Stress-Free Veterinary Visit - Tips for Cat Owners

For most cats, the stress of a vet visit begins even before arriving at the practice, during transport. Once there, all the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and people often fill cats with fear and panic. Here, we offer a few tips on how you can make the experience a little less frightening for your feline friend.

Mobile Kennel Training

Most of the time spent on the way to the vet practice, and even within the practice itself, your cat will be in their mobile kennel. If they are familiar with this kennel and feel comfortable and safe inside, it will already be a huge help.

Therefore, place the mobile kennel in your home as a normal piece of cat furniture. Put a comfortable blanket inside, and especially during the acclimatization period, occasionally offer your cat a treat inside the kennel.

Once your cat is relaxed in the kennel, you can occasionally close the opening for short periods. After they've gotten used to that, start carrying them around briefly while they're in the kennel. This way, it won't be a frightening experience for your cat in the future.

Some cats, once accustomed to it, love to sleep in their mobile kennel and use it as a cozy retreat.

The Right Mobile Kennel

The mobile kennel should absolutely open from the top, so that your cat can be easily lifted out for examination and doesn't have to be pulled out of the kennel. The mobile kennel should also be large enough for your cat to lie comfortably inside. However, it shouldn't be too large, as they won't have enough stability during transport otherwise. If the kennel is a bit too  large, you can place a rolled-up towel inside during transport to reduce the space slightly. This towel can also be sprayed with a pheromone product half an hour before departing for the vet, which will provide your cat with additional comfort and security.

At the Vet

Unfortunately, at most vets, you'll have to wait a short while before you can enter the examination room with your cat, and sadly, very few practices have separate waiting areas for dogs and cats. Therefore, the mobile kennel should definitely be covered with a blanket. The darkness calms your cat, and they won't have to see any dogs. In the waiting room, be sure to choose a spot far away from any present dogs and place the mobile kennel next to you on a free chair or take it onto your lap.

Once in the treatment room, this blanket can be placed on the examination table. Not only will the surface be less slippery, but it will also have a familiar scent – which immensely calms many cats.

As an owner, you should remain as calm as possible during the examination. If you are stressed, it will immediately transfer to your cat.  

Vet Training for Cats

Just like with mobile kennel training, you can also prepare your cats for the unfamiliar situations of a vet visit. In small steps and short training sessions, but with plenty of positive reinforcement, cats are taught behaviors that are helpful during medical examinations or daily care. Your cat learns to tolerate these situations calmly and stress-free, and over time, can even associate them positively.

The following situations, in particular, should be practiced:

• Full-body touches
• Checking ears
• Checking eyes
• Briefly opening the mouth
• Taking paws in hand and examining them
• Touches with objects

If your cat masters these exercises well with their trusted person, less familiar individuals can then be involved.  

For vet training with a cat to truly be successful, both the cat and their owner must enjoy the training! Therefore, it's important to be well-informed about training techniques and reward options. When done correctly, the training can become a meaningful and wonderful ritual with your cat.

Further Reading:
„Vet Training for Cats - Empathetic and Playful for More Calmness“, Christine Hauschild. Books on Demand

Set ipet.ch as a preferred source on Google

Never miss a tip: Set ipet.ch as a preferred source in your Google account so that our veterinary advice and pet care guides appear higher up in your search results. Optional and can be undone at any time.

Set as preferred source →