Getting a pet in med school

[fiznat]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey SDN,

I'm thinking about getting a cat, but I'm concerned that I'm going to have trouble taking care of it during 3rd and 4th years when I'm moving every month for rotations. I just wanted to see what the experienced people out there think about that-- will it be a major issue?

 

[cbrons]

Hey SDN,

I'm thinking about getting a cat, but I'm concerned that I'm going to have trouble taking care of it during 3rd and 4th years when I'm moving every month for rotations. I just wanted to see what the experienced people out there think about that-- will it be a major issue?

I got a dog in college.

My dog is now with my parents while I'm in med school. I don't have time to care for him.

 

[se20001984]

get a cat!!

a cat is a lazy mans dog!

 

[valkener]

Don't get a dog if you don't have a significant other to take him/her on 2x daily walks.

A cat should be fine though. So should a reptile like a bearded dragon etc. but don't expect them to cuddle up next to you.

 

[metalgirl14]

I'm not a 3rd year yet, but honestly, cats require very minimal caring for. My cat is 5 and all I do is feed her and clean the litterbox every day. They are pretty self-sufficient.

As for the moving, most cats will adapt rather quickly to new surroundings. My cat, for example, was comfortable in my new apartment after a few days. I think kittens would have more of a problem with the moving than older cats would.

 

[heroes31]

Get a cat. All u need to do is put out food and clean its litter box. They don't need constant attention like dogs do, and you don't have to walk them. That's a huge plus!

 

[Vishna]

I got a dog in college.

My dog is now with my parents while I'm in med school. I don't have time to care for him.

🙁

And to think, I wanted to get one now to train her before I started in August.

 

[fiznat]

Yeah definitely a cat cause I wouldn't have to worry so much about leaving it home when I'm at school/studying etc. But moving around for rotations? That might be more of an issue. My understanding is that outside of the core rotations, I will be in a different location pretty much every month. I don't know what kind of places I'd be living in or if they would be cat friendly, and I'm not sure how well a cat would take to moving environments so frequently.

Thoughts?

 

[TallScrubs]

I got a dog in college.

My dog is now with my parents while I'm in med school. I don't have time to care for him.

What the hell is everybody doing in med school? You're trying to tell me you can't find 30-40 minutes a day to take care of your dog? If you're truly telling yourself you don't have time (this excludes a puppy), then you're doing med school wrong.

My dog is the bees knees--a good stress reliever too. It is all about priorities my man. If you don't WANT to take care of your pet with some free time, then I guess you really don't WANT a pet.

 

[Fay8]

Fiznat,

While I am not yet a med student, I would think a cat would be okay. If you have to move around for clinicals, I would make sure that you can obtain pet-friendly housing before adopting a cat. If you can, try to adopt a cat from a shelter or an animal rescue group. here are too many homeless pets out there! The benefit of the latter option is that the foster family knows the temperament of the cat.

I will be living apart from my husband for medical school (about 2 hr drive). My little dog will live with me because my schedule will be more flexible than my husband's. That, and I couldn't imagine living without him. He's my best friend.

 

[dermpathdoc]

if you have a roomie during school share out the pet duties...my roomate in school and I got a kittie...she wento a prgram that did not have pet friendly housing and I stayed in out apt..so I kept the pet for 4 months, then i had to do rotations all over the country for the next year and she lived with her folks for next 6 months while doing rotations after that her parents took care of the kitty till we graduated...the only prob was...after graduation...when we went out separate ways for internship...who got our kitty...a coin toss solved it...and then when i moved on to residency after internship...I got two more kitties...

 

[GraceEuphoria]

I think maybe you're a DCOM student?? The id rings a bell...
Anywho, I wouldn't sweat 3rd year yet. Cross that bridge then. By that point, you'll know your classmates well and there's a chance you'll get placed somewhere for CORE with someone you know and like. For example, let's say you're CORE 1....sync up with a CORE 2 person and see if you can watch/care for each other's pets when you're off doing electives. Or even easier....get placed at Knoxville or Memphis so that you can just schedule electives/selectives in the same general area. Then, the only thing you'd have to worry about is during your auditions during fall of 4th year...and honestly, classmates are always REALLY good about helping with pets. Everyone understands that having a little furball to come home to makes life that much better during all this!

 

[LightYe]

For the cat's sake, I would wait... with some core rotations requiring overnight call and all that good stuff, why not wait?

 

[valkener]

What the hell is everybody doing in med school? You're trying to tell me you can't find 30-40 minutes a day to take care of your dog? If you're truly telling yourself you don't have time (this excludes a puppy), then you're doing med school wrong.

My dog is the bees knees--a good stress reliever too. It is all about priorities my man. If you don't WANT to take care of your pet with some free time, then I guess you really don't WANT a pet.

It really depends on the dog. Some dogs need an hour of walking twice a day, some even more. If you have a little rat-dog it's a different story. I'd be careful with dogs because they are, in general, very high maintenance and need a lot of exercise. If it's your first dog and you don't know what you're getting into I would not recommend one during medical school.

 

[El Dooderino]

What the hell is everybody doing in med school? You're trying to tell me you can't find 30-40 minutes a day to take care of your dog? If you're truly telling yourself you don't have time (this excludes a puppy), then you're doing med school wrong.

My dog is the bees knees--a good stress reliever too. It is all about priorities my man. If you don't WANT to take care of your pet with some free time, then I guess you really don't WANT a pet.

Ha, you must be a first year or something telling everyone else they're doing something wrong. You realize on rotations you might be in the hospital for over 24 hours straight, right?

 

[fiznat]

For the cat's sake, I would wait... with some core rotations requiring overnight call and all that good stuff, why not wait?

Wait till when? After residency? That's like eleventy-billion years from now.

 

[burkemil]

IM A FOURTH YEAR. GET A PET. I had my mom watch my small dog for 6 months when I was on auditions. Its unheard of to actually be gone for 6 months. Besides, a cat is easy. Adopt it from a shelter. Don't let it rot in a pound. Great stress relieve and companion.

 

[peppy]

I think it's fine to get a cat as a med student. Actually I recommend getting two because then they can interact with each other when you're not around.
I would suggest getting adult cats instead of kittens because adult cats will be less rowdy (usually) and "what you see is what you get" as far as energy level and personality. Plus adult cats have a harder time getting adopted at shelters so you will probably be saving their lives!

I adopted two adult cats when I was a 2nd year student and I still have them years later as a resident (I also ended up getting a dog during residency once I was sure I was able to handle the increased time demands of a dog, but dogs definitely require more time than cats).

I have had to move several times with the cats and it wasn't a big deal. They complained about being in the cat carriers but they were fine once they were in the new place. 🙂
Leaving cats alone for overnight call is not a problem as long as you put food and water out for them.
I bought gravity-based food and water bowls like this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12474230 so it would be easy to leave them with plenty of food and water.

Honestly, you can even leave cats alone for several days in a row (again, just make sure you leave a lot of food and water out and clean the litterbox right before you leave). The cats seemed happy to see me when I came back the times that I did that, but I don't feel like it hurt them that I was gone. Cats are pretty independent animals and while some of them appreciate having people around, they don't need people in the way dogs seem to.

 

[munchymanRX]

Another vote for kitties. They're the perfect med school animal-low maintenance and still interactive enough to be a pet rather than a decorative item.

 

[TallScrubs]

Ha, you must be a first year or something telling everyone else they're doing something wrong. You realize on rotations you might be in the hospital for over 24 hours straight, right?

I was telling the OP and one of the first people to respond because I know they are also first years. Yes, they are doing first year (i'll make that concession for you) wrong if they don't have time for a pet.

 

[diehardobgyn]

I am in my last year of medical school and I have had a dog since I was at the end of my second year. He has been an amazing addition to my life and really helped with the stress of rotations. The caveat to this is that for the most part I have had a significant other to take care of him when I am not there an in fact was able to get another dog this past summer which is good in that they keep each other company if neither of us is around which doesn't tend to be often. Dogs generally require more attention than cats so I would definitely get a cat if anything. They can be left alone overnight and won't care all that much whereas a dog will need someone to let it out at somewhat regular intervals. A reptile of some sort would work but as far as comfort goes I wouldn't do that. I have had both a snake and a lizard and they are just kind of blah. Animals are great for your health and for your sanity in my opinion so if you can make it work, go for it!

 

[emidesu]

I got two 5 month old cats in my fourth year of medical school a month before going 4 hours away. My husband, who was not an experienced cat person, bonded with them and really was comforted by having them around. We have found that they keep each other company and two actually seem easier than one. As long as you can either take them with you on away rotations or house them with someone, I think kitties are great in med school!

 

[Cooperd0g]

Dogs are a lot of work. I have two. They are six and seven. I have raised them since pups. They are also my best friends, my stress relief, my motivation to get outside, and my entertainment. But because I love them so much they influence many of the decisions I make in life. Like I probably would take Western U - Northwest over NYU because living with dogs in NYC would be near impossible on a student budget.

You'll definitely need a plan for the pets during away rotations. Some animals are easier than others to have a friend watch.

 

[the alchemist]

For the cat's sake, I would wait... with some core rotations requiring overnight call and all that good stuff, why not wait?

actually i had 2 cats b4 i started med school. i never had problems with my cats b/c i had to do call. no problems even leaving them for 3-5 days while i went to a conference. i left out extra bowls of food and water and they even sell multi-day food/H2O bowls. if i had a conference for 5-7 days, i had my mom check in on them once during that time b/c my parents live near by. i moved home once i had to go to away rotations which i did in a block (last 7 mo of med school or so) mostly. so i can see that you might need to have parents or someone else take care of them while you're at away rotations. my friend was away for the summer after first year and i checked in and took care of his cat every couple of days and she was fine. for 10 months after med school, i'm away doing an mph so i left my kitties with my parents (could've brought them but didn't want to have to move them again before residency and they were used to be being with the parents) and a classmate of mine who is a 4th year med student is doing the same. it was more for the cats' comfort that i left them for now but will take them w/ me to residency. i think it depends on how much effort you want to put into your pet, its doable. since i don't have a dog, not sure but they might be a little more difficult to find someone to take care of when you're on an away rotation.

 

[DaBlackRose]

I am a third year on rotations. Just finished gen surg and now doing trauam. I have a dog that I specifically got for medical school. Years 1-4 and beyond. Best stress relief ever. I don't have a spouse or anyone to take care of him for me. Its true he is alone more than I'd like, but I am making it work. Because he's important to me.

I think a cat would be even easier because you don't have to worry about letting them out to pee. You could totally do it!

The biggest hardship is doing auditions rotations where they provide housing but no room for dogs. So you'd have to get your own place for 1 month that allows cats (like an extended stay hotel). I am letting my mom take care of him for 2 months. Everything else was just fine.