Poor kitty...

Last week I took both Sid and Zoe to the vet. I had Friday off, and they were both overdue for their shots. I called that morning, and got them an appointment for the afternoon. Things went well at first. Sid walked right into his crate and all I had to do was close the door. Zoe, on the other hand, HATES to go in the crate and will fight with all her might to avoid it. I managed to trick her, though. I put the crate in the bathroom in the bathtub and shut the curtain. She likes to cuddle with me when I am using the bathroom, so I put down the toilet seat and sat down. I called her, and she came running. The dummy didn't even register that I had my pants pulled up. I closed the door behind her and then stood up. When I opened the shower curtain she was not happy with me. I think she knew she'd been had. She put up minimal struggle and I got her in. Then we were on our way.

They both "sing" in the car...I hate it. They sound like they are being lead to their death. And one sets the other off, and it's like they can't even hear my voice...they just keep crying until we get there. It wasn't too bad this time, though, until...

Sid had an accident in his crate on the way to the vet. It's the second time that's happened to him. I feel so bad when it happens, but there's not much I can do about it. You can let a dog outside and tell him to take care of business, but a cat sure doesn't do that. The vet techs were super, though, and cleaned him up as soon as we got there. He was being such a good boy that they went ahead and gave him a bath instead of just drying him off.

They commented on how sweet my cats were, and how well they tolerated being poked and prodded and didn't protest at all. No meowing, growling, hissing, or spitting.

Then the vet and recommended a pill that prevents worms. I said sure, so the vet tech went and got the pills and her nifty pill dispenser that prevents cat bites. Of course Zoe had to go first, and of course she couldn't continue to be a good cat...she had to show off for me and Sid, and spit out the pill. Not once, not twice, and not three times but four times. The tech gathered her supplies and Zoe and went into the back room for reinforcements. Turns out it wasn't necessary...she really was just showing off for us. The tech was able to get her to take both pills without struggle in the back room. Go figure.

She received a clean bill of health and then we let her crawl back into the cage she HATES at home but LOVES at the vet, and it was Sid's turn. He did great. He, too, got a clean bill of health with one exception: his teeth. They were in bad need of a cleaning. I've been noticing that he has really bad breath, and figured it was time for a teeth cleaning. Unfortunately, those are pretty spendy.

But, if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. I agreed, and set an appointment for the following Friday.

J dropped him off in the morning before 8 on his way to work. They kept him all day for this procedure. I couldn't go get him until 5 p.m. Poor Zoe was home alone all day. She was certainly lonely because when I got home, she was waiting for me by the door. She hasn't done that since we got Sid. She followed me around the house and wanted me to cuddle her. She doesn't do that usually, either. I left to go get Sid before J got home. When he got home, Zoe was all over him, too.

The strange part was when I brought Sid home. He was still a little groggy from the anesthesia, and wasn't acting like himself. He must smell like the vet, too, because Zoe won't come near him. If he tries to get near her, she growls and hisses at him. It's been 24 hours now, and poor Sid is still being shunned by Zoe. It's almost as if she doesn't know who he is.

He had a heck of a day yesterday, and then came home to that. Poor guy. He did great at the vet, though, and his teeth look great. His breath smells better, too!

Here are some pictures of his experience:

When he got home he immediately started chewing on the bandage that was on his arm, so I took it off before I got a picture of it. Here's where they had to shave his arm to put in the IV.

Here's the before picture from the vet of his teeth. It seems like it's hard to see, but it turns out that his teeth were REALLY gross.

Here's the after. Nice and clean and pearly white again!

Here's the toothbrush they sent home with him. Yeah, right. Like I'll be able to brush my cat's teeth. I'll let you know how it goes! We're supposed to give his gums 10 days to heal before we try it.

Here's the dental "chew" they sent home. It's coated with cat toothpaste. They gave me two. Both cats ate it right up. I think I may have to get some of those and see if after they get used to the taste of those they'll be more inclined to let me brush their teeth.

Here's the t/d food they sent home. They LOVE this stuff. J and I have been giving it to them as "treats" for two years now. My cats are dumb. Because Zoe has food allergies and intestinal issues, we have to be careful about what we feed them. So we put either their plain dry food in a treat can, or the t/d. They don't get real treats, they get t/d or z/d (their regular food) from a can, but they LOVE it. My friend tells me I have the dumbest cats on the planet. I figure it's like telling a little kid carrots are a special treat and giving them veggies instead of candy, right? It's better for them, and if they think they're getting a treat, they are.

Here's the bandanna they sent home with Sid. Thankfully they didn't put it on him. I think the fabric is super cute, but I think bandannas on cats look stupid.

I would take a picture of Zoe being mean to Sid, but I can't catch them with the camera, and I don't want to make Sid get hissed at any more than he's already dealing with it. But here's Zoe keeping an eye on the situation, making sure Sid doesn't get too close to me or get too much attention she feels is rightfully hers...

UPDATE: My cats now hate each other. Actually, that's not true. Zoe hates Sid. She has started two full fledged fights with him now. They didn't even do that when we first brought him into the house. They sniffed each other, were wary for a day or two, and have been best friends ever since. Until Friday, that is. It's now after midnight on Saturday, so it's technically Sunday, and she is still hissing and spitting whenever he comes near. Poor Sid is traumatized. He just wants to cuddle, and she won't let him come near. Brat. I've now got food and water and a litter box in the extra room, and have locked Zoe up. According to the internet, it will take a few days to "reintroduce" them to each other. AARRGGHHH!!! Why do cats have to be so dumb?? From now on, they will go everywhere together. Even if I have to pay extra. Just so they are always together and always exposed to the same smells. That's the only thing we can think is wrong...he smells like the vet.

Update 2: It took almost an entire week to the day for the cats to start getting along again, but they are now just as close as they were before the fateful trip to the vet. We did have to lock Zoe up when we went to work for a few days, but it was okay in the long run. Yay! They love each other again.