Taking Taz to the vet

On hearing that we had acquired a new pet our local vet.practice suggest we bring him in for a check up and advise on precautionary flea and worming treatment.

Now this is no ordinary practice. It is the first purpose built veterinary hospital in Scotland opened by Princess Anne in 1995.


The reception area comes complete with fish tank to soothe worried owners, arrays of toys and pet treats for sale and should your animal misbehave (God forbid!) help is at hand with animal psychologists.
If your pet develops some rare disease then animal consultants are brought in. You get blood test results the same day.

Come the inevitable day come for your beloved pet to be "put to sleep" there are even counselling rooms for you to grieve.

Our pets get far better treatment than many OAPs.

Not for our beloved dogs and cats the hurried consultation by an overworked, harassed GP followed by a quick flick of a prescription.

Your needs and that of your pet are catered for.

Fine.
But I suspect Taz has never been to the vet in his life. He came to us not in the standard cat basket (too small) but a crate more suitable for a small tiger.

The other night a neighbouring cat had the audacity to creep in through his cat flap and he approached it with a deep growl more appropriate to an animal three times his size.
The poor intruder stood transfixed like a rabbit in headlights until I grabbed it and put it out.

Taz objects to the indignity of being picked up.
Assuming we could get him into his crate how would the vet propose to carry out an inspection on an animal he/she can't touch without severe injury?

As for giving him an injection...I laughed like a drain when "M" said this is what the vet had proposed, or alternatively a pill , for preventative worm treatment.

Do we insure him? Moggies are reputed to be tough and he is certainly tough.

It's us who needs to be insured.