would control the itching. Voila! It did! But Zorro needed these shots every 6-8 weeks and I had to take him to the vet each time. We did this for more than a year, but this was clearly not sustainable. The vet was concerned about the health consequences of prolonged steroid use (namely, diabetes...so Zorro still has to have his blood levels checked annually).

The solution was for me to take Zorro to the veterinary dermatologist! Yes, there are vets who specialize in dermatology and allergy treatment. After a mild sedation, my boy was tested for allergies via the old-fashioned needle-prick skin testing method. Groggy Zorro was delivered back to me with a rectangular bald patch on his torso, showing the evidence of his allergy testing. Curry has some thoughts on this:

"My mom took my brother out in the carrier so I thought he was going to the regular vet for his usual steroid injection. But they always came back from that pretty fast, and this time mom and Zorro were gone for hours. Later I learned that the special vet was very far away, and that Zorro had been 'put under' and poked with needles. Well, all I can say is that he was a sight with his fur shaved and spots of blood. I would have laughed if he wasn't so pathetic looking. I was actually very concened about this, and Zorro smelled funny too. What indignity! In the end, I guess it was OK because instead of getting that nasty steroid shot, Zorro gets a custom allergy vaccination for his specific allergies (as it turns out: ragweed, pigweed, three kinds of mold, and house flies - and no, we don't have flies in the house). My poor, sensitive brother."

Curry's account of Zorro's diagnosis is accurate. He was tested for some 60 allergens including cat dander and human dander. I'm happy to report that he is allergic to neither. After getting Zorro's first vial of vaccine and a set of syringes, I had to begin giving him allergy shots daily. Then we tapered to every few days, then every week, then eventually to every three weeks. Poor Zorro, he was still too itchy. After a lot of experimentation with dosage and timing, I now give him an allergy vaccination once a week. He still sometimes itches in between doses, but we're all happy that we got him off the steroids.

Curry's closing thoughts: "Zorro gained a lot of weight from using the steroids and he never lost it. He looks fat to some people, but then when they get close to him they realize he's very muscular. I don't make fun of him because my brother Zorro is the strongest cat I ever knew, and I love him. But he is a bit squeamish with the needle, so mom needs help giving him his weekly shot. We have to have a neighbor hold him down firmly while mom injects the vaccine into the folds of skin around Zorro's shoulders. It's very quick, and the needle is very small, but Zorro fights it all the way. Man, I'm glad I don't have allergies!"