Resident cat in the Vet's office

grab01

 The clinic I work at had a resident cat for years. She was pretty well versed  around animals and never went past the counter (she usually, in fact, was asleep on a bed on the desk)..never wandered the waiting room floor, etc.  She also was a great judge of when it was and was not a good idea to enter the treatment area. (if aggressive dogs were hooked up, etc)  She passed away at around age 16 and, as far as I know, didn't have any mishaps in the 8 or so years she was a clinic cat.

That sounds totally like Kramer at Dr. B's office.  Kramer DID have buddies and would come out when it was safe.  And Dr. B always keeps a dog around as a donor as well. 

I honeslty like the fact that my vet is seriously rescue minded and the animals disappear if an agressive animal comes in.

Our vet has both resident dogs AND cats. The dogs are contained behind the counter and the cats know when to remove themselves from the area.  I have NEVER seen a problem at all and I have used this vet for almost twenty years.

Shouldn't you expect to see other dogs and cats in the waiting room anyway?  I mean your not the vet's only client and most waiting rooms usually have a few other pet owner with their animals in that area at any given time.  Yeah the cats would be in kennels and other dogs on leashes but clinics that do have clinic pets also take the same precautions to protect their pets from disrupting yours.

Clinics where I worked did have clients that would call ahead of time and warn us if their dog was reactive to other animals.  In that case we would walk them in through the back door or find another way to see the dog, sometimes house calls, so they wouldn't have to be around other animals.  If a dog is that sensitive to being around cats or other animals then for the safty of all pet owners in the clinic, that pet owner should let the clinic know ahead of time regarless of whether the clinic has a resident pet or not.

I really don't see the big deal about cats in the vets office. Our vet has a resident cat or two (truthfully, I don't pay much attention - I could have seen the same cat twice or whatever). Timmy is quite interested in cats and will try to go see them, but they run away into the back room and a simple "leave it" does the trick with Timmy. Sadie....well she's pretty. She either doesn't notice them or if she does, she doesn't care. She also had the pleasure of living with my parents cat for a month when we went away once. So she knows about cats. Personally, I am much more cautious about other intact male dogs at the vets office. The waiting room is quite small so we try our best to just arrive right on time and if we have to wait, we generally wait outside. I like that the vets are willing to help out a cat or two that is otherwise just going to be put down - instead it gets to live a pretty darn good life with lots of love from the staff.

I used to go to a vet's office that had a cat in their waiting area. BAD IDEA if you ask me. I agree with the fact that its a business and should be treated as such. There is no reason for a cat to be loose in a area where there are going to be dominantly dogs frequenting. My last boxer I had HATED cats and was known as a cat-killer (before I rescued him). He would go nuts every time he saw that cat...to the point where I had to switch vets. Yes, I could contain him, but thats not the point. I shouldnt have to struggle with my rescue at a vet's office, let alone making my dog get all juiced up right before he went in to see the vet.

Some people are fine with it, others arent. Its one of those topics that will be very controversial.

I think its a disaster waiting to happen.

 Stephanie I am with you - I would not continue to see a vet that had loose animals in the waiting area.  Even though Bugsy is awesome - if over friendly - with dogs I wouldn't want to have a dog wandering around either.  I think it is wonderful that some vets take in cats and use them as donors etc.  but I guess I feel that some of you really haven't seen a truly cat aggressive dog.  I in no way would take on the obligation of calling the vet to say hey we're coming in please put the cat away.  If B smells cat he is brain dead (lost to the scent) he literally is 'gone' and full on hunting.  No way I would add that to the stress of a vet visit and he loves the vet. 

So for me it would be a loss of my business - add in that I am severely allergic to cats, triggering asthma attacks quickly and no thanks

I have two cat aggressive dogs. My vet has a resident cat. I only know because they have a food dish on top of a filing cabinet behind the desk and a bed in a window. I've never seen the cat or cats. It clearly knows that my dogs are not friends and disappears when we come around. I'm sure not every cat is cut out to be a vet clinic's resident, but then again, I doubt any vet would just keep a cat that didn't fit the bill. That said, I'm sure I wouldn't want to be on the other end of Bugsy's leash at my vet's clinic, but there is always the other vet's office if I wanted a cat free clinic. **shrugs** I don't have a problem with that. I wonder if its common for problems to arise in these sorts of situations?

kpwlee

add in that I am severely allergic to cats, triggering asthma attacks quickly and no thanks

Excellent point, Karen.  I, too, am allergic to cats.  I have adapted to the two I have, but strange ones can cause me trouble (though not as severe as asthma).

kpwlee

If B smells cat he is brain dead (lost to the scent) he literally is 'gone' and full on hunting.  No way I would add that to the stress of a vet visit and he loves the vet. 

So for me it would be a loss of my business - add in that I am severely allergic to cats, triggering asthma attacks quickly and no thanks

So, does your vet clinic not see cats at all? We try to be accommodating to all pet owners, but there are many times where dogs/cats are going to cross in our waiting room. Not to mention, we have dogs and cats that are boarded on a daily basis for surgery/etc....

 They do see cats although in the nearly 6 years of going there I can only recall once when there was a cat in a plastic carrier in the waiting area. And yes he detected it immediately but they had a room available and we went right in, although I don't have a ton of great things to say about the practice I can say that we've never had to wait more than a couple of minutes for a room and that was only once.

as for my allergies there's a difference between a cat living in a space and cats visiting a place that is cleaned throughout the day.

I totally understand that B is an exception and that for many it is not an issue at all - for me it would be so I would certainly choose a practice that didn't have a resident cat.

Hmm - I think pretty much every vet I've ever gone to has had a resident dog and/or cat (and sometimes other animals) -- however, I think every single one of them has been sensitive to a dog reactive to a cat and an owner's desire to avoid any confrontation.  I'd say probably one time out of two or two times out of three my vet may have a mixed waiting room of dogs and cats but any reactive dogs are dealt with privately and quickily.  No long waits but it's busy there.  I have gone to a couple of vets who had separate waiting rooms for dogs & cats. 

 My previous vet had a clinic cat who I never saw anywhere put safely up on the counter, waiting for human customers to rub her belly. I think it's fine, though I know there were always a few dogs in the waiting room eying her.