Stress Free ways to get your cat to the vet
Getting your Cat to the Veterinary Practice
Visits to the veterinarian are an important part of caring for your cat. However, putting your cat in a carrier and traveling with them to and from the veterinary practice can be stressful for you and your cat.
Thankfully, there are many ways to make the visit more pleasant for you both.
Keeping our cats healthy is important to us. The earlier sickness is found, the easier it is to treat, so regular checkups will help your cat have a long and healthy life. There is often more than one reason your cat may be stressed by a veterinary visit and these can add up which may increase your cat’s fear or anxiety. Avoiding veterinary visits to prevent stress could harm your cat’s health. We can reduce stress by preparing for the visit which includes choosing the right cat carrier, understanding how to travel with your cat, and learning tips for when your cat gets back home
Preparing For Calming Pack and A Veterinary Visit
It helps to get your cat used to their carrier, travel, and the veterinary practice to make the visit a better experience. It is easiest if visits start when your cat is a kitten, but all cats can still learn to be content traveling in their carrier.
Positive Carrier Experiences
Helping your cat feel that the carrier is a safe and happy place will help them to feel safe with travel and visits to their veterinary practice.
Choosting the Right Cat Carrier
It is important to choose a carrier that is safe to reduce the stress of traveling and the veterinary visit and to prevent your cat from getting loose. A hard plastic carrier is the safest and easiest to clean compared with other carrier types. Choose one with a top that comes off to help your cat’s veterinarian care for your cat more easily.
When the top is removed by the veterinarian, your cat can remain in the bottom of the carrier to feel safer during the checkup.
If soft carriers are used, they should have a large opening option at the top, and have one or preferably two door openings on either end. Soft carriers should not have a door opening that can collapse when the door is open. ‘Backpack’ style carriers do not have enough space for the cat to move around comfortably and can be unstable making the cat feel unsafe. A harness or collar with a leash is not a safe way to travel with your cat. If you are bringing more than one cat, each cat should have their own carrier. Even cats that get along should travel in separate carriers because the stress of travel may make them act differently towards each other.
Carrier Training in 6 Simple Steps
Spend enough time on each step so your cat gets used to it before moving on to the next step;
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Getting your Cat into the Carrier
It is common to store carriers away in a garage, basement, or closet until needed. It is much better to keep the carrier in the place in your home where your cat likes to spend time. Add a favorite blanket or bed with familiar smells, and put treats in the carrier, making it a happy and safe space. The carrier is then easily available for veterinary visits and also emergencies. Ideally, your cat will enter the carrier of their own choice. A treat or a toy may help, or you may even train your cat to enter the carrier. If your cat needs to be put into the carrier, this should always be done gently and calmly.
Cats are as clever as dogs and can learn tricks and commands. They can be trained to go into their carrier if they feel it is a safe place. Training can take time and patience, but it is worth it to help your cat get to the veterinary practice with less stress and more ease and comfort. As you and your cat work through the steps for carrier training, always allow time for your cat to get comfortable with each step before moving on.
Sometimes Medicine can be helpful
For some cats, traveling to the veterinary practice is still stressful even when you have worked to create a better experience. This might be due to trips that did not go well in the past, or early life experiences even before you adopted your cat. When this happens, it can be helpful to give your cat some medicine from your veterinarians before traveling.
Now available at Sydney Animal Hospitals for stress
Complimentary VVCP
Stress associated with transportation, examination, and diagnostic procedures often deters owners from bringing their pets to the clinic to receive regular veterinary care. Multiple strategies have been explored to reduce stress and increase pet cooperation during veterinary visits.
As part of Sydney Animal Hospitals commitment to fear-free treatment and handling, we will provide COMPLIMENTARY single visit of medication for clients of Sydney Animal Hospitals, to assist in reducing stress for pets visiting the hospital, as part of their consultation. T&C’s may apply.
This medication can be collected from your local Sydney Animal Hospitals prior to your pet’s consultation and given to your pet the night before your appointment.
Also just like us, cats can have travel sickness. They may vomit or drool during travel. If you think your cat feels sick during travel, ask your veterinarian for medicine to treat nausea.
Traveling with your cat to the veterinary practice
Traveling to the veterinary practice can still be upsetting for your cat. They can be scared by the movement of the car, and the new and strange noises, sights, and smells. Here are some helpful tips in addition to the carrier tips already mentioned:
Returning Home
When you arrive home after a trip to the veterinary practice, your cat may smell different to your other cats. This is more likely after a longer stay at the hospital or if your cat had an operation. They may also look different with bandages, clipped hair, or e-collars. Your other cats may become upset because of the new smells on your cat, and they might hiss or fight with your cat returning from the veterinarian.
They may also avoid each other. It is always best to separate your returning cat with a specific slow reintroduction:
– VVCP’ to reduce stress for your pet.