Visiting the vet is probably not your cat’s favorite activity. From the foreign smells, dogs barking, and being poked and prodded, there’s a lot of new activities that make them uncomfortable. The Southfork Veterinary Hospital team is here to answer any questions you have about bringing your cat to see us and ensuring they’re as comfortable as possible.

Because visiting the vet can be so difficult for cats, cat owners often avoid taking their cats in for regular preventive care exams. In fact, many cats only see a veterinarian when their owners can tell they are ill. And since cats hide illness so effectively, once they are showing outward signs of illness, it’s often too late for effective treatment, and their owners end up spending more money trying to combat the problem.

Here are a few tips on how to make veterinary visits less stressful for your cat.

• Start early. If you get your cat as a kitten, it’s a great idea to get your kitten accustomed to riding in the car and being in the cat carrier. Bring your kitten to our office on days when you don’t have an appointment, just so she can get some love and affection from the staff. She’ll begin to associate coming here with positive feelings.
• Make the carrier comfortable. Get the carrier out a few days before your cat’s veterinary visit. Leave the door open and put treats and toys inside. This will help your cat enjoy getting into the carrier, rather than be afraid of it.
• Keep kitty calm. Some cats do better at the veterinary hospital when an owner places a blanket or a towel over the carrier, so she can’t see the other animals in the waiting room. Another way to calm your cat is to use a natural feline pheromone product, like Feliway. You can use Feliway’s diffuser (just plug it in at home), or it comes as a collar and a spray.

We are proud to be a certified Cat Friendly practice leading the movement to make veterinary care less stressful for their cats and their owners. Your feline friend should visit us at least once every year (more often in her first year, and twice annually after she reaches her senior years). Call our office to schedule your Cat Friendly exam.