I took Roger for his first vet visit today with Dorothy in support.
He was a delight in the waiting room and just watched everyone silently with his tail wagging oh so slowly.
Dorothy clattered her big paws on the vinyl flooring and woofed her baby woof at a parrot in a cage on the reception desk
and everyone laughed
The vet thought Roger was one of the best Welsh terriers he had ever seen and when he brought in his boss to give him the once over I beamed like proud dad on parents day.
“ A nice dog “ the senior partner said lifting Roger’s head with a finger under his jaw and he looked at the computer screen on the treatment room table with a smirk .
“ You are Albert’s owner I see” he commented “ is he still with us ?”
I told them yes and the older vet laughed “ That cat is one of the most aggressive Toms I have ever treated in 35 years……he’s a real bruiser ! “
“ Have you a warning on his records ? “ I asked pointing at the console
“ Yes ..it’s all in bold” the vet quipped “ use protective gloves at all times” he read out and I could see the comment was followed by three exclamation marks
I suddenly felt a little less pet proud.
I enjoy all your posts. This one has to be in the top 5. Gill from NZ
ReplyDeleteCheers Gill…..it’s been a quiet day
DeleteA great post. I'd still be pet proud. One of the best Welsh terriers and one of the most aggressive Tom cats.
ReplyDeleteThey both looked disappointed when I told them Albert was still with me
DeleteIn my experience Vets don't mind a feisty patient - In fact when my thatch caused a disturbance in the waiting room - we were offered a smaller adjoining room used for horse owners - problem there was a horse receptionist popped out with her small whippet ! - Luckily Vet called out " thatch" we ran away and smiling he said " I like terriers " x
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing Albert YOWL the roof off when I last took him
DeleteWouldn't horse owners need a bigger room for their horses rather than a smaller one?
DeleteHorses are not allowed Into the waiting room 🐎
DeleteSo why do horse owners have a different waitng room to other pet owners?
DeleteI guess that's a hard one to answer when it's relating to a made up story.
DeleteTry this one - If you were "runnng away" how did you hear the vet say he liked terriers?
Also what a strange thing for him to be saying as someone was running out of the room!
🤦
DeleteWhich Anon are you Anon?
DeleteOh, good grief! Give Albert credit for being a strong-willed boy who seems to survive by his wits! That should make you proud of that old boy .. he has grit!
ReplyDeleteThe dogs are just being dogs!
I was secretly happy , though it’s never nice seeing him distressed by a vet visit
DeleteWe have a cat like that. She's sweet at home but the vet needs sleeve length leather gloves. I imagine there is a warning on her page as well:)
ReplyDeleteFunny I have a friend Colin who he adores and whose knee he will sleep on
DeleteI think you can be very proud of all your pets! Albert has his quirks, but he cannot be faulted for ''hating'' the vet visit. As for Roger, I imagine Welsh terriers are especially loved and prized in Wales, how fine that R is a fine boy indeed.
ReplyDeleteI’ve never had a dog who hated the vets apart from my old Scottie maddie who died in the vets after being mismanaged
DeleteHe is his own cat. The little stinker proud of himself. He doesn't much care about what you think. Sometimes people are like that too.
ReplyDeleteOh yes…….mind you he still loves the bulldog
DeleteMy husband has a pair of thick leather gauntlets for manhandling next door's black cat. Sweet as pie one minute, then all teeth and claws the next. Roger and Albert have both found fame, enough to make any dad proud. xx
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves they used an old duvet too
DeleteIs Albert second in seniority in the family or is Mary the oldest? as Only Cat, Albert has responsibilities and must, at times, be aggressive. Be proud of them all, John!
ReplyDeleteOh, and thinking of special gloves, did you know they make goves of use in the kitchen to take how pots and pans out of the oven? DH uses them frequently and our solder son does, too. Check it out on Amazine Smile!
Hugs!
Albert is 14 . Mary 7 , Dorothy is around 6 and Roger 1
DeleteTa for the clarification, John!
DeleteHugs!
Albert is famous!! At least they can laugh, they have to deal with all sorts!
ReplyDeleteNone of my dogs have ever been aggressive towards the vet
DeleteI did have an aggressive pig though
DeleteI think I would prefer Roger on my lap to Albert.
ReplyDeleteAlbert wouldn’t sit there in the first place lol
DeleteAlbert is right wish I could do the same at the drs….only joking. Bravo Albert and you for being his owner. Roger
ReplyDeleteAnd Dorothy the new team, a bit scary.
I
Love this post, made me smile, you show then who's boss Albert!, thanks John (from a daily lurker)
ReplyDeleteXx
DeleteDon’t you dare do that again! I thought something had happened to Albert. And, by the way, I don’t think he would accept you being his owner. Would expect him to say he is his own cat, thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteGive him my best….love that lad
He’s almost feral
DeleteAs his human contact is less than the average sparrow
Good old Albert.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t be without him , or without a cat
DeleteReminds me of taking my son to the doctor's office. The nurse came through the door and looked at the name to call and she quite visibly blanched. Then when I stood up with the younger of my two boys she was visibly relieved. He was the one who would give the nurse a hug after a jab, the older one hid under chairs to avoid them.
ReplyDeleteAlbert sounds like a true character.
Helen
He’s a lovely constant behind the main players Helen
DeleteThe dogs always take centre stage
I had another black cat, male, named Merlin. He also would not sit on your lap, only by his choice. He was a very smart cat and when had a urinary infection, showed me by going wee in the tub, where I could see there was something wrong. After taking him to the vet, we were given "horse" pills to correct the problem, of which he did not appreciate. It took my son and myself to get the job done. We used a large, thick bath towel to keep ourselves from ending up a bloody mess. We tried to break it up into his food but he would either eat around it or leave his food. He also would wee on the toilet. When I told friends this, they would ask if he could flush also. People. (he had a record with the vet too and they would use a lab coat to bundle him up in, but only with my assistance) Loving Albert - little fighter that he is. Ranee (USA)
ReplyDeleteThere is a theme hereRanee , with feisty black cats
DeleteWe inherited Grandma's black cat when she died. Never very friendly but seemed to sense when someone was not well and would sit with them. All our other cats had fairly short lives but this one was about 20. He stopped grooming himself and Mum was super embarrassed at the butcher's one day when someone from nearby warned her that there was a cat with the mange roaming the neighborhood. Mum immediately made an appt with the vet to have him groomed. The vet said he would have to be sedated and may not survive. Mum said to take a chance. My younger brother (7) was upset, he called Mum a murderer. Some time later the 'phone rang- would they please pick up the cat ASAP as he was being SO feisty!
ReplyDeleteJanF
Oh the shame lol
DeleteI had the same complaint about Irene the soay sheep who had been reported to the RSPCA as a ragged, unkempt goat
Grouse (we didn't name him), our current (and last rescue dog) has a few issues from his puppyhood. Being an Irish Setter he is supposedly a gun dog, but when out and he hears a gun or any loud bang he pulls my husband towards home. His visits to the vet were traumatic and he became very aggressive, writhing around trying to get away from being held. We even paid extra for a home visit thinking he would be better, but he wouldn't go near her and would hide behind a chair or anywhere he could find cover. 'Popping' in to the vets so that he could get used to being there didn't help either. That was five years ago and now he's not too bad although he goes to a different vet (our choice). He is that type of Setter where his coat gets thick and woolly and needed to get it trimmed. Imagine! My husband took him to a groomers at Wellington after a couple of preliminary visits to get him used to being there and he was fine. He's still afraid of loud bangs and my husband tries to avoid going out when the hunting season is on. All of this just to say that there must have been notes on his record too. I like Alfred, after Winnie he's my favourite.
ReplyDeleteApologies for the long comment
I loved this reply not only for the content which was so interesting , but for the final reference to Alfred lol xxxx
DeleteFunny how some pets take a dislike to the Vet. My Caesar (Bernese Mountain Dog) dislikes the Vet. 3 different Vets have treated him. We thought he might take a liking to one Vet. No such luck. My son and I go to the Vet with Caesar and it takes us, plus the Vet and a technician to manage the appointment.
ReplyDeleteThat’s a big dog to control. My biggest dog was Winnie and luckily she loved everyone including vets ,
DeleteOh, this so reminds me of our tortoishell cat Toffee. She had a thyroid problem which meant she either had to have regular injections or an op to remove the gland. After drawing blood, which belonged to the vet!, knocking some stuff off of a shelf including papers and some meds, plus messing up the vets computer by walking over the keyboard several times. The vet decided quite firmly that toffee was NOT a candidate for regular injections i e. regular visits and whipped out one thyroid glanda bit lively! With a bold message on her notes that read - WATCH! All very embarassing, but she survived a good few years minus her thyroid with no further prolems. I think they purchased some welders gloves to handle her for further visits. Tess
ReplyDeleteGreat story tess x
DeleteI used welding gloves at work when an aggressive cat was the patient. It never failed, if we didn't, a nasty bite would take place.
ReplyDeleteJo
I’ve seen them indudustrial size
Deletepoor Albert he was probably frightened. Or protective - our tiny dog is only ever snappy if we are around which we attribute to protectiveness. Or she thinks we would back her up.
ReplyDeleteCeci
Love the photo of Albert! My heart paused a beat when I saw the photo, and I quickly read to make certain he's ok. Glad to hear everyone's well. Albert will always be my favorite.
ReplyDeleteBTW... which piece of art did you select for your office? The black cat?
My 14 year-old cat immediately starts to pee when I try to put him in his carrier to go to the vets. Once we're there, he's perfectly docile, though he lies splayed out on the exam table and grips the sides for dear life. When I worked for a children's dentist back in the late seventies before computerized record keeping, we had a way of alerting each other to "problem" patients. We would draw a small red clover leaf at the top of the chart to denote "good luck!" with this one.
ReplyDeleteThe Stalker
ReplyDeleteOur Vet has secret codes…. Ours are hilarious…. Albert should be proud he is top of the charts as far as Toms are concerned ….glove treatment…isn’t that what you get in posh shops also🤣♥️
My very old father loved his cat. When he died my very old mother was left with a cat she didn't like and the feeling was entirely mutual. Sam would sit on her chest, staring at her and about once an hour lunge at her face with a claw. When she moved into a nursing home I spent one night in the old house with him and we agreed to sit on separate chairs.
ReplyDeleteLooking back now I think he was possibly missing my father.
Albert doesn't take any guff from anyone! Yay, Albert! Nice photo, too.
ReplyDeleteWhen DH was a boy, his family had a dat who always would wee down the bathtub drain. She's tear through the house and take a flying leap into the tub - until the day DH's mom was soapking the Venitian blinds in the tub. The whole neighborhood heard the caterwhaling when that cat hif those metal blinds in the water!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the invisble typos!
Hugs!
I used to always beam when people said great things about Murphy. I must say that I am not a cat person though!
ReplyDeleteNoooo, not sweet wide- eyed Albert?!?! - Jenn
ReplyDeleteAlbert sweet boy, it's just the way he is made. My friend had such a badass cat that the vets said never bring him back. He lived in/out, the last few years in garage to a ripe old age and waited till she got home from work and died in her arms. His terms! Life would be boring if everyone was the same. Jen
ReplyDeleteIt would be a dull old world without the likes of Albert. We all know it.
ReplyDeleteHow strange. Billy went to the Vet' yesterday too, and my wife mentioned his 'clattering' on the vinyl flooring.
ReplyDeleteI would be proud of Roger's lovely nature and also Albert's feistiness. But I know which one I would rather see if I were the vet!
ReplyDeleteGoodness, if protective gloves are needed, Albert must be quite a force to reckon with!
ReplyDeleteWhy less proud? To be the keeper of the most aggressive tom cat a vet has ever seen should make you walk ten feet tall. As Queen Victoria often said, "There's no one like my Albert!"
ReplyDelete😂😂😂😂😂😂
DeleteGood on you Albert!!
ReplyDeleteGood for Albert say I - Tom's are meant to be aggresive
ReplyDeleteAnother voice to say, Bravo Albert, he is who he is, and you have helped him have a great life.
ReplyDeleteOh you can still be proud, a feisty cat is one that has been allowed to keep it's character.
ReplyDeleteI had one cat that loved to prowl around the vets surgery without a care in the world while vaccinations were prepared, he once went behind the fridge and came out covered in fluff and cobwebs ... the vet was mortified!
I think having a cat that stands his ground is reason to be proud too!
ReplyDelete