Cat grooming at vets

kimbyanne

We have a problem with our cat, she is an eleven year old British Shorthair. She is really affectionate and loving - until you pick her up or try to brush her.

We adopted her from a breeder and I suspect that she wasn't given the love and attention a "pet" would have.

Anyway, we have had her a few years and brushing and toe nail clipping have always been a huge issue - she absolutely hates it and goes mental - scratching, biting, hissing, etc.

We have noticed in the last few days that her coat is getting matted on her back and hind legs which seems to making her walk a bit funny. Again, tried to brush her - no use - nearly lost an eye.

So I decided enough is enough, she needs to be brushed because it is obviously making her uncomfortable so I call the vets as yes they will brush her BUT they won't tell me how much it costs as they have to assess her. They also would need to sedate her for obvious reasons.

Now I don't mind paying out if this is going to make her more comfortable, but I do need a rough idea of price so I know what to expect.

Has anyone hear had their cat groomed under sedation by a vet? If so, how much does it cost?

jess1974

I have a fluffy long haired 11 year old cat, i had her clipped under sedation at the vets around 5 or 6 years ago, as she had got badly matted along one side.

From memory i think it cost me around £35......

Caroline_a

You'd probably be better putting this on the Pet board, but I would go for a vet check anyway. Short-haired cats rarely need brushing, they groom themselves, but if your cat is not grooming herself there may be a physical problem that is preventing her from doing so.

kimbyanne

Caroline_a wrote: »

You'd probably be better putting this on the Pet board, but I would go for a vet check anyway. Short-haired cats rarely need brushing, they groom themselves, but if your cat is not grooming herself there may be a physical problem that is preventing her from doing so.

Thanks I will post there.

She still grooms and is very clean but I guess her back and back legs are "difficult to reach areas" - the rest of her is fine. She has a very thick coat though, so it does matt up easily

peachyprice

kimbyanne wrote: »

We adopted her from a breeder and I suspect that she wasn't given the love and attention a "pet" would have.

Anyway, we have had her a few years and brushing and toe nail clipping have always been a huge issue - she absolutely hates it and goes mental - scratching, biting, hissing, etc.

I don't think this behaviour has anything to do with her being adopted from a breeder, most cats from loving homes would have the exact same reaction to being brushed and certainly having their claws clipped.

DSH's shouldn't need brushing really. However, as they get a bit older they can get a bit lazy with grooming, especially around the outer thigh area and once they get a small matt it's difficult for them to deal with. Two of mine have had this, I've just cut out the matted area with scissors. They look a bit odd for a while once it's gone the hair grows back and they then groom properly again.

I'm not sure why you would want to clip claws though, domestic cats shouldn't need it.

newcook

does she enjoy being stroked? is there a special grooming glove you could get so you can brush her while she thinks she's being petted?

19lottie82

peachyprice wrote: »

I I'm not sure why you would want to clip claws though, domestic cats shouldn't need it.

Some do, especially housecats. We have to do my cats, as sometimes they get so long that they stick to your clothes when you pick her up / put her down.

pawsies

After you get the matting sorted I would look into training her to accept the brush. Cats CAN be trained as long as the reward is high enough. Start by showing her the brush and rewarding her for showing an interest (nice chicken treats!). Continue this until she comes out when she sees the brush as it's that good thing again! Then practice going near her body (but don't touch) and reward again. Eventually practice on her body, if she hisses/attacks you've gone too far too quickly and will need to go back a stage (or back to step 1 of pairing the brush with good things if necessary).

It may take a long time but will be worth it when she accepts you brushing and you save yourself £35 each time. Also consider whether the areas you are brushing are sensitive- do you always go for the matted bits? She's probably realising that the matted areas hurt! Therefore brush = pain.

lozza1985

What me & hubby always do when we need to trim claws or brush them is he holds them (they adore him!), and I trim or brush. With the eldest he's fine with this, the youngest not so keen, but in a few sittings we can give him a good brush. I wouldn't say it's there favourite thing to have done, but they certainly don't attack us. Perhaps for the matted bits try cutting them out yourselves with a blunt ish pair of scissors (I've used baby scissors before on my rabbit who has long fur), again doing a bit at a time could do the trick and get them used to it

scrappie_2

If you're not bothered about looks and the coat is matted, I would suggest you ask the vet to clip the fur rather than comb it out. It's a quicker process and so takes less time and so less sedation.

Also, the fact the vet can't give a price may be because they have no idea how long it will take to do the job. Can you ask them how much they charge per hr for this kind of thing and also how much they charge for sedation??? This might give oyu an idea.

Personally I think its a little unfair they won't give you a 'ballpark' figure, however that said, when my cat went in for an opperation I didn't even ask how much it would be!!

LolaMadeline

Scruffy showed up here about a year ago. He is long haired and it was matted. He is touchy and will claw or bite if distressed and easily reaches that stage. We took him to vet and had him sedated and shaved down. I think it was $65. I think it is a real relief to long haired cats to get a break from grooming all that hair.

Your cat may be unable to groom because of arthritis and some places are just too hard to reach.