Robin: So far as I know there's no great training method for extreme stress in an alien environment where people are coming at you with needles. Even people can't be trained to deal well with their fears in these situation. It's just inevitable that some pets will act out in ways we can't control. It doesn't reflect badly on the owner, as far as I'm concerned.

I am wondering if people should train their pets not to scratch or bite the vet, if possible. I find it amazing that vets thank me for my well behaved pets (including the semi-wild cat I used to own), which says to me that many animals attack the vet, and their owners, while being treated.

Kabbage: My recipe for malodorous organic disasters (including skunk aroma):

2-4 cups hydrogen peroxide
1/3 cup baking soda
a dash of Dawn

Mix it up in a pray bottle or fill up a bathtub in appropriate proportions for de-skunking. It works better than anything else I've ever heard of--including tomato juice.

I did bathe my Aussie before one vet visit. We were going to try a new clinic before deciding whether to switch vets or not. My little darling rolled on a long-dead fish about 2 hours before the scheduled visit. Even though it was December, we drove back from the park with all windows open and dog soaking wet because I'd tried to rinse some of the stench and bits out in the creek. I washed her twice with what I had when we got home, but she was still a bit aromatic because I didn't have anything meant for that kind of odor. Ugh!

Maybe it's an area thing? I used to work at a vet (many moons ago) and we never saw freshly bathed pets. I don't see them when I now go as a regular clients in the waiting room either. Of course maybe we New Englanders are just far less into primping. VBG

ERC, as a groomer I will attempt to answer your question. Cats are more expensive than dogs to groom because they can be very dangerous, as anyone who has gotten a blood infection from a cat bite will attest. They also require a great deal more skill to groom. WITHOUT sedation I would start the charge at min. $75, therefore with the cost of the sedation it could easily be at least $150. Veterinary sedatives and isofluorane is quite expensive.
I would suggest you try to find a cat groomer in your area who can groom them without sedation (kitty willing, of course). But don't expect it to be $25.

Since this is soft of on-topic I have to ask. Why is it so expensive to get a cat groomed? I've been quoted by two different vets $150-$190, now this includes sedation but it still seems extremely high. Especially when I know people who get their dogs groomed for $25.

My long haired cat needs a cut desperately but $150 is insane.

Serenity (aka Psycho Kitty) gets bathed weekly. Not by my choice or hers but she's been extremely stressed out due to a cross country move and my being pregnant and she scratches way more than any self respecting kitty should. She has no fleas (I've made darn sure of that) and no underlying irritation or infection (nice clear light pink skin) but yet she's got bald spots around her ears and the backs of her rear legs. She's otherwise in perfect health, maintains a good weight, is highly energetic, and has beautifully glossy fur.

So she gets a bath with a "natural" pet shampoo that's soothing and supposed to help prevent flea infestation and that does seem to help. But it would never occur to me to bathe her just because she was going to the vet. Besides well kitty visits, the most likely reason for her going in would be BECAUSE of a weird smell/rash/other unusual skin or fur condition.

I don't routinely bathe my pets before a vet visit. However, on one occasion recently, I did, and was able to cancel the visit.

My dog had gotten a minor cut on her leg, and I'd washed it and used Neosporin, and generally was just watching to see that it healed properly. After several days, I was seriously undecided on that point, and decided, better safe than sorry. I called my vet. It was late morning on a Saturday--no more appointments that day, but they could see me Sunday morning at 11. Great!

Now, my dog is a fluffy white dog, and we walk and play outside. She gets a bath weekly. And Saturday night is the usual night. By Saturday night, even being brushed and combed daily, she's not completely white. So into the sink she went; it would never have occurred to me to skip the bath <i>because</i> we were going to the vet the next day! She got combed, and bathed, and combed and brushed, and all was normal.

The next morning, I was able to find the injured spot on her leg only because I knew exactly where it was. The kindof ugly look to it the day before had been the scab completely dried and old and ready to go, and it washed off in her bath.

So I was able to cancel that vet visit, saving me money, Addy stress, and the vet time she could use to see some pet who really needed to be seen.

Not disagreeing with your basic point; just--the one time I did bathe a pet right before a vet visit, it was a good thing I did. To slightly paraphrase the Geico gecko, that way nobody had to look foolish.:)

Ah, lovely cats. At one time, years ago, I did occasionally bathe them - but then found it wasn't usually necessary - except when one got older and developed, shall I say, a hygiene problem.