I recently attended the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association’s annual conference and received some great information for our feline friends.

In 2013 an initiative called Cat Healthy was founded and according to their website (www.cathealthy.ca) there are 8.5 million cats in 36% of Canadian households and half of these cats don’t receive veterinary care. They report that “58% of cat owners said their cat hates going to the vet” and the biggest obstacle for owners “…putting their cat in a carrier and transporting their cat to the clinic”.

So, what can we all do to make your cat’s visit to the clinic easier?

As family members you can take a look at this great brochure: “Getting your cat to the veterinarian”. (www.catvets.com/public/PDFs/ClientBrochures/Cat-to-VetHandout.pdf). It was produced by the American Association of Feline Practitioners and has some great information: from understanding their behavior to getting them comfortable with the carrier and even how to get them into the carrier when they just don’t want to go in.

And we’ll do our part! Upon your arrival, if your cat is anxious and you think they would be calmer out of the waiting room, just let us know. If possible we will have you both wait in an exam room or we can provide you with a blanket to cover the carrier so your cat can’t see the other animals in the waiting room. We can also get you a chair to put the carrier on so that kitty is off the floor where the dogs are mingling. Let us know that your cat gets anxious at the vet clinic when you book your appointment and we can pre-spray blankets with Feliway® (a synthetic feline pheromone) to help with kitty calming. If your cat does better in their carrier we can take the carrier apart, leave them in the base, and do as much of our physical exam with them still in their comfort zone!

These are just some of the things that we, as part of your kitty’s health care team, can do to cater to your individual cat. If you have any additional ideas for us to make your cat’s visit less stressful please let us know! We are here for you and your furry family member.