Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

How do vets handle an aggressive senior cat's first vet visit?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Persian | Female | unspayed | 16 lbs

I just asked a question about my cat and the vet told me to take her to a vet first thing in the morning, but she’s 12 years old and has never been. And she is VERY mean. Like I can barely mess with her. How will the vet? I’m really concerned about this. She’s very mean.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on March 23rd, 2018

I was the vet who answered your previous question! Vets are trained to deal with mean cats, and they will figure out a way to handle her. In order to do it safely, they may have to sedate her, so do not feed her any food after midnight tonight. Be sure to let the vet office know that she is mean so they are prepared when you arrive. Trust me, it will be very much appreciated that you let them know ahead of time! I really do feel her symptoms require a visit to the vet, so I urge you to take her in the morning. Best of luck!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi! I have a cat with a loose tooth. If I take her to the vet she becomes angry/hissy to the point that a vet before has suggested putting her down. Are there other options?
Poor kitties can get so scared when going to the veterinarian. Some veterinarians are More comfortable with cranky cats than others. You may want to call you veterinarian and ask for a sedative to give her before you bring her in. This may be enough to allow the doctor to examine her well. If not, they may need to give her a little more sedation once she is there. I find that it is much less stressful to the kitty, and all involved if you use sedation in these circumstances. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 16 year old rescue cat that's never been to the vet, and I want to take him to make sure he's aging okay and make sure he's not showing signs of hyperthyroidism. What procedures should I expect for his first visit?
Hi there, it's great that you will take Po-Po for an exam and check over. I expect your vet will start by asking you some simple questions about his lifestyle, food, eating drinking and bathroom habits. Also if he's strictly indoors or goes out occasionally. They will then perform a physical exam, noting any abnormal findings including weight. From then they will probably recommend taking a blood sample (they may do this in the treatment area out of your sight) but don't worry, the main reason is that cat veins are tiny and hard to see and feel, so bright lighting and good assistants make the sampling more successful. Your vet may also get a urine and fecal Sample to check for parasites and other illnesses like diabetes . most vet offices will start to run blood tests in house, but others might send the sample out to a reference lab. I hope this info helps you prepare for his visit. Take a towel in the cat carrier, and one more to place over the carrier or box so that h
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is 16 years old and no longer leaves the house. She seems in good health but is due a booster vaccination. However, when we took her to the vets last time she become severely distressed by the journey (puking, pooping, peeing, crying). I am sc
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cheeky. I still recommend vaccinating older pets as they are more susceptible to disease due to weakened immune systems. I would ask her veterinarian for a mild sedative such as gabapentin to relax her for transport. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Since my cat has begun to mature, he has become aggressive/confrontational towards strangers. So much so that when we tried to take him to the vet for shots the last time, they gave up trying to give them to him because he wouldn't cooperate. Is ther
Neutering could definitely help the aggression problem. I would also recommend picking up a product called Feliway. It comes in a spray and a plug in and it has pheromones that can help calm your cat. You will not be able to smell it. Sometimes this helps, too. You can also spray the towel in the carrier so he can bring it with him to the vet. I would contact your vet for an oral medication to help sedate him prior to his next exam. This would help ensure his safety and every one that handles him.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi! I have a 13 year old cat due for annual. She gets real stressed and out vet prescribed gabapentin. I'm reading it can have liver and kidney side effects. Are there any other things that I could do without using drugs on her?
Those side effects are more common with chronic long term use. One to two doses prior the appointment will provide mild sedation and help calm her for the visit. You can try feliway spray. You spray a towel for the carrier and place a towel on top to help keep her covered
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
Coco has behaved agitated both the times I last took her to vet. She didn't let the vet take her blood samples even. Due to which there has been delay in her spaying. Both the times she has scratched and bit me badly. What am I supposed to do? How to
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Ideally, you should contact a cat behaviorist in your area to help you in person with her behavior. However, spaying her would likely help with this behavior. Your veterinarian can consider sedating her so that they are able to proceed with taking the blood samples and the spay to see if that helps. Otherwise, it would be best to have someone help you in person to modify her behavior. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 16 year old dog keeps throwing up and having seizures and im not to sure why. She also keeps trying to attack me and passing out for no real reason. Ive tried to take her to the vets but they say that she is far too aggressive and disruptive. Im v
Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address your concern. I would contact the veterinarian again and ask if they can provide you with a sedative / anti-anxiety medication prior to coming in and then have you muzzle her prior to bringing her in. Medications such as Trazodone and amitriptyline together can help with the anxiety. She really needs to be seen by a veterinarian and have her blood tested to see if there are any abnormal systemic changes that could be causing the symptoms you are describing. With her age, I am concerned about something systemic that could be abnormal or cancer. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat (14 years old, female) had a spot appear on her face a few months ago which seems to have slightly grown in size over time. I thought it may just disappear itself over time but it doesn’t seem like it will. It doesn’t seem to be irritating her
Ouch! That definitely should be seen by your vet. They will need to take a sample, generally a fine-needle aspirate, to help determine what the growth is and if it needs to be removed, drained, or treated. If your kitty doesn't like going to the vet, you can call ahead to see if they can prescribe a sedative to give at home before bringing her in which can help make things less stressful (and easier for your vet to get a sample of the growth). Some veterinarians also provide home services, so if you feel kitty would be calmer at home, a housecall vet may be a good alternative.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
Our Dog Snowden is a large (90 pound) Husky/ wolf mix. She is 13 years old, almost 14. She has been limping on her front right paw. She licks her paw too. The problem is, is we can't get near her paw to look at it. The last time she went to the Vet,
Hello, I would recommend talking to your vet about getting Snowden an anti-anxiety medication to take before future exams and grooms. A couple of common medications used for this purpose are Trazodone and Gabapentin. Training her to wear a basket muzzle may be helpful as well. The basket muzzle type allows them to eat, drink, and pant comfortably while making it very difficult for her to successfully bite anyone. Some veterinarians do house calls as well, and this may be helpful if leaving the house is part of her fear. As vets, we encounter many fearful and hurting pets. If you call and explain the situation, they will likely be able to guide you on getting her an appropriate anti-anxiety medication dose and seeing her for a consult. I hope this has been helpful! Thanks for using Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I adopted a 9 year old dog (Doxie) from a shelter a week ago and she is very sweet, friendly, and calm. She has no problem with strange people and lets me touch/examine any part of her body with no problems. However the first time I took her to the v
Dogs have good memories and it appears that Georgina has bad association with the veterinary office from a previous experience. There are a few things you can do and work out with your veterinary team. This this training may not work but it is worthwhile to try: https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-is-fear-free-training-and-socialization/ Remember though that the goal of your veterinarian is to keep both pets and people safe so always trust your vet's judgement on the use of a muzzle. Your veterinarian sees thousands of animals a year and knows how to recognize a dog who is a bite risk. Best of luck
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Cat Food Cat Supplies Wet Cat Food Cat Medicine Senior Cat Food Vaccines and Shots for Cats Senior Cat Vitamins & Supplements Veterinary Diet Cat Food Cat Health & Wellness Cat Anxiety Medication Veterinary Diets Senior Cat Vitamins & Supplements Vet Worthy Cat Health & Wellness Prednisone Cat Medicine Vet Worthy Cat Supplies Vet's Best Cat Supplies Vetality Cat Training & Behavior CitraVet Cat Medicine VetriScience Senior Cat Vitamins & Supplements Science Diet Senior Cat Food Veterinary Diets Cat Health & Wellness
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored