I found a starving cat outside my house four years ago. She is now a loving, beautiful, playful house cat, and I love her dearly. Me and my husband recently have noticed that her breath was really starting to go bad. I took her to the vet and the vet saw that her back teeth were extremely rotten and will need to be extracted.
I want to take the best care of my cats and I will pay to get this surgery, but I worry she won't know that this is for her own good. Will my cat hate me forever for putting her through this?
2007-12-07 02:13:17 · 28 answers · asked by Lizzy 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
I'm going to give her this surgery regardless of how she might feel afterward, I was just wondering if she'd think that because I took her to the vet to get her teeth pulled if she'll hold a grudge against me.
2007-12-07 02:29:05 · update #1
I took my cat in and she got the surgery. She ended up getting 5 teeth taken out. One tooth the vet said, literally, just fell out of her mouth as the vet was cleaning her teeth. Luckily, the vet did not charge me for extracting that one. ;)
Its been 8 years since she had the surgery, and of course, she didn't end up hating me. She does hate the vet and the cat carrier. She runs and hides anytime she sees me taking it out.
2016-02-10 08:14:48 · update #2
I had this done on my 15 year old cat and he has never been happier! He only has a couple teeth left, but is soooo much healthier and actually eats better too!
2007-12-07 06:40:06 · answer #1 · answered by Beth D 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, the cat won't hate you forever, she will hate the vet!!
I have four dogs and I used to have a cat, and they have all been to the vet for spaying, neutering, dental cleaning, and even spinal surgery for a slipped disc.
They all love us dearly but they aren't fond of the vet :)
Plus, the cat will be asleep during the extraction and will not remember it, and you'll give her pain meds after.
Not just that, but animals have short memories about this stuff. As soon as she's feeling physically better she'll be fine.
2007-12-07 02:19:04 · answer #2 · answered by Shana B 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's not really possible for us to get inside an animal's mind and know what they're really thinking. But it would seem that they do not bear grudges, particularly cats (who seem to me to only live in the moment)
The cat will not know what's happening is for her own good, no. But she will be aware afterwards that her mouth is feeling a lot better - not that she'll associate that with the experience at the vets! You're definitely doing a good thing for her - you shouldn't feel guilty at all, because whatever worry she goes through at one day at the vets will be far outweighed by how much better she will feel afterwards. After all if you had rotten, painful teeth would you not be begging to have them treated, no matter how scared of the dentist you might be?
I did dental work on my cat's teeth when she was 16. It was weird having her at work with me, and even weirder seeing her anaesthetised - and absolutely horrific for ME trying to wrestle a blood sample out of her! But I didn't worry that she was going to hate me - I knew she'd be p*ssed off for that day, but once I got her home she was back to normal, apart from having to eat mushy food for about a week! In fact, I kept her on opioid analgesia for the rest of the day and she seemed to enjoy that, a lot!!
So don't feel bad at all, you have no reason to. I do not think cat's and dog's brains are evolved enough to experience complex emotions like hatred, revenge and grudges!
Chalice
2007-12-07 04:08:13 · answer #3 · answered by Chalice 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, she'll probably be upset with you for a few days while she works off the effects of the sedative and surgery. But when she recovers and notices she's feeling better, she'll probably get over it and still love you.
I took my cat in for a preventative dental cleaning last year, and she was upset for a day or so, but quickly went back to her usual loving self. Heck, I have to put transdermal medication on her ears twice a day, and she doesn't stay angry at me.
2007-12-07 05:03:58 · answer #4 · answered by VeggieTart -- Let's Go Caps! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think your cat will even associate you with the dental work, she will associate the vet's office with it. You are definitely doing the right thing, not only are the bad teeth painful to her, they are also dangerous to her health. Bless you for being a caring and loving pet owner. I wish everyone were like you.
2007-12-07 02:41:38 · answer #5 · answered by Starscape 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My cat has had several dentals, and I would imagine that if he could, he'd tell me he doesn't like the surgery but he likes having a healthy mouth.
A cat with an unhealthy mouth is prone to disease.
2007-12-07 07:50:05 · answer #6 · answered by kananaskis95 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would call the vet and see what they think. A week seems a little long, but it's possible that part of his moodiness was because his teeth were in bad shape and now that his mouth isn't hurting him, he's a calmer boy. It's also possible he's still sore from the cleaning and that's keeping him subdued. Just my guesses, better to ask your vet.
2016-03-15 08:52:00 · answer #7 · answered by Alice 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm planning on taking my cats in for a dental cleaning in this coming year as a preventitive measure.
2007-12-07 04:15:48 · answer #8 · answered by catloverme123 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She might not be very pleased with you for a short time, but she will get over it quickly. Also she'll probably feel better in the long run with her mouth cleaned up. Your cat knows that you love her and she loves you in return. She would no more hate you for this than you would hate her for say knocking a glass off the table and breaking it. (One bad day doesn't cancel out four good years.)
2007-12-07 03:04:21 · answer #9 · answered by danl747 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Probably not. She will return to her loving self when she sees you because after 4 years she associates you with someone who helps her.
When my kitten got fixed at the age of 6 months, I had my husband drive her to the vet's office, and drop her off for the surgery. Then I picked her up that evening. So she would associate me with taking her home, and him with taking her someplace she didn't like! That was 11 years ago and she still is herself. She loves me and thinks he is ok.
2007-12-07 02:23:56 · answer #10 · answered by danashelchan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The cat won't be happy but if you want to save her life you must take her to the vet for this procedure. The infection from rotting teeth could kill her. She will get over it and still love you.
2007-12-07 02:22:19 · answer #11 · answered by notyou311 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋