As you know, in late May Lucky was hospitalized for bladder stone surgery. After numerous vet visits and an emergency room vet overnight stay, he went to a specialty vet hospital about 40 minutes from our house where he was hospitalized for three nights before surgery as they stabilized him and one night after surgery.
In the days leading up to his surgery, the hospital permitted visits so I took advantage of the chance to see Lucky each day. When the hospital first mentioned the option of visiting, I wasn’t sure what I should do. Would it be more upsetting to Lucky to visit him and then leave? More upsetting to me?
I decided the first day to go visit but, before seeing him, I talked with the hospital nurses to make sure that they didn’t think the visit wouldn’t stress out Lucky or cause any kind of health problems, since Lucky was catheterized. They assured me that it was no problem.
The hospital set me up in an empty exam room and brought in Lucky (still catheterized and with a urine collection bag). He was wrapped in a towel and really seemed happy to see me, immediately purring and rubbing against me. The nurse set him on the exam table (so the urine collection bag could sit below), and I sat with him for about 20 minutes.
One thing I noticed was that Lucky was super interested in my purse–it smelled like home. After a few minutes, he curled up on the purse and took a nap, purring away.
The following day, I visited again, returning with the purse and more relaxed during this day’s visit. That day, Lucky enjoyed playing a bit with my purse strap (strings are his FAVORITE toy) and just cuddling with me and the purse.
In looking back, here are my tips for visiting your cat in the veterinary hospital:
- Talk with the staff. Ask your vet and the staff if a visit is a good idea.
- Arrange a time in advance. Each morning, I called to set up a time for the visit when the staff wasn’t busy with surgeries.
- Be happy. Our pets are so tuned into our emotions. This is a tough one when you’re already emotionally frazzled but grit your teeth and smile. Be happy and upbeat for your cat (and even just pretending to be happy will make you feel better, too!)
- Be prepared. Be prepared to see your cat with all the paraphernalia that may come with his hospital visit. We’d already transported Lucky twice with a catheter and collection bag so I knew what to expect.
- Don’t overdo it. Make the visit a short one.
- Wear something snuggly. You may not be able to pick up your cat and cuddle as you’d like so wear something snuggly. Lucky needed to stay on the exam table so I just leaned into the table and cuddled him up against me and the soft t-shirt I was wearing.
I wasn’t able to visit Lucky on his last day at the hospital as he recovered from surgery but, the next morning, we were able to pick him up to return home! This was the first time Lucky had been away from home since we adopted him Feb. 14, 2014 (even when he went in for neutering he came home that night) but the visits helped make the time pass more quickly for me–and hopefully for him as well!
- Cat Adoption: FAQ You Might Have - June 28, 2024
- Protecting Birds with Birdsbesafe Cat Collars - April 24, 2024
- Are Eclipses Dangerous to Cats? - March 4, 2024