Home cats do not like to leave home, much less if it is a visit to the veterinarian which is not usually too comfortable for them, causing them big stress.
For this reason, experts in feline ethology recommend that before visiting the veterinarian, we prepare ourselves to avoid any unpleasant conflict. Follow these simple tips to reduce your cat stress the next time you have to go to the veterinary practice.
Keep calm
Cats realise that something weird is happening when humans act strangely around them. If you do not want your cat to suffer this stress, always keep calm.
Follow a normal routine before and after visiting the veterinarian and you will keep your pet from suffering a great pain.
Prepare your pet carrier
The most recommendable thing to do when going to the veterinarian is to take your pet safely in his/her carrier. If they are not yet familiar with it, leave it at their fingertips a few days before so they can recognise it and see that it is not dangerous.
On the day of the visit to the veterinarian, spray the inside of the carrier with feline pheromones. This substance helps them to be calmer during the time they spend in it.
Optimise your time
Do not keep your cat in the carrier or out of home longer than the time necessary. Make the visit as short as possible, programming well the time in order to reduce their stress. If it is possible, go to the veterinarian by car to return home faster, moving as little as possible the carrier and the cat will not get scared.
Protect them
Due to this stress situation, your cats will continue recognising you and they will feel more secure if you stay by their side all the time. Talk to them constantly, give them some caress without removing them from the carrier, and above all place them in a position where they can see you, so that they do not get stressed by the environment surrounding them that will be strange and potentially dangerous for them.
The visit to the veterinarian is one of the fundamental cares of a cat, which can become in a less stressful experience if we know how to act correctly.
2 Responses
The tips you listed in your article that were related to preparing your pet carrier were definitely helpful to read about. My pet cat is extremely tough to work with, and I figured that I would need to find some way to contain it so it doesn’t start causing trouble on the way to the vet. I’ll make sure I do some practice runs with the pet carrier before taking the cat to a nearby veterinarian.
Hope our tips helped you! Let us know if you tried them and if they were useful.