It is true that cats are much hardier than dogs and just don’t get sick as much as dogs do. Chalk that up to being smarter than dogs and not getting into trouble, genetically superior, or just working through those nine lives. Because of this, many cat owners don’t visit the veterinarian nearly as many times as dog owners do. And they may get lured into believing their cats are healthy and don’t need to be seen by the vet over the years. Couple that with the fact that many cats hate traveling outside of their kingdom to the vet. By the time the owner arrives to the office, their cat has now turned into a puddle of fear in the back of the kennel at the very least or ready to tear out someone’s eyes who tries to even peer into the kennel at the very worst. So I can see why my patient base is way more dogs than cats.
But cats also know how to hide illness extremely well. Many cat owners don’t realize their fur babies are silently suffering with a chronic illness until it’s too late to do much about it. But many diseases are easy to catch with a thorough veterinary exam and routine yearly blood work. The hard part is getting your cat to the vet hospital first.
Carrier love – First, we need to get your cat to love its carrier. Never put the carrier in the closet only to drag it out for travel. You’ll want to leave it out preferably in your cat’s favorite hangout spot. Drape a decorative throw over it to make it more appealing to you and a nice, dark hiding spot for your cat. Offer treats or even feed your cat in the carrier so he associates it with good things.
Planning for travel to the vet – Pheromone therapy is amazing for the calming effects it can bring to cats. Feliway comes in towelettes and spray to apply to the carrier 30 minutes before travel. Anxiety medication can also be given for extremely anxious cats that become frozen in fear or aggressive at the hospital. Gone are the days of acepromazine which does nothing for anxiety and causes grogginess for days. Ask your veterinarian for gabapentin which is best when given the night before the visit and repeated two hours prior to travel to the hospital. It comes in capsule form but can be compounded into a flavored liquid for easy administration.
Don’t feed your cat breakfast the morning of the appointment. This will make him more likely to take treats to relax at the hospital. Grab his favorite treats to take along. And don’t forget that stool sample from the litter box! I cannot stress enough how much animals, particularly cats, HATE fecal loops for sample extraction.
At the hospital – When unloading the carrier from the car, grasp it at both ends for better stability. Don’t swing it from the handle, jostling your precious cargo. Keep the carrier up off the floor by placing it on a chair next to you if waiting in the lobby or up on the exam table once in the exam room. Cats feel safer in higher positions. Open the door to the carrier as soon as you’re in the exam room so your cat can explore and get comfortable. If he doesn’t want to come out, undo the clips/bolts on the carrier to unfasten the top portion. This will allow your veterinarian easy access and prevent having to dump or drag out your cat causing unnecessary stress. Your vet may offer some tasty canned food or squeeze cheese for distractions during the exam and for blood draw.
If your cat is still super stressed and channeling his inner Freddy Krueger, it may help to do a light in-hospital sedative. This can be done with oral medication that is absorbed through the mucosa quickly. The goal is to prevent stress which can exacerbate underlying illness or even cause issues if severe enough. Don’t let the need for extra anxiety relieving steps deter keeping your cat’s examinations up to date. With early detection, there are many things that can be done to resolve or slow down the progression of disease.