How to help your cat feel less stress at our veterinary hospital

In general, cats that are afraid or aggressive at the hospital are already stressed before they arrive. Most cats don’t travel in cars on a regular basis, so they only leave home to visit the veterinarian. With this in mind, loading and riding in the car often gets cats off to a bad start. Carriers are critical for safety, so we need to make our cats feel as comfortable as possible in this, the safest place for them.

Carriers can be left around the house ( with or without their tops) so that they are not considered strange or threatening. Some cats will sleep in carriers or face mark them if they are available. Next, use scent as a way to communicate security with your cat. Don’t borrow a carrier that belongs to another cat unless that cat is highly bonded with yours. Instead, use familiar bedding and wipe the carrier inside and out with a loved one’s bath towel or use commercially available pheromones. These pheromones (example: Feliway) use scents from the glands for facial marking or “happy cat” communications. Feliway is available as a spray or a constant release diffuser.

With your carrier now a cozy environment, consider a few trips that end with a food reward rather than an exam and vaccinations. Sometimes just putting your cat in the carrier and driving around the block is enough. Make sure the reward at the end is immediate and very special. You can even bring your cat tot our hospital for “love up” time. We can greet you cat, pet him, offer treats. This may help with some of the anxiety of coming to the hospital.

Sometimes, in spite of all of our hard work, cats are still uneasy at the veterinarian’s office. It is helpful for us to know this can be the case before your appointment. Some of our toughest patients have come from other clinics because of bad behavior. Our team is specifically trained to care for theses cats with unique needs. We use pheromones in the exam room and handling techniques that build trust with our patients. We start with less is best and try to perform our exams with minimal restraint. Often this solves the problem. Fearful cats may bite or strike with their claws or try to run away. For everyone’s safety, gloves or soft towels may be used. Rarely sedation is needed in order to perform a thorough exam and prevent overstressing our patients.

We want to team up to make your cat’s visit as easy as possible. One day, his life might depend on it. Please don’t hesitate to communicate your and your pet’s needs, we will try our best to provide the care all family members deserve. Thank you for trusting us with your cat.