Cat Appointments

Bringing your cat to the vet:

Cat We know bringing your cat to the vet can be a stressful experience for you and for your cat. We also know that an annual examination is the single most important part of keeping your cat healthy at home. The following is a list of tips to help make your cat's annual trip to the vet as pleasurable as possible.

Begin with carrier training: Put the carrier out days before your appointment and allow your cat to explore it. Better yet, leave the carrier out all the time for your cat to sleep in or play in. Cat's are very perceptive to their environment. If you only bring the carrier out when you are about to leave for the annual vet appointment, they will remember that. They immediately become stressed and anxious as soon as they see the carrier come out of storage, and you are already off to a bad start to your trip to Cleveland Road Animal Hospital.
Use Feliway spray in the carrier on a towel, applying 10-15 minutes prior to trying to load your cat. Feliway is a cat appeasing pheromone that will help relax them and help make them feel at ease in the carrier. You can pick this product up at our hospital before your scheduled appointment.
Bring a large towel from home so if needed, you can cover the carrier in the lobby or your car. Some cat's are simply more relaxed when the cage is covered.
ALWAYS use a cat carrier in the car, for your cat's safety and yours! Allowing your cat to be loose in the car will make then more stressed, and they feel more secure when they have their "safe place" to sit in during the ride. Also, many cat's have run away from their owner in veterinary hospital parking lots.
Take your cat's favorite treats and toys for play/interaction in the exam room. Tuna paste, anchovy paste, or other tasty treats are often very helpful to help put your cat at ease.
Take your cat on a practice car trip, where you load up, get in the car, go to the vet, but don't actually do anything stressful to them while they are visiting. You and your cat are always welcome to visit CRAH to play, eat, visit then go back home without getting examined, restrained, vaccinated, etc. I'll be honest, I have done a driving trip where I stopped at a coffee shop drive-thru and got whipped cream for a cat I was transporting on a practice drive! They offer it for dogs all the time as well!
For the most unhappy and stressed-out patients, we can prescribe safe, sedative medications ahead of time that you can give to your cat at home before the appointment to make the entire trip safer and more enjoyable for you and your cat.

* Some of the above information courtesy of Amanda Eick-Miller and the The Behavior Clinic. www.thebehaviorclinic.com