Will my cat need to be sedated for microchipping?

dgerrard

Hi all,
We've adopted a lovely new cat just over a month ago and booked an appointment to get her microchipped at the vet. However when he arrived he took one look at her and said 'Oh she's a tortoiseshell, she'll need to be sedated you'll have to come back Monday'
Is this normal to have a cat sedated for this? I'm not sure we want to put her through that and I'm disappointed that when we made the appointment they didn't ask us some basic questions rather than have us get her in the carrier and take her in for nothing...
She has already been spayed and is up to date on her vaccinations, I'm wondering if we should cancel the appointment and have it done another time or with a different vet

Any advice or opinions welcome! Especially from tortoiseshell owners who might have had a similar experience

KxMx

Not a tortoiseshell owner but never heard of a cat being sedated just for a microchip. It is admittedly a big needle but over very quick.

My late cat needed a new microchip, she did hiss when it went in but when I asked her to hold on she was calm. 

I'd call another Vet and ask their opinion. I can totally understand your dissatisfaction with how the appointment went today. 

donnac2558

When I got my girl done earlier this year as I was getting her sprayed it would be better to do it when she was under at the same time  No she is not a tortie.

sheramber

I would try another vet 

 

tealady

Deffo try another vet. The myth of a "naughty tortie" is just that. I have had 3 and they were as different in "purrsonality" as all my other cats.

Mnoee

Not an owner of a tortoiseshell, but an ex-feral fiesty tuxedo. We made her into a burrito with a blanket and she was fine. Well, unhappy, but unable to move or harm anyone. I'd definitely get a different vet. 

MalMonroe

Another vote here for consulting another vet. Our cat was microchipped at the same time as her spay but I thought it was just like them having a booster injection every year. Except of course, they only need one microchipping. They don't need to be anaesthetised.

Vets get paid more for anaesthetising animals, of course, and I don't like the fact that this vet appears to be ripping pet owners off.  And what nonsense about tortoiseshell cats being any more fiesty than other cats. We found our kit at the side of the road 11 years ago, when she was tiny - she had a sore eye and we took her straight to the vet who prescribed some ointment and her eye healed really quickly. But although she was feral when we found her, she was very pliable during her young kitten days and wouldn't make a fuss at the vet, now it's a real pain when we get there. Once she ripped the vet's hands to pieces and that was embarrassing. Next time she bit my hand  (the one that feeds her!) and I ended up in A&E.

She's a cow kitty, nothing like a tortoiseshell but her attitude is appalling. Colour and breed don't have anything to do with anything, as far as I'm concerned. Just a vet wanting to cash in. 

Pollycat

Watched Jo Brand's 'Cats & kittens' last week.

They micro-chipped a kitten without sedation.

All 6 cats that I've had over the years have been micro-chipped without sedation.

I'd be very wary of using that vet surgery.

Dymphna60

Took one look at her as in really just looked at cat in carrier and said will need sedation based on being tortoise shell .  Definitely not vet for you then .Were you in with her ? I know my vet only allowing owners in in exceptional circumstances. 

Or did you / vet try to handle / wrap her and it proved too difficult? If the latter some vets will be more risk adverse than others not least due to their own past experience. 

I know a vet who has twice been significantly mauled by nice pet cats to require A anE visits in one case requiring IV antibiotics and a period of sick leave so probably has a lower tolerance for cat tussle now . 

DD265

My parent's cat was a tortoiseshell and even in her 20s when she visited the vet they had to be extremely careful. It might be that the vet has had experience of such a cat and it's made them wary.

That said I think they're being unreasonable; as stated previously all cats are different. To brand her 'difficult' without taking her out of the carrier to assess her behaviour is not on. Definitely get her microchipped, but I'd be looking for a different vet. In a way it's probably a good thing that they didn't proceed with treatment, as if the vet isn't confident handling her, it could make her experience worse which may cause issues in the future when she needs veterinary treatment.

kazwookie

I would ring another vet and ask over the phone if they sedate for microchipping.

Also ring RSPCA / Cats protection / similar in your area, as often they offer microchipping, again ask if sedation is needed.

 My cats over the various years have never been sedated for microchipping