Back in college, i worked summers for a Vet. I have come across some very lovable cats (mostly because they acted like dogs) but when you work around sick and hurt animals, you quickly realize that dogs show appreciation for your kindness. Cats don’t. And have you ever tried to deal with a feral cat? Good luck and bring thick bite proof gloves that extend to your shoulders.
Here's my latest rescue dog, for whom I held a benefit auction and bankrupted myself for the balance to get her and her sister out of a shelter in CA to MD [her sister went to NE];
She's an Ibizan Hound/Portuguese Podengo mix.
She came here with double pneumonia and a host of other health issues.
She's now wonderfully healthy and happy.
[and a very grateful, lovable, beloved "mutt"]....;)
Having nursed 2 cats through advanced old age with multiple illnesses and one serious injury (compound fracture of a hind leg due to osteoporosis, surgically repaired with a metal plate and screws), I thoroughly disagree. These cats knew that I and the vets and vet techs were helping them, and they behaved accordingly. Like small children, any cat (and dog) occasionally gets scared by something an instinctively lashes out in self-defense, but this can almost always be avoided by thinking carefully about how your actions will be interpreted by a nervous kitty and and choosing your approach accordingly.
One of my cats needed an enema at home every 2-3 days for the last few months of his life, due to a neurological problem, but I went about it in a way that didn’t frighten him, and he quickly figured out that he felt better afterwards. The other cat had renal insufficiency and diabetes, and for the last 18 months of his life, needed daily subQ fluids, and twice daily blood sugar testing and insulin shots — he knew I was a “helper” and didn’t object at all. He actually LOVED the fluids sessions, where the routine involved lying on my bed getting combed while the fluids dripped in — if I was late for our nightly fluid sesssion, he’d head up to the usual spot on the bed and glare at me as I sat at my computer.