Internet Can't Cope With What Vet Does for Patients Who 'Need an Exorcism'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A vet assistant has left internet viewers in hysterics after revealing the extra measures she takes to help the patients who can be quite "spicy" during their visits.
Every day, Kaitlin Wakefield, an ER vet assistant, treats all kinds of animals for a variety of ailments. While some are more placid and don't mind being treated, there are others who can get very stressed by their unknown environment, including Percy the cat.
When Percy arrived at the Animal Emergency Hospital & Urgent Care in Raleigh, North Carolina, he was loving and calm during his examination. However, Wakefield told Newsweek that he became "very anxious" once he was hospitalized and placed in a cage. "We gave him antianxiety medication, a privacy curtain, sprayed some Feliway, and finally ended up moving him away from other cats," Wakefield said.
At the time, Percy was extremely loud and let out a high-pitched screech whenever someone approached. For that reason, Wakefield took matters into her own hands and created a makeshift cross out of Popsicle sticks.
From left: Percy the cat rests in his cage at the veterinary clinic, and the wooden cross outside his crate.
From left: Percy the cat rests in his cage at the veterinary clinic, and the wooden cross outside his crate.
@katiewake9194 / TikTok
The small cross was placed on Percy's cage on the privacy curtain "for pure laughs." Wakefield often jokes about giving spicy patients an exorcism, and Percy certainly fits that category.
Wakefield said: "We had a rough night at the clinic, and sometimes comic relief is a good way to combat that. At first, all the staff came running, thinking I needed help when I was only looking at him from outside the cage. We had to warn all clients and staff in the building that I was about to get this cat out for X-rays and that the cat and I are fine, just very loud and have feelings."
Perhaps the cross worked after all, as Percy was very well behaved when Wakefield took him out of the cage. He cuddled up to her and calmed down, although she ultimately chose to sedate him for further tests and diagnostics.
Wakefield said that Percy was "so stressed," so they didn't want to cause him more anxiety.
On May 27, Wakefield shared a video on TikTok (@katiewake9194), showing the small cross she made for Percy's cage. The hilarious clip of her "screaming cat patient" went viral with over 1.9 million views and more than 189,600 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
During the video, Wakefield pulls back the curtain on Percy's cage, only for him to let out an almighty scream. Layered over the footage, the caption reads: "Some patients need an exorcism … we shall prevail."
Wakefield said she has been blown away by the online reaction to her video, as she had no idea it would generate so much attention.
Working in a vet clinic can be exhausting and mentally draining, but Wakefield loves going the extra mile to help her patients and their owners each and every day.
"This video blew up overnight, and I was so surprised," Wakefield said. "I think it's important for everyone to see what we deal with in ER veterinary medicine, and that we truly love our patients. We do everything we can to help them when they are generally very sick when they come to us.
"My clinic also sees exotic animals and offers care to injured wildlife that the public can bring us at no cost. I've worked here for six years and have never had a better team of doctors and co-workers," she continued.
Since the TikTok video of Percy's exorcism went viral, it has amassed almost 600 comments in just a matter of days.
One comment reads: "I fear this is my cat at the vet."
Another TikTok user wrote: "The tongue depressors used as a cross got me."
A third person added: "That's me every morning honestly."
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