Will my cat hate me if I take her to the vet for dental surgery?

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?

Will my cat hate me if I take her to the vet for dental surgery?
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!
Reply:No problem! I forgot to add too, that my little man didn't seem to be in any pain afterward...he was actually trying to eat as soon as we got home! Also, I wasn't given any pain pills to administer at home b/c they gave him a nerve blocker. He never seemed uncomfortable to me. Good luck :o) Report It

Reply:She won't hate you.
Reply:No, not forever. Just for the week or two that you have to give her antibiotics %26amp; pain killers.





We had the same thing with one of our cats and she is fine now.
Reply:no she will love you even more, your taking her out of pain..
Reply:no, maybe for a couple days, but you know that it would be the right thing to do, but if shes mad she will get over it, i promise!
Reply:Cat's don't love or hate anyone. They know everything revolves around them.
Reply:You have to understand that cats just don't have the mental capacity to hold a grudge for something they don't understand. All you are doing here is taking her to the vet, where they'll tranquilize her and extract the teeth. She'll wake up, you'll be there, loving her, and she'll never think twice you did something awful to her.
Reply:She will be fine. Neglecting the rotting teeth would make you a horrible pet owner. You are going to have to deal with her being unhappy for a couple of days.
Reply: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.
Reply:Absolutely not! People take their cats to get declawed everyday and that is far worse than any tooth extraction -- they get over it!





Remember, in one way a cat is no different than a dog -- you keep feeding it and it will love you unconditionally.
Reply:Most likley the cat will hate the vet more than you, it also wont last forever, especially if you tempt her with things she loves, tummy rubs, treats, etc, etc. Cats arent as complex as we are when it comes to emotions. Your cat wont think "she made me get my teeth pulled", she'll think, "everytime she puts me in the carrier, something bad happens that I dont like". Its not you, its the conditioning of carrier=vet=not fun.
Reply: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.
Reply:i had a cat once that i got neutered and he didnt hate me he just got fatter that is all. but if you let her teeth get worse it will be more problematic in the future. well good luck hope this helps she will love you for being the best pet owner you can be and that is all you can ever do. and she will ever be grateful for that.
Reply:they put her to sleep durning thr process or the numb her mouth either way she wont feel athing !


besides she probally having pain in the back of her mouth ! basically she wont hate you !





good luck !!!
Reply: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.
Reply:no, but she will act kind of weird because of the surgery, i thought my cat hated me too but actually you are just helping her. She wont hate you, i promise!
Reply:a cat cant hold a grudge agaisnt you. no matter how much she may be mad at you.. she will realize that you are only looking out for the best interest of her well being.





besides.. you are the one that feeds her and plays with her.
Reply: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.
Reply: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.)
Reply:Don't worry....your cat will not hate you at all. She will be uncomfortable for a few days but just give her lots of love and attention and she will be fine. I don't agree with the poster who said that cats don't love or hate, and the one that said they don't have the mental capacity but cats are forgiving. She will just want lots of love while she is recovering.
Reply:It is unlikely that your cat would hate you for anything but abuse. If you use a pet carrier to transport her to and from the surgery... she may not even connect you with it. I think it's wonderful that you are doing this...wish there were LOTS more people like you! Merry Christmas! Hugs, Gina C.
Reply: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
Reply:I'm planning on taking my cats in for a dental cleaning in this coming year as a preventitive measure.
Reply: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.
Reply:Absolutely. Cats hate going anywhere.
Reply: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.
Reply:Only for a little while and then she will be so thrilled that the pain is gone.