There are quite a few cats who find a visit to the vet stressful. There can be several reasons for this. You cannot just get rid of the stress that such a visit causes. However, you can do everything you can to minimize the stress of visiting the vet. What should you pay attention to, what should you and what should you not do?
Carrying basket, purchase and use
Although many cats do not like to go into the carrier, this is the only safe place for the cat at the time of transport. Make sure the carrycot is comfortable and practical.
Purchase carrycot
Even before you go to the vet, it is good to realize that a carrier for the cat, however necessary, is not really pleasant anyway. After all, you limit the cat’s freedom of movement. In the first instance, make sure that the carrier is large enough for the cat. In practice, this means that the basket must have one and a half times the size of the cat in height and length.
It is also practical to choose a plastic carrying basket. For example, reed or bamboo may look cozier, but the cat can settle in with the nails. You cannot easily take the cat out and the cat can injure itself. In addition, all kinds of wood are not easy to clean.
Finally, it is also an option to purchase a carrycot that opens from above instead of the usual front or side door. You can more easily remove the cat from the carrier with a top loader.
Source: Daga Roszkowska, Pixabay
Carrying basket in the house
Take the necessary time to prepare if you know that you need to take your cat to the vet. The cat is an animal that does not like the unknown and attaches itself to the place where it lives. That means that the house where the cat lives is her safety. Only place the cat in the carrier without any preparation, if there is no other option due to an emergency.
If there is no emergency, start with a clean carrying basket. It seems so obvious, but smells are essential to the cat and any old scents of fear should be removed. Then you put the carrier in the living room such as the kitchen or living room. Do not move the carrier, open the door and, if necessary, place a cloth in it with the scent of the cat. When she walks in once, you close the door for a moment and then open it again immediately. Show her how well she is doing and, for example, give a cat treat when she sets it quietly. In this way you make the baby carrier part of its living space.
Transport the cat to the vet
It may seem insignificant, but the manner in which you transport the cat is important to make the vet visit (or any other visit in the carrier) as smooth as possible. Most cats don’t like to be transported, but if you have to, the car is often the best option. Of course you can also take the cat in the carrier by bike or on foot. In all cases, put a cotton or linen cloth over the carrycot. The cat then gains fewer new, strange impressions and sits just a bit more quietly in her carrier.
If the cat in the house is very restless, spray the carrier with some Feliway half an hour before departure and let it dry well. The pheromones in the spray will calm the cat a bit.
Source: Skeeze, Pixabay
Cat at the vet
Not only the transport to the vet, but also the visit itself can be experienced as exciting by the cat. Discuss the possibilities with your veterinarian to assist you and try to act calmly yourself.
Make an appointment
Prefer to make an appointment instead of visiting the consultation hour freely. In this way you prevent your cat from becoming anxious from all the strange noises and smells in the waiting area.
If you have to wait in a waiting room, put the baby carrier next to you on the chair or couch and not on the floor. Another waiting customer, such as a dog, can intimidate the cat in the carrier on the floor and that can make the cat even more anxious.
The treatment
The cat will also pick up on the owner’s fears, so take it easy when you walk into the vet’s. Only on the treatment table do you open the carrying basket in peace. If the cat does not come out of the carrier immediately on its own, do not force it or take it out immediately. Open the door and wait a moment to see if she is curious enough to put her cup outside the carrying basket. If she makes a cautious effort, encourage her by telling her that she is doing well.
For many vets this is also a friendly way to get to know the cat. This will then help the vet to check the cat again and / or initiate treatment. In this way you limit the chance that the cat will knock out its nails out of fear and stress.
If you can reassure the cat by holding her during the treatment, coordinate with the vet. If this is not possible, then you can assume that the vet and the assistant are also experienced in dealing with anxious animals. They also benefit from the treatment that the animal has as little stress as possible.
When the treatment is complete, reassure the cat in the carrier. This can be done in various ways, such as by voice (for example, speaking softly to the cat that she is doing well). Another way is to bring the owner’s scent close to the cat (for example, put your scarf in the carrier) or reassure the cat with a caressing pat.
Source: LucasBouillon, Pixabay
Coming home after vet visit
Any other animals in the house, especially cats, may react strangely when the cat comes home from the visit to the vet. Cats communicate through smells and there are, after all, strange smells around the cat and her carrier. One cat will try to brush away the strange smells by completely bathing the cat that has just come home from the vet, the other may react aggressively to it.
If there is an aggressive reaction, separate the cats and wait for both parties to calm down. For example, you can also give the cat that comes from the vet a shirt of your own or wrap her in a nice dress of her own. This way the familiar scent returns faster.
Sometimes it is all right within an hour or so, but it can also take a day. Do not panic yourself, it will certainly be fine. Just give it enough time.
Finally
Taking the cat to the vet is therefore a bit more than putting the cat in the carrier and going. That is, if you don’t want to cause your cat more stress than is strictly necessary. Taking into account the above, the cat will get through the vet visit without too much stress.
