Keeping Cat Veterinary Visits Stress-Free – For Everyone
At Bear Creek Veterinary Care, we understand how making a trip to the veterinarian can be stressful for both your cat and for you. To help reduce stress surrounding veterinary visits, we now offer “Feline Friendly Fridays”– appointment hours restricted to just cat patients (Dog emergencies must enter throught the back door!). We also have made our exam rooms as cat friendly as possible, and our staff has undergone training sessions specific to reducing cat stress during visits.
What can you do to help? The CATalyst Council, Inc, has provided the helpful tips and the video below to help make your cat’s trip to the veterinarian a better experience for everyone!
To prepare your cat for the visit:
1. Make your cat travel-savvy. Get your cat used to traveling. Start them at a young age for your best results.
2. Make the carrier your cat’s “home away from home.” Make it a comfortable resting, feeding or play location. Keep the transport carrier out and accessible in the home, not just when you’re taking your cat somewhere.
3. Let them play “peek-a-boo.” Let your cat have a hiding place in the carrier by placing a towel or blanket from your home inside the carrier, and drape another one over part of the carrier. Using a familiar blanket or towel from home can also provide your cat some comfort while at the veterinary office.
4. Mix it up. Think about it – would you be happy getting in the car if every car trip meant a trip to the doctor’s office? Mix in some fun trips, or maybe a social visit to the veterinary office just to get a treat or two.
5. Travel light. If you don’t feed your cat prior to travel, you’ll make it less likely to get motion sickness. Plus, if it’s a little bit hungry, your cat might be more interested in the treats your vet has to offer, and it could make the visit more pleasant for your cat.
A big THANK YOU to Christina at the CATalyst Council, Inc., for allowing us to post their tips and video on our website!