vet trip

Today I needed to take Annabelle for her vet check up. Easier said than done sometimes. I like to make her appointments earlier in the day so I can get it over with. So her appointment was at 8:50 this morning. Check.

The other thing I have to do is put her in the bathroom before I get her carrier out of the closet. Otherwise she freaks out and hides under the bed. Check.

So I got ready to get her out of the bathroom and I could hear tiny little pathetic meows as I opened the door. Usually that means she's in the bathtub. So I glanced over in that direction and she wasn't there. But she was still meowing. So I turned and looked and she was cowering in the corner behind the toilet. It was pathetic and cute at the same time. So I turned and walked away and opened the bathroom door just a little bit so she would come out from behind the potty..because face it.. do I really want to go crawling around back there? Um.. no.

So she came out from hiding and I gathered her up in my arms but she already knew something was up. She continued to meow pathetically. I opened her carrier and she went on in. Whew!

She cried all the way to the vet.

We waited a little bit in the waiting room and then her name was called and we went to the exam room. The first thing the tech asks is if we can weigh her in the carrier.. since the carrier's weight is on a label on the carrier. Just subtract and they've got her weight and they never have to touch her. Part of their little plan, I'm sure. So we get that out of the way. And then we waited on the vet. I unscrewed the carrier bolts and took it apart so she could be checked without having to be dragged out of the carrier. She could sit there and feel somewhat protected. Sometimes that idea works. Sometimes it doesn't.

The vet came in and gave her a sideways look and said hi Annabelle. The vet glances over at me and smiles. So far so good. The vet put her hand out and the cat hissed. "Her teeth look good." We both laugh. Then she went on ahead and gave her the booster she was due. She asked me if I'd noticed anything or if she was having any problems. No. She asked me if she really needed to palpate her stomach. Of course, we both laughed. But she did it and the cat didn't get very upset. Before long we were done and ready to go home.

I contrast this with times we've had to get extra vet techs to hold her just so she could be touched and there is hissing and fur flying and evvvverybody is stressed out by the time the vet is done. This vet is the only person at the clinic that will touch her, bless her heart. But compared to that scenario, things went swimmingly today!

She never made a peep on the way home. I let her out of her carrier and she's been a happy camper the rest of the day.