A Cat’s Blood Draw
Originally published Jan 28, 2010
This is one of the first posts I did on this website.
Since I wrote it, I now have videos on YouTube that show blood being drawn from Charlie, Caymus and Murphy. I have posted them all below.
Where does your vet draw your kitty’s blood?
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Getting your cat’s blood taken once a year is an easy way to keep up-to-date on his/her health. Just like it is important for human’s to get a blood panel once a year, it is just as important to get your cat’s blood taken once a year. If your cat has some sort of aliment, then, of course, you will want to get his/her blood taken more frequently. This is especially important because cats take a long time to show that there is anything the matter with them. They show very subtle signs that owners usually don’t recognize or fail to recognize and if you have their blood drawn once a year, it keeps everything in check.
The process of taking a cat’s blood is very easy. I snapped the pictures below from Rags’ draw on 3-14-08.
The vet tech holds the Rags’ head back, exposing his head for easy access to the jugular vein. Since Rags is 18 (equivalent to about 90 years old in human years), his veins aren’t the easiest to get blood from…so they go for the jugular. They then squirt alcohol on his fur and his skin to make sure that there will not be a risk for infection.
Here, Rags’ doc, Dr. Gloor of the KC Cat Clinic, is inserting a needle into his jugular vein.
This whole process took less than 30 seconds. Rags was a little unhappy because someone was holding his head back and he didn’t like not being in control. However, Rags’ minimal amount of discomfort is totally worth the knowledge I receive from this process.
Here are some more recent videos of this process:
Ragdoll Cat Caymus Gets His Blood Drawn March 17 2014 – ねこ – ラグドール – Floppycats
[youtube]http://youtu.be/tBwKbX9CbQw[/youtube]
Ragdoll Cat Caymus Gets His Blood Drawn October 2013 – ねこ – ラグドール – Floppycats
[youtube]http://youtu.be/QD4ERyasfrs[/youtube]
Jugular Blood Draw on a Cat – Ragdoll Cat Gets His Blood Drawn at KC Cat Clinic – ラグドール – Floppycats
[youtube]http://youtu.be/gNPu9ViwkyM[/youtube]
Ragdoll Cat Charlie Goes to the Vet to Get Blood Drawn and Receive Sub Q Fluids – Floppycats
[youtube]http://youtu.be/f_h7dbv_6Go[/youtube]
Check out the other procedures that Rags has received:
• Rags’ Dental
• Rags’ Lymphoma
• Rags’ Enema
• Rags’ B12 Shots
• Administering Fluids
• Rags’ Blood Draw
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
I hate watching it. I get pains in my stomach watching it, tho I know it has to be done eventually. I’ve seen it done on a cat I had years ago and I still remember it. Makes me shudder…
do you have a hard time with your blood being drawn?
Yep, I don’t like watching that either.
Thanks for featuring this subject, Jenny. Blood work may be expensive but it’s well worth the money. Cats can’t tell us what’s wrong and they’re good at masking their symptoms. I believe most vets want a baseline and also recommend at least annual blood work for senior cats. Between these stages, blood work is an important diagnostic tool. Our Holy Tara was “doing poorly” several years ago but her standard blood work was normal. A thyroid test pinpointed the problem. Now she’s Sweet Sixteen, I put a dose of medication in her ear every other day and she acts like a kitten 🙂
Hey Jenny!
Over the years of being a cat owner, my cats have had the neck used and front or hind legs used. It all depended on the cat’s mood at the time. I don’t enjoy the process any more than they do, but I feel it is necessary to at least get a baseline of blood work for comparison for down the road.
Hi. My cat is getting blood drawn soon for the first time and I was wondering if your has a hard time at the vet or is your cat even-tempered? My cat hisses and growls at everyone at the vet’s office so I’m not expecting her blooding drawing to look like your cat’s. 🙁