Another Annual Trauma

Well, we had our annual vet visit today.

Banner and Balboa are both 6 years old now, which makes them 42 in human years according to the cat age chart on Chewy. You’d think by now this would be routine. Well, Banner is okay with it, but not our little black diva, Balboa.

I administered the 2 ml dose of Gabapentin two hours before the vet arrived. I switched to a mobile vet years ago to avoid stressing out the little creatures and, truth be told, myself. Balboa destroys pet carriers and would never tolerate sitting in a waiting room at a vet’s office.

Our mobile vet is awesome. I highly recommend Ross Veterinary House Calls. Dr. Ross has all the patience in the world, and believe me, she needs it with Balboa.

Meet The Drama Queen

Last year, 2 ml was the right dosage. Balboa was mildly stressed but still survived the trauma of getting weighed, poked and prodded, having his teeth checked, getting his shots, and suffering the final indignity of a nail trim.

This year was a different story.

He’s put on a little weight, so we may need to increase his dosage next year.

I gave him his medicine, and while he wasn’t a happy camper, he calmed down fairly quickly. When Dr. Ross arrived, he was asleep on my bed, so I picked him up and confined him to the bathroom. Dr. Ross suggested we do his exam first so he wouldn’t have to stay cooped up for long.

That’s when things went south.

We opened the bathroom door to find Banner standing guard by the tub. I have no idea how he got there. He definitely wasn’t in the bathroom when I put Balboa inside. He must have slipped in as I was closing the door.

So first we had to get Banner out of the bathroom, which is tiny, to give Dr. Ross and her assistant room to work with Balboa. Meanwhile, Balboa was trying to make his escape right over Banner.

Chaos ensued.

Finally, I got Banner out and we quickly closed the door. It started with a few small, pitiful meows but quickly escalated to growls and then full-on cat screaming.

I knew exactly what was happening in there and there was absolutely no reason for the drama.

Banner was beside himself. The louder Balboa screamed, the harder Banner tried to get back into the bathroom to rescue him.

Eventually, Dr. Ross and her assistant emerged, followed by a very annoyed cat. They managed to give him his shots, Balboa's official response to the vet: puffed fur, arched back, unsheathed claws, and a look that says 'absolutely not.'" check his teeth, and complete most of the exam. They did not get a weight, and they only managed to clip the nails on one paw.

Balboa made one circuit through the living room and headed straight for his safe place behind the headboard. Once he’s back there, nobody is getting him out.

Banner’s Turn

But now Banner was all worked up.

Our usually calm and cooperative orange buddy was having his own little meltdown. In his case, it showed up as a racing heart. Dr. Ross said Banner’s heart rate was actually higher than Balboa’s.

I always knew our little drama queen was faking.

Banner wasn’t especially cooperative about getting his nails trimmed either, but the rest of his exam went well. He had actually lost a little weight. Maybe that’s because Balboa keeps stealing his food.

Unlike his brother, Banner didn’t hold a grudge. As soon as he was freed, he forgave Dr. Ross and stretched out right beside her.

We chatted for a few minutes and I paid the bill. Then I walked Dr. Ross and her assistant to the door.

The Miracle Recovery

When I turned around, there was Balboa.

Friendly. Calm. Completely recovered.

I knew he was faking.

He’s spent the afternoon sleeping off both the medication and his imagined trauma in his kitty condo.

So that’s it for another year.

Thank goodness it’s over.

Honestly, I think the annual vet visit takes more out of me than it does them.

Our Little Friday the 13th Drama

It was annual physical day for my little fur family. Its also Friday the 13th. That should have told me how it would go. The never ending fur drama thanks to Balboa. No getting around it. They have to see the Vet. In an effort to relieve stress for the little guys I use a mobile vet who comes to our home. Dr. Ross is wonderful. She is a soft spoken, gentle woman as good with stressed out owners (me) as she is with the little fur babies.

the dog hugs a cat. isolated on white ba

ROSS VETERINARY HOUSE CALLS

The Check up Last Year

We should learn from experience right? Last year Balboa ran and hid. It took all of us to round him up. With that in mind Dr. Ross suggested that I put him in a carrier before she arrived. The appointment was for 11:45. I started to try to put Balboa in his carrier at 11:30. I figured it would be easy. Boy was I wrong! It took all of that 15 minutes and then some. Once I finally got him in the carrier I put it on the floor. I figured he’d scrunch down and calm down. I went outside to wait for Dr. Ross so she wouldn’t have to ring the doorbell and set them off again. We were back inside within 5 minutes but poor Balboa had managed to roll the whole carrier across the room and was upside down with the floor cushion on top of him. He wasn’t a happy camper.

Balboa – Photo credit Deb Neumann

Balboa

Since Balboa was so stressed we decided to give him his check up first. I let Dr. Ross extract him from the carrier so if he got away it would be her fault- not mine. She expertly moved him from carrier to a grooming blanket making a kitty burrito. He growled and hissed the whole time. This got Banner all wound up. My usually friendly Banner started to growl and hiss too. He didn’t run or back away. If anything he appeared to be planning to come to Balboa’s rescue.

Balboa on his cat tree- photo credit Deb Neumann

With Balboa secure in the grooming bag he got his shots and nail trim and was soon ready to be released. Of course he was off like a shot to hide. Now it was Banner’s turn.

Banner

Banner is usually friendly and into everything but Balboa had him all worked up too. We didn’t need the grooming bag but his check up wasn’t without resistance either. He hissed 3 times! very unusual. But finally we got him weighed and nails trimmed. He didn’t even notice the shot he got. Snuck that one right by him!

Banner- Photo credit Deb Neumann

The Results

In the end Banner kept his weight right where it was last year. In fact he may have lost an ounce or two. He was 15.10 lbs. last year and this year he weighed in at 15.07 lbs. We’re very pleased. He was back to his calm, normal self as soon as Dr. Ross let him go.

Balboa also maintained. He was 11.02 lbs. last year and this year he weighed in at 11.04. And here’s the thing- after all that kitty drama he was out of hiding and exploring his carrier almost before Dr. Ross was out the door. She hadn’t even gotten to her car! The big faker wouldn’t have come out so quick if he’d even been half as traumatized as he let on. Dr. Ross said his heart rate was not as high as she expected for the tantrum he was throwing!