Tips for a Fear Free Feline Visit

Wellness visits are important for feline patients.  Not only can disease be detected earlier, but these visits help PREVENT some illnesses.  Start your fear free feline visit by bringing your kitten to the veterinary clinic for all wellness appointments and vaccines.  Continue these preventative visits throughout your feline’s life.

For those who may be starting a little later in their feline’s life, here are a few tips:

• Leave the carrier/crate you will be traveling with on the floor in a place your cat likes to sleep.  Place their favorite bed inside the crate.  Leave the door open to the crate.  You can do this several weeks before your appointment.  This makes the crate experience stress free.

• Spray pheromones on a blanket or in the crate before travel.

• Choose a crate/carrier that is easy for your cat to hide, but can also see out.  Crates that open on the top or several sides are easy for your veterinary team to access your cat and possibly leave your cat in their crate while examining.

• Place a litter box in the crate/carrier with your pet.  If they are nervous, they can easily eliminate without having to eliminate on themselves.

• Feline friendly and safe CBD chews or pastes are also helpful to help calm your feline family member before visits.

• If you have a very fearful feline, please stop by the office beforehand for prescription strength medication to help calm your cat’s nerves.  Pick this medication up at least 48 hour in advance as we may want you to give the medication the night before as well as several hours before.  Also, if you cat tends to get car sick or motion sickness, please let us know and pick something up before the visit.

• Leave your cat in your car (if not hot outside!!) while you check in and wait with your cat in your car until a technician comes to get you for the appointment.  Alternatively, check-in via text or phone.

• Ask to be placed in an exam room as soon as possible if your cat is very anxious and leaving him/her in the car is not an option.  

• Our hospital has feline only exam rooms to help, but not every clinic may have this capability.  That is okay.  Bring pheromones with you and spray in the crate right before you enter the veterinary clinic to help calm smells and nerves☺

• At home, desensitize your feline friend by rubbing him/her all over, rubbing, moving around the ears and feel of the feet and nails.

• Take your feline to the veterinary office just to sit in the crate for 5 minutes here and there.  That helps desensitize them to the sounds and smells and lets them know that a veterinary clinic does not always mean “stress” or “pain”.