June 6, 2010

Dear Obie,
My cat, Reginald, gets very stressed when it comes time to take him to the vet. Is there anything I can do to help make these important visits any less traumatic for him?
Signed, Mary
Salem, Oregon

Dear Mary,
I know exactly how Reginald feels! My cat siblings and I absolutely hated going to the vet, even though we love our vets and we know our humans only take us there because they care about our health.

Whenever the cat carrier would make an appearance, we knew it could only mean one thing! A trip to the vet! At that point, it became every cat for itself! At least, until our humans started getting sneaky!

You see, Mary, what my humans started to do was to leave the cat carrier in the living room, right next to the couch. They would leave the door opened, and put a big fluffy blanket inside. They would even throw some treats or a catnip toy inside. Sneaky humans!

What happened, of course, is that we cats lost our fear of the carrier. It was no longer a thing of evil. It became a common part of our lives, a piece of furniture, and even a source of good things!

As the fear vanished, it became easier for our humans to capture us and take us to the vet. We no longer heard the tell-tale sound of the carrier being brought up from the basement. We no longer had time to hide. Why, I can remember vet visits being canceled because our humans couldn't catch us! Ah, those were the good old days!

What they did next was even more nefarious. They started taking us to the vet's office for simple, non-invasive visits, like a weight check. The staff would pet us and coo over us, and then we would go home. No needles! No squeezing! The vet's office started to become, gasp, a fun place!

The only way I would improve on a vet visit would be if my humans wouldn't take us in the carrier at all, but they insist. We could get hurt badly if there were an accident, they say, or we could get out of the car and be hurt, or lost. Humans have an argument for everything!

When I am at the vet I like to have my humans in the room with me, but I know that some cats get more stressed if their human stays in the examining room. My vet says it is because we cats view our humans as protectors, and when they just stand there watching the vet squeeze us or give us shots, we feel betrayed. My vet suggests that a human cat-owner should watch how their cat reacts to them being in the room and react accordingly.

Sometimes, when I get home from a vet visit, my cat siblings hiss at me, like it's my fault! So my humans started letting us out of the carrier in a room separate from the other cats, with food, water and a litter box, until we could ease back into the normal household routine.

And we all know that cats love a routine! We like things to run smoothly, not all topsy-turvy. Which is another reason many cats get stressed by a vet visit. Reginald may just be responding to the upheaval in the even tenor of his ways! Try some of the tricks my humans used on me and see if they don't help ease the stress of vet visit time!

If the day ever comes when another kitten enters your life, try taking it on rides in the carrier while it is still young. If a cat views a ride in the car as a normal routine in its life, it won't be as freaked when you load it in the carrier for a ride to the vet.

Thanks for the email, Mary! I hope Reginald does better on his next vet visit!

Your friend,
Obie