Kittyface.

We have many ways to describe our cat Train. Highly strung. Stressy. Bitey. A total bitchface. A typical tortie. But it’s hard to explain really what she’s like.

You have to see it for yourself. And even then, you see the stressed Train. The Train that hates you because you’re invading her space. Because you’re a stranger and you look at her funny. She has a reputation with our friends. One where you she might draw blood, if you’re lucky.

But when she’s alone with us she’s not all that bad. She’s not a lap cat by any stretch of the imagination, but the love is definitely there. Especially on cold winter nights when she wants to steal our body heat.

Vet trips are necessary evil. There’s the getting-her-in-the-cage bit. Then the driving-in-the-car bit (not so bad). Then the sitting-in-the-waiting-room bit. Then the here’s-a-scary-vet bit. Thick welding gloves, a couple of towels and an assistant nurse or two are usually involved in the yearly trip to get her feline vaccination. Usually Train requires a bath afterwards, because in her fear she forgets little things. Like how well toilet trained she is.

This time we took a different approach. The vet would come to us, dammit. Thankfully, there are actually people that do that in Sydney… for a few extra dollars, of course. Ari from Vet Around was our pick of the couple we found serviced our area.

Train was much more relaxed. And by ‘relaxed’ I mean, she took a swipe or two at Ari, but didn’t draw blood – so she wasn’t playing for keeps. Yet.

Ari was fantastic. He stayed for about 45 minutes and spoke with us about Train. Got a full run down of what she is like, how she reacts to things and got a pretty good sense of her personality just by watching her watch him. It was a nice change from the usual holy-shit-get-that-fucking-cat-out-of-here reaction we get from our regular vet.

He didn’t back away from our terrifying cat, and he gave us some options that might help her out. That may make her less stressy. Less bitey. Less bitchfacey. Options like kitty prozac. And “let’s just do vaccinations once every three years from now, eh?”

And that… that is worth every cent.