Your Cat Wants You to Pack for the ER
We are so fortunate to have TWO pet emergency clinics right here in Latham! I’ll write about the development of these two clinics in a future issue. Today, I want to talk about how you can help yourself and your cat when you head to either one of the clinics, but I have spent the most time at one of them lately, so I’ll go into extra details about that one.
The two clinics are:
Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital
222 Troy-Schenectady Rd, Latham, NY 12110
Phone: 518-785-1094Upstate Veterinary Specialties
152 Sparrowbush Rd., Latham, NY 12110
Phone: 518-783-3198
First of all, not only do we have two pet ER clinics, but they are BOTH open 24 hours a day, every day. Back in the “old days,” this was not the case at all. How do you decide which one to go to when you are having a cat emergency, or you’re not sure if you are having an emergency?
In my mind, I use the following decision tree. I write about cats generically (“the cat”) instead of specifically (“your cat/my cat”) in case you are taking care of someone else’s cat or are trying to help a cat you have picked up off the road or somewhere else. As you will see, there are a number of things to consider.
The clinics are both in Latham. They are 2.2 miles apart from each other. They both have adequate parking, waiting rooms, and rest rooms. You do not save travel time going to one versus the other.
Has the cat previously been treated by a specialist at either one of the clinics connected with the ERs? If yes, go to that clinic. For example, if the cat sees a cardiologist at Upstate Veterinary Specialties, go there. If the cat has had eye surgery with an ophthalmologist at Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital, go there. Even if the problem is not related to the previous issue, the previously attended clinic has records on the cat. If the clinic needs to refer you to the other clinic, they will. For example, if you bring in a cat that is diagnosed with a neurological problem and one clinic has a neurologist on staff and the other doesn’t, you will be redirected to the clinic with the neurology staff.
If the cat has not been to either clinic, but you suspect a specific problem that might require a specialist, try to take a quick look at the web sites and determine which clinic can serve your cat’s need. Go to that one.
How much time do you have to wait around? If that matters, call both, press whatever number you need for the emergency desk, and ask for an estimated wait time. Sometimes you can get an answer on that, sometimes not. I have been out of either clinic as quickly as under 1 hour or as long as 6-8 hours. If the staff is so-so on giving you an estimate, ask how many veterinarians are on staff right now and if any emergency surgeries are happening. If there is one vet and that person is in emergency surgery, you could be there 6 hours. Your cat cannot be hospitalized, if needed, until seen by a veterinarian. Yes, your can can be stabilized and have tests, but it can’t be admitted until a veterinarian gives a diagnosis. (At least that has been my experience.)
Regarding wait times, it might be possible for you to leave and come back if you cat is being treated in the hospital (not necessarily admitted) and you are sitting in an exam room without the cat. Just something to keep in mind. Of course, let the staff know that you are going out and will come back.
Look for this brochure by the Emergency Services counter at UVS.
Anything can happen to your cat at any time. As we all know, cats are very good at hiding problems until it is very late in the game. If you think there might be something wrong with your cat, there is something already going on. Go get it checked out. It isn’t even always expensive. I have taken my cat with something that seemed like a big problem to me, had it taken care of by a technician, and sent home without a bill! I have been there for 4 hours, my cat had tests and a basic ultrasound, but the vet had just started a surgery and couldn’t see me or the cat for another 3 hours. (It was 2:00 am, just one vet on staff at that time.) The cat was ok to go home; just not what I was expecting. The charge was $0 when I went to check out because I never saw the vet. Just go!
Now to the meat of the article …. packing a Go Bag for your cat, and yourself! I feel like some fun name for this bag will come to me, but it hasn’t coalesced yet. Let me know if you have any ideas!
After spending many hours at both ERs this is what I bring with me:
Cat Medications list. If you are able to make a list before you head out the door to the ER, write down the name of each medication your cat takes, the measurement of the medication (such as 5mg tablets), the dose (such as “half a 5mg tablet”), and the frequency it is given (like once or twice a day). If you think your cat might be hospitalized, bring the medications with you. It’s possible that the ER won’t take responsibility for medications you bring from home, but if they will use them, it could save you money. If you have compounded “treats” or liquid medications from a specialty pharmacy, the ER won’t have those on hand.
Cat food, wet and dry, and food bowls, especially if you have a cat that grazes or is ill or underweight and needs to eat on a regular basis. I never remember to pack a plastic utensil (but you can!). You can use the lid of a can to scoop cat food out of the can.
Bowl for cat water. Most exam rooms have a sink with a water faucet.
Puppy pee pads or a small litter box with clay litter. This goes in a kitchen-sized trash bag, loosely tied up. You can dump the litter and leave it in the trash before you leave the ER. Your cat might need to pee or poop during hours waiting in an exam room.
A fleece or blanket; something you don’t mind having on the floor, for your cat to lie down on, if they’ll come out of the cat carrier. Maybe bring one for yourself. If you cat is injured or partially paralyzed, you will probably want to lie on the floor with your cat while you wait.
An insulated mug or cup for yourself. At Upstate Veterinary Specialties (UVS) there is free water from a water jug in the waiting room by the coffee machine. (Save $2.50 or whatever it costs for a bottle of water from the vending machine.) There is free coffee, and now there are tea bags and hot water for non-coffee people.
I always wish I had brought a pillow or a travel neck pillow! After a couple of hours in a chair in an exam room I am always falling asleep.
Food for yourself. Yes, there are vending machines. As you know, probably none of it is actual food. As you probably know, vending machines take credit and debit cards now. Just be aware that the charges show up weeks later on your statement and have some weird name that bears no relation to the name of the place you are at or words like “vending machine.” It’ll take you a while to figure out what the charge is for. If you use cash, you’ll get dollar coins, which you never wanted, for change! You can leave your cat in the exam room and go back out to the lobby for food and water, but take a look at the room number when you leave the room so you can find your way back!
Small notepad and pen. Of course you can also use an app on your phone or tablet to take notes. You will usually have plenty of time to write down questions (and answers) between visits from technicians and the veterinarian.
There is free wi-fi for your phone or tablet. Just don’t do any banking! It’s ok to watch some Cat TV on YouTube with your cat. UVS now has the wi-fi name and password posted in each exam room near the door you came in.
Most of this stuff is small or folds up small, so you can fit it into a soft-sided shoulder bag.
During my most recent visits to UVS I noticed a new cell phone charging station. It is horrible to be at the ER and trying to stay in touch with people by texting them about what is going on with your cat while your phone battery icon is red and dwindling. If you have been to Albany Medical Center (for people), you have seen the free phone charging stations the hospital has, which I really appreciate. I have been waiting for pet ERs to have them, and here we are!
Charge your cell phone for free at UVS!
Look over by the coffee station in the waiting room.
No one is thinking to grab a charger on their way to an ER visit. This helps a lot!
If you have any tips or tricks for making your cat ER visits a little more comfortable, please share!
Check out Local Action!
Did you know that the Capital District has a free, local, weekly events newsletter? It’s called The 518 Newsletter. I actually learned about the newsletter from a Facebook ad! I subscribed and discovered that authors use Beehiiv, the same software platform that I use for this newsletter. Beehiiv makes it easy for newsletters to recommend each other, so we’re doing that online, as well as connecting directly.
The newsletter is beautiful to look at it, and it has tons of events listed, as well as short interesting descriptions and stories. Capital Purrspective was fortunate enough to get a shout out in their June 11 issue! Very exciting!
If you are looking to meet new people or enjoy an outing with a friend, check out their 518 Dinner Club. It’s a popular idea that regional newsletters have been taking up. The 518 Newsletter did announce that an ice cream social would be coming up — you’ll find me at that event!
You can send in your own organization’s events for listing in The 518 Newsletter. Go for it!
Tails From the Feeding Station
Last week we finished up with the capture and care of Gryphon, Roc, Cetan, Bennu, Cahaba, Yaffa, and of course, Bob. I hope I’m not leaving out any cats from that round!
As you may recall, the whole story started with Gryphon and Roc, the frozen-compost pile-eating kittens back in January 2025, as described in Capital Purrspective Issue #1. We went with (mostly) naming the cats captured after birds of mythology.
The cat food, heated water, makeshift shelter, and traps were located on private property. That’s where the kittens were hanging out, and the other cats came by to eat the food put out for the kitten capture, as I saw on my trail camera during the evening hours. There were more cats, of course, and I wanted to try to catch them too. I knew this could be a year-long or longer project.
I described to the property owner how I was hoping to set up sturdier and better-insulated cat shelters and a feeding station, to keep the food out of the weather. He asked me to move the operation to another property he owns, kind of around the corner and across the street.
I was grateful to be able to set up a bigger operation nearby, and it was a better spot, further off the street. I know of a few people who have similar set ups, and I started asking around to find out where I could buy kits to build the shelters and feeding station. Recommendations led me to Feralvilla.
So, yes, I spent the money and I bought two shelters and one feeding station, and a bale of straw. (The straw is used to help insulate the cats inside of the shelters, but will keep them dry as snow melts off of them. Straw for Strays. Don’t buy hay.)
I know that if I show Alan, my husband, something that has to be put together, he will immediately start packing his tools (I think he can’t stand to watch me do it with way less accuracy). The shelters are delivered flat-packed, like Ikea furniture. Likewise, one box weighs a ton!
Alan and I put the boxes into his car and drove to the new site. It was 10° F outside! We wore our parkas and unpacked those boxes and Alan mainly put them together. (“True Love,” as we say at home.)
I know I took a few photos of the process, but I cannot find them! It was took cold to take gloves off to take too many photos. But, I have a few photos of the first day we had the cat “ikea furniture” assembled and in place.
Feeding station on the left, shelters on the right. January 2025.
Automatic feeding tower so the wildlife doesn’t eat all the food at once.
Meet Garuda … more on him next week!
So that’s the early days of location #2. Next week, you can learn about Garuda!
Thanks to graphic designer, Ashlee Garland, for this awesome promotion!
Just for Fun
A reader, mom of “Scout, Fezzik, Arnold, and Elvis,” sent in a cat-related photo she took of a license plate that she saw in the wild a couple of weeks ago. I love it! Send in any cat-related license plates you can get a photo of, without any illegal driving maneuvers.
