FRANKIE VISITS HIS VET

PHASE 1  The Capture

Frankie ALWAYS knows when the day has arrived to pay his annual visit to his veterinarian, Dr. Becker.   I don't really know how he knows, but he knows.

While he was clearly visible all morning, as I was puttering around the house, when the time arrived to put him in his carrier----gone.  No Frankie.

After several minutes of tearing the house apart, I found my feline under a bed.  

He resisted my  attempts at coaxing him out with my normal sweet, "Come on, Frankie, good Frankie."  Nope, he just headed further under the bed,  knowing I'm old and creaky and not real fond of crawling around the perimeter of the bed trying to pull him out.  However,  I was determined to take kitty to the vet's TO DAY.  So I flattened myself out on the floor and positioned my body as near to him as I could.  I quickly rammed my right arm at the cat.  Unfortunately, even though kitty is getting along in years, too, he's still pretty danged fast, and he quickly burrowed even further away.   HOWEVER, I was lucky enough to have placed a grip on his left hind leg as he was on the move.  I started pulling.  Frankie started howling and hissing----but he didn't bite!!!  Knowing  being pulled from beneath the bed by a leg probably did not feel great, I did not let go.  Frankie had his chance to come out peacefully and he had chosen to make this a difficult exit!

PHASE 2 The Containment

In seconds, that seemed like hours, the hissing kitty emerged from his hiding place.  I placed a wrestling hold on him and quickly dashed to the garage, where I had his carrier in position----ready to receive the furry cargo!

Frankie was still fighting at this phase.  As I held him over the open door (I had the cage tipped on  end, with the door on top) his hind legs somehow became free of my grip.  I was caught off guard by the baring of his teeth and narrowing of his eyes---he was REALLY angry and I thought he was trying to locate my flesh!  His freed hind legs were going in opposite directions like a kitty splits with claws!!  Oooh-oooh!!  This was not good, I thought.  Rats.  Frankie, who usually fights the vet trip, was operating on a Herculean level this time.  I'd never seen him freak out like this. 

HOWEVER, after a few attempts at lowering the writhing, sprawling kitty carcass into the carrier---I did it!!  We were both shocked!  Frankie was in the bottom and glaring.  Suddenly he made a final lunge at escaping, but I slammed the little door shut and locked it.

PHASE 3  The Ride

Frankie usually settles down once he's in the car and we're moving.  He did today.  He also did his typical guttural, howling sound, too. 

If you're a cat lover, you know the sound.  It's incredible that they save that sound only for car rides to the Vet's, but they do.  Every kitty I've ever transported to the Vet's has emitted that pitiful sound.  It's innate. It's like they think they're taking their "final ride" (well, it has been known to be the final ride a time or two, but usually that's not the case)--it's like a banshee wail.  It's so sad.  

Then, you feel "the stare". 

Yes, as you're driving along and look over at the neighboring feline, you'll catch a glimpse of kitty eyes glaring in your direction.   The look is somewhere between the "evil eye" and the "shame on you for doing this to poor me" eye.

It just doesn't make taking the kitty in for his annual exam a whole lot of fun.

PHASE 4  The Arrival

We were here.  It was a miracle.  We'd made it. 

The howling, which had subsided for a bit, cranked up to a whole new level as we left the car and make our way into THE LOBBY!!!

PHASE 5  The Lobby

Still howling at the top of his lungs, we entered The Lobby of the Vet's office---I plunked Frankie down on the bench and signed us in.   When I returned to the seat, Frankie was giving me the So Sad Look.  He'd worked himself up into a major Cat Frenzy by that point. 

I didn't feel sorry for him.  I reminded him how lucky he was to not to be a  Street Cat grubbing for mice and a place to sleep and with ear mites and disease.  He was a pampered kitty----with lots of food and a clean place to poo and pee and no ear mites or fleas and he had comfy kitty beds and kitty toys!!

I quit looking at The Cat and gazed around at the EMPTY LOBBY!!  This was unheard of! In all the years I have been bringing critters to this office, this was the FIRST time I'd  found it empty.  Woo-Hoo!  I was thinking. We'd be "in and out!"  

As we waited for our Vet, the place did fill up.  Oh, don't you just love the seats they use in this office?  They have old church pews all around the walls!!  Anyway, the place did fill up really fast.  Over on the left pew,  a couple came in with two towel wrapped poochies.  They were a Min-Pin and Chichuachua mix----so cute and sooooo shaky.  That trait came through loud and clear.  Then a mom and daughter came in with a year old Cocker Spaniel and positioned themselves on the pew on the right.  Then a lady came in to pick up her cat and she sat with us.

Then they called our name and we were off to see Dr. Becker!!  Mercifully!

PHASE 6  The Doctor

Dr. Becker is a really great guy.  He took care of the kitty we had before Frankie----his name was Buffy.  Buffy had to have his tail amputated from an injury---Dr. B.  did a wonderful job with that.  Then Buffy was diagnosed with Diabetes at the age of 9.  Dr. Becker helped us give that kitty another 5 years of life--we gave him insulin shots twice a day for that long.  I'm a very big fan of Dr. Becker's.

I honestly think Frankie loves him, too, because he always settles down once we're in the exam room.  I just plop his carrier on top of the exam table and Dr. Becker takes him out.  

This howling, hissing, clawing cat just melts into this sweet, mellow, perfect patient as soon as Dr. B. gets hold of him!! 

Frankie gets his exam and his shots, then- - - - - --

Dr. Becker checks his ears and his TEETH!!!  Last year we had to schedule Frankie for a teeth cleaning, but this year, he just had a couple of spots that Dr. Becker was able to remove.  Frankie handled this very well.
 

PHASE 7  Coming Home

Frankie is the SWEETEST kitty on the ride home!!  I honestly think I heard him purring during the drive!!!

THE STONE RABBIT was waiting for Frankie when we came inside.  He told him he was glad he was back, then he told me he was glad he didn't need to take those kind of trips!!!

DANA

Note to self:  this carrier belongs to the daughter.  It is not the usual carrier I use.  I no longer need to flip it on end in order to plunge the kitty inside.  NO!!  This carrier has a door on TOP!!  Duh. Duh. Duh.  I did not realize that until Dr. Becker pulled Frankie out that way!!! This carrier will make Phase 2 much easier next time!!

 

Comments

[Tam]

LoL! Frankie what a trooper, he is so cute! Funny how they know when they are going to the vet-huh? Have a nice weekend Dana!~Tam:D

[jeanne]

Good morning Dana Banana. I loved the story of Frankie's vet experience. You are a terrific story teller. I have never had a cat, so this was a new experience for me. My sister in Atlanta has (had) a cat and I was her cat sitter a few times. I know she experienced stress every time she had to transport her cat. One particular time I remember she came in the door with her cat wrapped in a big blanket. When she put the cat down, fur was flying as thick as a sandstorm. She had a black cotton dress on and it was covered with gray cat hairs. She was flying to Hawaii and I wondered how she ever removed the solid mass of cat hair. LOL. Her cat hid under the bed for two weeks and only came out to eat and you know!!! she loved her cat and when she had to put it down she was devastated. She has been a widow since she was 48 and never remarried. She is in her sixties now. Her one and only serious boyfriend at the time, did not give her enough sympathy for the loss of her cat and she ditched him on the spot. He never knew why. I guess that is true cat love.

Now this, is a long winded comment!!! BIG smile here.

Hugs...Jeanne

[heather]

he is quite the trooper isn't he? that is hilarious about the carrier door ontop that you didn't notice, LOL. sounds like something i would do!

[Darlene]

Oh my gosh I am LOL!!! Frankie sounds so much like my Tangie. She too knows when she is going to the vet and even with just her two back claws she can rip you to shreds....she will also BITE! We have to hide a kennel in the house and just pick her up like she is getting petted and zoom, turn around and shove her in...hehehe. If she even sees the kennel in the house she stays hidden! You know there are three other animals (in the house) that the kennel might be for!!!!

[Sally]

Whew! What an adventure!

[Diane]

Poor little Frankie! Great story Dana! Did you ever try wrapping a towel around him to put him in the carrier? My cats handled the ride better if they didn't have to go in the carrier. I know - bad mom... but they were more at ease. I'd wrap them before exiting the car though. Yep, my first cat would turn into the tasmanian devil & howl the entire way! ☺ Diane

[nola]

I know that routine all too well, we do it yearly here, too. Frankie's a beautiful cat!
I'm glad you use a pet carrier. My big pet peeve is going to the vet and finding a waiting room full of pets not in carriers.
My other pet peeve is that people allow their small children to roam around scared and ill animals in the waiting room!
Okay, off my soap box!

[Sandy]

And here I thought I was the only one who had to go through these phases... Next week little (well maybe little is not politcally correct) Cagney & Lacey will be taking their annual visit. The pic of Frankie in Phase 5 looks like he has a small tear... poor baby.
And yes, I love the waiting area in Dr. B's office.

[Beth]

Oh boy, do I know that howling! It turns a 5 minute car ride into what feels like eternity!

[Pat@Back Porch Musings]

What a hoot, Dana!

Animals are so intuitive! Molly knew before J told her, she was going to the vet yesterday. I don't know how they do it. She was just getting her nails clipped.

Our sweet cocker spaniel was Buffi. She was with us 13 years. It would be another 5 years after her death, that Molly came along. Of course we had J's mother's dog Sammy, during Buffi's time and between Buffi and Molly. He was a typical farm dog. But he also liked the good life of the front hall in winter! We also had a yellow cat..Fred. He died of lukemia. He was a "street cat", that showed up at the cooperative's warehouse. J brought him home. He lived with us several years. He would say no, if we asked him a question...it was always no...not matter what the question. What in the world would we do without dogs and cats and other animals.

[RobinfromCA]

What a hilarious (not to you, I'm sure) story! We've never had cats but dogs don't love the vet much more. Big dogs get stubborn as mules and you drag them to the car until you think you're about to hang them with the leash. Little dogs look at you like you've just sentenced them to death and you're going to pull the trigger yourself. Animals have an amazing sense of what's going on around them! Poor Frankie probably thinks he's down one of his lives!

[debbie ragan]

dear dana,
your frankie is our spacey....i can laugh because we go through it every year with him...it's really not funny though...it is quite stressful.
i could not even imagine not taking our cats in a carrier....first our cats go to the cat clinic and you have to bring them in, in a pet carrier....that howl is their protocal talk for cussing you/me out for putting them in an environment they don't want to be in.
i love your story of frankie and stone rabbit waiting to give him comfort
you are a gifted story teller
hugs
debbie