Providing good health care, especially
preventive health care, can allow your cats to have longer, more comfortable
lives. However, this cannot happen unless they see the veterinarian for needed
care. Many cats dislike going to the veterinarian, and that starts with the
difficulty of getting the cat into the carrier. If we can make this step
easier, the entire veterinary visit is usually less
stressful.
The following tips will help make veterinary visits easier for you
and your cat.
Understanding your Cat’s Behavior
• Cats are most comfortable with
the familiar, and need time to adjust to the unfamiliar. The visit to the
veterinarian is often difficult because the carrier, car, and the veterinary
hospital are usually unfamiliar. Respect your cat’s need for time to become
familiar with new situations, people and places.
• Stay calm. Cats can sense our
anxiety or frustrations, which may cause them to become fearful or anxious.
• Cats do not learn from punishment
or force. Give rewards to encourage positive behavior. For example, if your cat
is sitting calmly in or near a carrier, give a treat. Likewise, rewards can be
given to help your cat become familiar with the type of handling that may be
encountered at the veterinarian (e.g., handling paws, ears and mouth). A treat
is what is highly desirable to your cat, which may be in the form of food, play
or affection. Be persistent and reward every time.
Helping Your Cat Become Comfortable in the
Carrier
The goal is for your cat to learn to associate the carrier with
positive experiences and routinely enter voluntarily.
• Make the carrier a familiar place
at home by leaving it in a room where your cat spends a lot of time.
• Place familiar soft bedding
inside the carrier. Bedding or clothing with your scent can make them feel more
secure.
• Place treats, catnip or toys
inside the carrier to encourage the cat to enter at home. Often, you will first
see that treats are removed from the carrier during the night.
• It may take days or weeks before
your cat starts to trust the carrier. Remain calm, patient and reward desired behaviors.
• If you still have trouble, you
may need to assess the carrier itself.
Getting an Unwilling Cat into the Carrier
If your cat needs to go to the veterinarian right away, and is not
yet accustomed to the carrier, the following may help:
• Start by putting the carrier in a
small room with few hiding places. Bring the cat into the room and close the
door. Move slowly and calmly. Do not chase the cat to get it into the carrier.
Encourage the cat with treats or toys to walk into the carrier.
• If your cat will not walk into
the carrier, and your carrier has an opening on the top, gently cradle your cat
and lower it into the carrier. Another option is to remove the top half of your
carrier while getting the cat to go into the bottom half, and then calmly
replace the top as shown here.
• Use familiar bedding inside the
carrier. Consider use of synthetic feline facial pheromone (Feliway®) analog spray in the carrier at
least 30 minutes prior to transport to help calm the cat.
Coming Home – Keeping the Peace in a Multi-cat Household
Cats are very sensitive to smells, and unfamiliar smells can result
in one cat no longer recognizing another. Aggressive behavior can occur when
one cat senses another as a stranger. These suggestions can help avoid problems
between cats following a veterinary visit:
• Leave the returning cat in the
carrier for a few minutes to see how all of your cats react.
• If all cats appear calm and
peaceful, let the returning cat out of the carrier.
• If you sense tension between the
cats, or if previous home-comings have resulted in conflict, keep the cat in
the carrier and take it to a separate room to avoid potential injury from an
upset cat. Provide food, water and litter box for a minimum of 24 hours while
it regains the more familiar smell of home.
• If there is still stress after
this time, contact your veterinarian for more advice on slower introduction or
medication to help the process.
• A synthetic feline pheromone
(Feliway®) can help provide the sense of familiarity.
• For future visits:
– Use familiar bedding or clothing with your scent, as it retains
the smell of home and helps with reintroduction.
– Use a synthetic feline pheromone (Feliway®).
– Bring both cats to the veterinary practice together. This can
prevent future conflict as both cats will carry the scent of the clinic.
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