Merlins vets visit!

[Moli]

Merlin went to the vets today, to see if he would allow the nurse to comb out his backend, he had a few matts.....Leo went as well for his monthly jab.....Leo got his jab, then sat in the opened box watching everything that was going on..Merlin dived under the fleece in his box and peeked out at us....Got him out and sat him in his box, he sat as good as gold while the nurse combed him, took 15 minutes to remove the matts, which were quite small.He is not keen on the vets, so behaved very well..Now, why the heck could he not just let me do it! instead of swiping and biting me when I tried!Now he is sulking!!They did say because of how cold its been, cats undercoat are much thicker this year, maybe explaining why he has never been matted before...

[dandysmom]

Oh poor Merlin! I suppose as he dislikes it, he knows he can deter you by biting, and that it won't work at the vets so he might as well resign himself and let it be done. They are very clever.

Interesting about the thick undercoats; wonder if other members have noticed that?

[Mags]

Poor Merlin, I'm pleased they managed to comb out his matts though......

Hope he doesn't get his own back when he next sees you with the comb, Moli!

[angieh]

He was a good boy just to show you up I expect Moli! Yes, very interesting about the thicker undercoat - clever cats.

[Tink]

Oh yes he certainly did it to show you up..all my dear kitties terrorize me and then act like little angels at the vet. I've learned not to warn them anymore as I just end up looking like a fool

[lynz85]

oh naughty merlin

im sure its not just my cats who miaow through the whole (bus!!) journey to the vets then as soon as you step through the door- silence!

[Shelley123]

Glad Merlin was a good boy. I have noticed Tom and particularly Jerry have had a few matts and they are shorthairs.

[Moli]

Originally Posted by Shelley123

Glad Merlin was a good boy. I have noticed Tom and particularly Jerry have had a few matts and they are shorthairs.

Merlin is a shorthaired Persian, but has a very dense coat...

[wilbar]

Over on the Dogsey forum, people are commenting on the increased density of dogs' coats this year, because of the very cold winter ~ so perhaps it's the same for cats?

And the behaviour you describe at the vets i.e. keeping still while the vet nurse detangles him, but having a hissy fit if you try the same ~ is not uncommon

When confronted by something scary, frightening or novel, animals have different behavioural coping strategies ~ "the 4 Fs" ~ Flight, Fight, Freeze, Fiddle about a bit.

The first 2 are easily recognisable & flight is the method of choice for most cats, preferably upwards! Fight is Merlin's option when you try to detangle the matts, probably because flight isn't possible if he's restrained ~ so he chooses fight, partly because he's not scared of you so using "fight" isn't going to result in an injury to him, & probably because it's worked before ~ you let him go & stop the detangling

However the vet nurse is an unknown quantity & being at the vet surgery is a pretty scary thing as he's out of his comfort zone so Merlin will not be feeling confident. Flight isn't an option if he's restrained, fight is not a wise move as he doesn't know where to go to escape & might end up worse off, so freeze is the only option open to him. So what you're seeing is not really a well-behaved cat who is being "good" for the nurse, but a cat that is too frightened to dole out the same treatment that he gives you! So he sits there & puts up with the detangling.

My cats behave in exactly the same way at the vets!

The 4th "F" ~ "fiddle about a bit" ~ is what cats do when they're unsure, not confident, feeling a bit hesitant/wary, but not so scared they need to run, fight or freeze. You often see this when a cat walks into a room & is not sure of the reception it will get, so it walks into the doorway, sits, has a quick wash, walks a bit further, has a scratch, then meows, then comes further into the room etc. Often just a quick greeting back, calling the cat & encouraging it towards you, allays any hesitancy.

[Gaina]

I'm interested to read about the problems people are having with particularly thick undercoat this year as my cat (long haired) has a hair matt on his tummy for the first time ever. I've also posted about fleas today and my poor mum is thinking it's her fault when it's absolutely not because he is groomed, de-flea'd and wormed faithfully. I am sure this will put her mind at rest .