when one of our cats comes home from the vet (usually Nick, because he has a chronic eye problem, poor boy) our other cat, Nora, will hiss at him and swat at him for a good day or more. we think it’s because he smells like the vet, and it stresses her out. i can not picture her going anywhere NEAR our carrier like this – as it is, i have to sneak it in and surprise whoever it is that has to go into it in the first place. they know the jangle of that door and can hear it all the way across the house.
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Sona also hisses at a cat just back from the vet. We always think she’s saying “you got another cat?” Since clearly the smell is wrong. And Sona is a prima donna who wants to be an only cat.
Nick and Nora are great names. I hope his eye doesn’t bother him too much
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I’m so sorry.
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well, poor Nora had a traumatic experience when we had her spayed – not that i fault the vet; i think it’s just a more invasive and traumatic experience for females. she came home, and had the cone of shame on, and the moment we let her out of the carrier, she had a full-on meltdown: she BOLTED, in any direction she could go. she ran into walls, furniture, anything. just catching her and calming her down was an ordeal. i ended up spending the night with her on the couch, with her on my chest, just petting and talking to her. the next morning, i put her in the bathtub to play with a ball, and she was 100% better. she meowed, and played, and to this day the bathtub is her happy place. she runs and jumps into the bathtub whenever she’s feeling safe and playful.
all this to say, the cat carrier is a traumatic thing for her. we haven’t brought her to the vet more than once or twice since then, even though her brother has to go a couple times a year – and they just reached their teens.
Nick has this weird thing with his eyes… i think it’s triggered by spring allergies, some autoimmune thing, but he gets this growth on the surface of his eye that, if left unchecked will cover it and cause him to lose his eyesight. a good diet and periodic steroids seem to keep it in check. it’s weird that his sister doesn’t get the same thing. she’s been quite healthy her whole life. so, she’s quite content not having to go to the vet every year or so, thank you very much.
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I’m sorry to hear that. Poor stressed kitty!
Might it be possible to desensitize her to the carrier by taking her out for a drive every now and then, when it’s not vet-related?
I know it’s not very similar, but my dog used to whine whenever we were driving to the vet’s. She’s on arthritis meds now, that I have to pick up once a month. Since this started around the time lockdown hit, I decided to bundle her in the car with me when I go, so we could both get some air. We drive out, park on the side street, the vet tech who brings the meds out usually gives her a scritch or two through the car window, then we go home. (And okay, sometimes we hit a drive-through on the way back. More than once, Sheba’s gotten “pretty dog” compliments from the drive-through workers. 
)
I noticed this last time that she doesn’t whine at all any more. Sometimes she just curls up on the passenger seat, sometimes she looks out the window, but she no longer gets upset when we “go in the car.” (In fact, sometimes she decides to climb into the driver’s seat as if to say, “my turn to drive!” 
)
I don’t know if Nora would benefit from “practice runs” in the carrier, or if it would be too stressful for her (and you.) (Once she’s better, of course.) But maybe it’s worth a try?
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Thank you!
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Now that’s devotion! Lucky kitty. Spaying must be hard on the poor things. they’re doing it younger now, but I think it can be done less invasively than before, with scopes and whatnot. I heard they can even spay guinea pigs nowadays.
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I’m so sorry for your loss.
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i’m not sure. her only experiences in the car to date have all been vet-related, so the connotation is pretty set and deep. but it might be worth a shot. she’s been quite healthy (if overweight) her whole life so far, so knock on wood we won’t need to put her in a carrier again for a long time.
well, i have had cats my whole life, and i’ve never had one be this fearful. i felt terrible. i had heard that a heartbeat helps calm them, which was why i decided to stay with her. i think she really appreciated it. to this day, she will only come to me for lap time.
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It’s hard not to feel for them when they’re in such distress!
Thank you, @ChickieD. Leading up to this we knew Dyson was not going to last much longer, which was really hard. Now we have a huge sense of loss, but some relief that the anxiety has lifted. It’s hard not to feel guilty about the latter, but I think it’s part of the healing process (not that we don’t have a long way to go). At least he’s at peace.
Sigh.
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Losing a pet is so hard. I think it’s especially tough because you know it’s going to happen one day, and you live in fear of that moment.
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Especially when you can see them in obvious decline! And with cats it’s very hard to tell how bad they’re feeling.
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Us too! At one point we had six, four of ours, and two younger ones we rescued from sick friends. Only one of the four is still with us (Sona), but the new two ones (Lyta and Talia) are still going strong.
Extra credit question: Can anyone guess where Lyta and Talia’s names come from? 
ETA: why the heck is Lyta’s name have yellow background? Or is it just me?
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I was going to post a screenshot but the yellow is gone! Weird.
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Maybe it’s your autocorrect telling you the name is spelled wrong?
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I saw it after I posted the comment on this site, in addition to seeing it in the preview box. “Lyta” also had a red squiggly line under it indicating it was supposed spelled wrong. 
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Oh gosh, I’m sorry I missed this! Dyson and Luke are running together now. <3
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At the Petsmart we adopted Dyson from, they told us his best friend was an orange tabby! Apparently they liked to wrestle together on the floor.
At least they’re both at peace, now, and who knows–maybe wrestling on the floor of Kitty Heaven.
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