bella will be turning 5 months oct.5th.iys time to get her spayed.im not to pleased with her vet at the moment.she dissagrees with everything i do for bella."your not supposed to bathe your cat at all she is used to the food you were giving her it will hurt her in the long run why did you change it?'' well i do whats best for her..she also said if i cared anything about bella i wouldt have changed anything she was just so rude.i changed her from meow mix to blue nutrition. trying different things other than friskies wet.cant recall the new wet at the moment not at home to look.anyway.i think im doing the rite thing.i hope!!!!!!!!i am changing vets.my question is,what do i look for,what questions do i ask,basicly what do i do?this vet has got me questioning myself about the safty and health of my baby. am i wrong about giving bella a bath?only once a week. please help
please help
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I agree with the bathing - cats are not like dogs, they don't need baths unless they have fallen into a pile of something stinky - cats are 'self-cleaning'.
As to the food part, what you have done is right - I just wouldn't bother telling her anything she doesn't need to know..or switch vets.
As to the food part, what you have done is right - I just wouldn't bother telling her anything she doesn't need to know..or switch vets.
I'll get into choosing a vet in a moment, but to answer your other questions, you are doing absolutely nothing wrong by upgrading the quality of your kitten's diet. In fact, you're doing the absolutely RIGHT thing, and don't let ANY vet tell you differently.
As far as bathing is concerned, I have only bathed a cat when it was medically necessary, or when they got into something that would be dangerous for them to ingest while bathing themselves, like motor oil. Under normal circumstances, cats keep themselves quite clean. Bathing can strip the coat of essential oils and dry the skin. I prefer to maintain a healthy, shiny coat through proper nutrition and hydration.
Now, about the vet ... You should DEFINITELY be looking for a new vet. I would no more allow a vet to speak to me like that than I would cover myself with spiders and dive into a pit filled with scorpions. Ain't gonna happen! So congrats to you for not putting up with that unprofessional behavior.
The first step to finding your best possible veterinary match is to evaluate your own priorities. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. Label one side "Must" and the other "Must Not". Now, try to put as few things on each side of the paper as possible, because the more "absolutes" you have on that page, the fewer vets will meet your specs. Write down only the deal-breakers - those things you absolutely must have or will not tolerate in a vet. Here are a couple of my "musts" and "must nots", to give you an example:
Must
handle my animals appropriately
listen to me
have a live person answering the phone
Must not
handle my animals roughly
dismiss or ignore me
have an answering machine answering clinic calls during business hours
not return phone calls within a reasonable time frame
And here are a few things that I don't appreciate but will tolerate in an otherwise decent vet:
overcharging
gruff disposition
limited skills, as long as the vet is willing to research unfamiliar veterinary issues
minimally equipped clinic
There are many more veterinary characteristics to consider, of course, but you get the idea. You just need to decide your own deal-breakers so that you can easily eliminate the vets who don't make your grade.
Once you've got the candidates whittled down, then start talking to other pet owners to see what they have to say about the vets left on your list. A vet's reputation will quickly become apparent when you start chatting folks up. Use this step to identify two or three vets at the top of your list.
Now it's time to visit the clinics and meet the vets themselves. Call each clinic and tell them you're in the market for a new vet. Ask if you can come in for a tour of the clinic and to meet the staff. Hopefully, they'll also offer to let you meet with the vet, though some vets may not "donate" their time in that way. If not, then you'll need to make an actual appointment in order to meet the vet. Take Bella in with you for a routine check so that you can see how the vet and staff handle her. During the appointment, take the opportunity to ask your vet as many pertinent questions as possible such as:
Do you offer after-hours emergency service?
Do you provide referrals to veterinary specialists, if necessary?
Will you provide prescriptions, if requested?
If I find veterinary information on the Internet that's specifically relevant to Bella's health, would you be willing to review it?
etc.
Think up your own set of questions depending on your own priorities and needs. Do this with each of your top veterinarians. Seeing how each vet handles Bella, relates to you, and answers your questions should help nail down your best veterinary choice.
Good luck!
Laurie
As far as bathing is concerned, I have only bathed a cat when it was medically necessary, or when they got into something that would be dangerous for them to ingest while bathing themselves, like motor oil. Under normal circumstances, cats keep themselves quite clean. Bathing can strip the coat of essential oils and dry the skin. I prefer to maintain a healthy, shiny coat through proper nutrition and hydration.
Now, about the vet ... You should DEFINITELY be looking for a new vet. I would no more allow a vet to speak to me like that than I would cover myself with spiders and dive into a pit filled with scorpions. Ain't gonna happen! So congrats to you for not putting up with that unprofessional behavior.
The first step to finding your best possible veterinary match is to evaluate your own priorities. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. Label one side "Must" and the other "Must Not". Now, try to put as few things on each side of the paper as possible, because the more "absolutes" you have on that page, the fewer vets will meet your specs. Write down only the deal-breakers - those things you absolutely must have or will not tolerate in a vet. Here are a couple of my "musts" and "must nots", to give you an example:
Must
handle my animals appropriately
listen to me
have a live person answering the phone
Must not
handle my animals roughly
dismiss or ignore me
have an answering machine answering clinic calls during business hours
not return phone calls within a reasonable time frame
And here are a few things that I don't appreciate but will tolerate in an otherwise decent vet:
overcharging
gruff disposition
limited skills, as long as the vet is willing to research unfamiliar veterinary issues
minimally equipped clinic
There are many more veterinary characteristics to consider, of course, but you get the idea. You just need to decide your own deal-breakers so that you can easily eliminate the vets who don't make your grade.
Once you've got the candidates whittled down, then start talking to other pet owners to see what they have to say about the vets left on your list. A vet's reputation will quickly become apparent when you start chatting folks up. Use this step to identify two or three vets at the top of your list.
Now it's time to visit the clinics and meet the vets themselves. Call each clinic and tell them you're in the market for a new vet. Ask if you can come in for a tour of the clinic and to meet the staff. Hopefully, they'll also offer to let you meet with the vet, though some vets may not "donate" their time in that way. If not, then you'll need to make an actual appointment in order to meet the vet. Take Bella in with you for a routine check so that you can see how the vet and staff handle her. During the appointment, take the opportunity to ask your vet as many pertinent questions as possible such as:
Do you offer after-hours emergency service?
Do you provide referrals to veterinary specialists, if necessary?
Will you provide prescriptions, if requested?
If I find veterinary information on the Internet that's specifically relevant to Bella's health, would you be willing to review it?
etc.
Think up your own set of questions depending on your own priorities and needs. Do this with each of your top veterinarians. Seeing how each vet handles Bella, relates to you, and answers your questions should help nail down your best veterinary choice.
Good luck!
Laurie
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The bathing depends on the cat... my roommate in college bathed her cat Baby and he never had any problems... I just don't usually attempt the ordeal unless my cats are dirty because they DON'T like baths. As for looking for a vet, you need to find one who will see you as a partner in your cat's care, not someone to pull authority with or tell what to do. You also probably want one who will explain the reasoning behind things with you so that you can make informed decisions instead of just going with whatever the vet says. You could try asking other friends who have cats what vets they go to and if they're pleased with them.
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I wouldn't put up with a vet like that either, no matter if you're in the wrong or minority, the vet should always act professionally and explain things in a reasonable way.
About bathing cats, I think you'll find most people don't. There are very few reasons that people bath a cat for - they like the fluffy coat afterward (I think this is sorta selfish), they have allergies and find bathing a cat helps, or the cat has a problem and requires a bath to clean it up. Some people think they want their cats to 'get used to bathing' but I've never heard of such a thing. Some cats will react better than others during a bath but I don't think that's a reason to bath them.
Blacky has never been bathed in 10+ years we've had her. Blaze is fast approaching 17 (next month...) and we only bathed him once or twice when he peed all over himself. Both times he was older, he didn't like the bath, but considering he'd never had one before took it quite well.
About bathing cats, I think you'll find most people don't. There are very few reasons that people bath a cat for - they like the fluffy coat afterward (I think this is sorta selfish), they have allergies and find bathing a cat helps, or the cat has a problem and requires a bath to clean it up. Some people think they want their cats to 'get used to bathing' but I've never heard of such a thing. Some cats will react better than others during a bath but I don't think that's a reason to bath them.
Blacky has never been bathed in 10+ years we've had her. Blaze is fast approaching 17 (next month...) and we only bathed him once or twice when he peed all over himself. Both times he was older, he didn't like the bath, but considering he'd never had one before took it quite well.
As others have said, bathing a cat really isn't necessary unless you have specific reasons for doing so, such as allergies. But even if you do...once a week is way too often imo. I think you're risking a really dry coat and skin, which can then cause itching and lead to excessive scratching and skin damage. It can become one big vicious circle.
I bath Tina about every 6 months but there's usually a reason. She likes water and enjoys it. The last time I did it was because she got something sticky on her back. It was probably maple syrup now that I think about it. Don't even ask.
There's nothing wrong with changing food. Dry food just needs to be transitioned over a week or two. Wet can be changed at will.
I would seriously change vets. I have to take one of our dogs next month and I've invited a friend to go with me. She is thinking about changing and I thought they could give her a little tour while we're there. I really don't like her current vet. I used him once before and they couldn't handle Tina at all or explain what they were doing. We use him for the animal shelter and he also charges us $20 per animal for health certificates when a vet further away does $15 for 3 as long as they're going to the same destination.
There's nothing wrong with changing food. Dry food just needs to be transitioned over a week or two. Wet can be changed at will.
I would seriously change vets. I have to take one of our dogs next month and I've invited a friend to go with me. She is thinking about changing and I thought they could give her a little tour while we're there. I really don't like her current vet. I used him once before and they couldn't handle Tina at all or explain what they were doing. We use him for the animal shelter and he also charges us $20 per animal for health certificates when a vet further away does $15 for 3 as long as they're going to the same destination.
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3,194 Posts
I would also change vets. You need a vet you can get along with who can make suggestions without you wondering if they're right. Another good reason to look for another vet is that this one seems to be rigid and uninformed. It isn't entirely her fault, but that doesn't mean you need to keep giving her your money.
As far as bathing goes it's not bad/wrong in and of itself, I bathe three of our four occasionally now that they're adults. When they were kittens the boys got baths sometimes once a month, but never more than that unless it was unavoidable. Bathing once a week though isn't good for her, as others have mentioned it will strip good oils and nutrients from her coat and she'll end up shedding more. If you find she needs a bath that often maybe try rubbing her down with a wet cloth instead, that will get rid of the worst of the mess and she'll groom the rest because she's wet.
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180 Posts
Unless you have a breed of cat that requires frequent bathing (Sphynx would be one), then usually bathing is not necessarily unless something happens. However, there are some breeds with more profuse coats that can't always clean all the oil from their fur on their own .. there's just too much of it. Some persians would fall in that category. Mine is a persian and although I think her chest looks a little ... oily ... it's not enough that I have broken down and actually bathed her. What I did was buy some of the cat bath wipes and just rub her chest (she usually gnaws my hand while I do it .. she doesn't appreciate the assistance). The rest of her fur is quite silky and fluffy so I only do the problem area.
Here locally there's not a cat only vet that I've found so I'm still going to our old family vet. I think that they while they may not be up to snuff with regard to nutrition particularly, I don't need them to be as I've done plenty of my own research. They are both warm and caring individuals that I'm comfortable with.
Here locally there's not a cat only vet that I've found so I'm still going to our old family vet. I think that they while they may not be up to snuff with regard to nutrition particularly, I don't need them to be as I've done plenty of my own research. They are both warm and caring individuals that I'm comfortable with.
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786 Posts
Ditch this vet ASAP. I've also had bad luck with vets. The cats old vet was just like this and called me a liar several times and acted like I knew nothing about their health or well being.
I agree with taking you cat in for a check up of sorts and ask a million questions, if you don't like the responses then move on.
As for baths... I rarely give mine baths. I've given the two DSH cats a few baths and they absolutely hate it and there was not much reason too(except for a Diarreah incident with one of them). My ragdoll however has to be bathed occasionally as she sometimes sticks her chest hair in wet food and it stains and stinks after a while. I only bathe her occasionally though and she doesn't mind it as much as the others as she is an ex show cat/ex queen
I agree with taking you cat in for a check up of sorts and ask a million questions, if you don't like the responses then move on.
As for baths... I rarely give mine baths. I've given the two DSH cats a few baths and they absolutely hate it and there was not much reason too(except for a Diarreah incident with one of them). My ragdoll however has to be bathed occasionally as she sometimes sticks her chest hair in wet food and it stains and stinks after a while. I only bathe her occasionally though and she doesn't mind it as much as the others as she is an ex show cat/ex queen
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7,088 Posts
My first requirement for a vet is that he/she know how to handle my kitties without getting frustrated when Margaux starts screeching and trying to bite everyone. My friend had a vet who told her that her cat had been a bad cat one day. I've never heard of such a thing. The second requirement, which usually goes with the first, is that the vet be a cat person. Some vets seem to like both cats and dogs equally, but I've had one or two who make it pretty obvious that they're not big fans of cats.
Oh. And vet techs who are understanding and good with my cats. At my previous vet, I didn't care which vet I saw, but I always requested NOT to have a certain vet tech.
Oh. And vet techs who are understanding and good with my cats. At my previous vet, I didn't care which vet I saw, but I always requested NOT to have a certain vet tech.
I had similar issues. One vet and his staff just could not handle Tina at all. I took her once and that was it. She escaped off a table and I had to catch her because they couldn't.
The clinic I use has 4 vets but I try to make appointments with a specific vet unless it's urgent and then I don't care who sees us as long as they're competent.
The clinic I use has 4 vets but I try to make appointments with a specific vet unless it's urgent and then I don't care who sees us as long as they're competent.
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