Tips For Taking The Cat To The Vet
Cats, unlike dogs, are not prone to leaving the house. And if it comes to visits to the doctor, much worse. Lovers of these little felines tend to get upset, as well as the animals themselves, when the routine of taking the cat to the vet must be followed.
There are some very useful tips. So that taking the cat to the vet is not synonymous with calamity, neither for the animal, nor for its owners, take note of these tips.
Go with the cat to the vet. Mission Impossible?
It is necessary to remain calm at all times. Cats easily detect when their owners are nervous, ending up just as uneasy most of the time.
To transport it, the ideal is to have a transporter. When purchasing the right model, owners are advised to think about practicality. Those with a front door work much better. And those that can be opened or disassembled from the top are also practical.
“Fighting” with the cat to put it inside the transport box is not the ideal scenario. It should be ensured that the animal becomes naturally familiar with the carrier and that it even accepts it as its own. To do this, it must be left open in a room where the feline likes to sleep. If it shows resistance or indifference, toys can be introduced with which the pet plays, or some foods.
Once it is frequent that the feline enters and leaves the box without problems, the next thing is to take small walks around the house. There are cats that will use the carrier even to sleep.
If you have enough time for this adaptation process, you can include street tours and, eventually, a few laps in the car.
On the day of the medical consultation, the box can be sprayed with pheromones 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. In this way, it is easier to take the cat to the vet in a calm way.
Taking the cat to the vet on the hands: a bad idea
If you do not have a carrier for the cat’s visit to the vet, carrying it loaded is not the right thing to do. Although there are specimens that maintain a certain level of calm when they are in the arms of their owners, in general terms, they are animals that tend to lose control when they feel threatened or something scares them.
A sports bag can be an option, preferably if it is models with holes or in nylon. In this way, the animal can see outside and, most importantly, can breathe easily.
The bottom of the bag should be rigid. It will be even more uncomfortable for the feline to travel cloistered within a space where it cannot stand.
Getting used to “rolling”
If the vet’s office is not so close to home that you can walk, then ideally, the cat should become familiar with car rides.
When taking the cat to the vet by car, it is good to isolate the kitten from the noises that come from outside. But it is also essential that the interior of the vehicle is well ventilated, especially in summer.
If you do not have your own car, you can use public transport to take the cat to the vet. In these cases, a process of adaptation to public transport is necessary, in any of its versions (surface or underground).
In the waiting room
Most of the time, you have to wait a while in the doctor’s offices, before the doctor finally treats the pet. During this period, the owners must bear in mind that, although it may not appear, the animal will be restless.
The pet must always wait inside its carrier (or bag), placed on the owner’s legs. They should be spoken to frequently and caressed, only if there is space to insert the hand, without the risk that the animal may escape.
If the wait is spent sharing the place with dogs, the situation can be tense. It is best to place the cat with its back to the room and avoid, as much as possible, that the dogs approach to sniff the box.
Back home
If the cat lives with other animals of the same species, it is possible that his companions are strange with the newcomer. This is because the smells changed when the cat was taken to the vet. You have to be patient.
