While this video was originally posted on YouTube on July 20, 2012, I was hooked from the start when I was snooping around the internet this afternoon. Please take 10 minutes out of your day to watch the video. You won’t be disappointed.
This is a sound many MANY cat owners have heard. Gwen Cooper, the author of Homer’s Odyssey, told a hilarious story about her little blind kitty (Homer) turning into a ferocious panther in the exam room.
The video below shows Megan, CVT, VTS (ECC) and Sarah (assistant) wrangle Max, a very grumpy cat who is in the ER for an exam and diagnostics. Megan gives some tips on handling aggressive and fractious cats.
The video is educational, especially to those who handle a lot of cats on a daily basis as well of TNR folks who are well aware that almost every cat brought in for a procedure will turn into the cat from hell.
I can tell you from experience that it can be very difficult to handle a terrified or critically injured cat. I constantly tease our vet to not worry unless we come in with the humane trap (the trap means we’ll be backing the cat into a corner for sedation).
I enjoyed this video a lot. But I have another reason for wanting to share it. This is a house cat. His name is Max. He has a loving owner and that owner knows how vicious Max gets at the vet. Imagine Max coming in after being lost and no one knows his history. He’d IMMEDIATELY be labeled ‘feral’ and most likely killed.
I have friends who have cats who absolutely HATE going to the vet. Most of our cats don’t mind and our Furby even naps the entire trip. Our senior cat Gizzy sounded EXACTLY like this as we were setting up her quarantine area when she first came to us in 2010.
Don’t cringe and say Max is being abused. These ladies knew how to handle him and keep everyone safe. This particular cat restraint allows a cat to still hiss and spit and growl but keeps the teeth covered. The vet staff still has to keep an eye on the claws.
DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital is a non-profit, 24-hour emergency and critical care hospital in Portland, Oregon and was founded in 2011. As a veterinary teaching hospital and a triple AAHA-accredited specialty facility, DoveLewis provides top quality continuing education, internships, and externships for veterinarians and technicians from around the world.
Atdove.org is a web-based staff training program providing video content, CE and tools to veterinary practices and schools. Their digital library offers videos and articles produced by DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital with real patients and staff on the hospital floor.
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I’m really looking forward to watching more of the videos. Do any of the readers have a cat as ferocious as Max? Please tell us your story in the comment section (photos welcome, as usual). Do you agree with me that if this kitty had come into a clinic or shelter, it would be labeled as ‘feral’ and either killed for behavioral issues? It would be difficult to check for a microchip without risking a bite.
