My three cats are, to put it mildly, neurotic. They loathe visiting the vet's office so much, and have thrown such pathetic tantrums when I've taken them there, that my vet (bless his heart) now comes to my home once a year to give my cats their check-ups and to vaccinate them. And they behave so much better and are so much more calm because they're in their own home. And I can rest easy knowing I'm not going to witness three simultaneous kitty coronaries.
For the past three years, my vet has been telling me to get my cats' teeth cleaned. And for the past three years I've been ignoring his advice. It's not because I don't care about my cats' welfare. I consider my three cats (Annie, Louie, and Claudia) to be an important part of my family. I don't have children, so I think of them as my kids. There isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect them, or to keep them healthy and safe. I am simply afraid of having my cats placed under anesthesia, which they must be in order for the vet to clean their teeth.
I know it's an irrational fear. My cats were all placed under anesthesia when they were spayed seven years ago, and they came out of it perfectly fine. I trust my vet implicitly, and I know he performs surgery and teeth-cleaning on other animals all the time. And the rational side of me (yes, there is one!) says that absolutely nothing is going to happen to them. But I'm worried all the same. I just don't know what I would do if something happened to one of them. And I wonder how my cats will feel when I drop them at the vet's office, a place they haven't had to visit in three years, and then leave them there. I don't want them to feel scared or abandoned.
After talking with my husband, we've decided to go ahead and have their teeth cleaned. At his house call a few weeks ago, my vet said that Chubbie's teeth needed cleaning the most, so I made her appointment first. She's going in on August 13th. And I'm just dreading the day.
Have you ever had your kitty's teeth cleaned? What was your kitty's experience like?
For the past three years, my vet has been telling me to get my cats' teeth cleaned. And for the past three years I've been ignoring his advice. It's not because I don't care about my cats' welfare. I consider my three cats (Annie, Louie, and Claudia) to be an important part of my family. I don't have children, so I think of them as my kids. There isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect them, or to keep them healthy and safe. I am simply afraid of having my cats placed under anesthesia, which they must be in order for the vet to clean their teeth.
I know it's an irrational fear. My cats were all placed under anesthesia when they were spayed seven years ago, and they came out of it perfectly fine. I trust my vet implicitly, and I know he performs surgery and teeth-cleaning on other animals all the time. And the rational side of me (yes, there is one!) says that absolutely nothing is going to happen to them. But I'm worried all the same. I just don't know what I would do if something happened to one of them. And I wonder how my cats will feel when I drop them at the vet's office, a place they haven't had to visit in three years, and then leave them there. I don't want them to feel scared or abandoned.
After talking with my husband, we've decided to go ahead and have their teeth cleaned. At his house call a few weeks ago, my vet said that Chubbie's teeth needed cleaning the most, so I made her appointment first. She's going in on August 13th. And I'm just dreading the day.
Have you ever had your kitty's teeth cleaned? What was your kitty's experience like?
I've never had my cats teeth cleaned. The vet is always telling me I should brush their teeth daily, but with 5 cats it would take all morning and I don't feel like dealing with 5 ornery cats every day. Selfish, maybe but none of them have rotten teeth yet.
I had four cats, years ago before I had children. They all had their teeth cleaned and did just fine.
Think about it this way: If you DON'T do it, they can get sick which would be more traumatic for them and for you.
Here by way of Michele!
Hee hee... I can't only imagine Annie having her teeth clean. The other two aren't going to ever let themselves be caught again once she comes back to tell them what happened.
You know the story of my own Hussy and what happened to her when was put under anesthesia. I understand your fear.
Pumpkin has rotten teeth (we adopted her with the rotten teeth already) and we've had a vet tell us that it's just going to get worse and worse until they all fall off -- but it's too late to do anything about it. Effects? Really rotten breath. And then she licks herself clean and her fur stinks. So we walk around wiping her down with the "kitty naps" to improve the fur smell.
P.S. Yes, I've been reading, even if I hadn't told you before!
Never did take a cat to get it's teeth cleaned, but did have a cat with rotten teeth...
Nothing like sewer breathe first thing in the morning when she wakes you up nipping your nose....