Cat-Friendly Veterinary Care: De-stressing Your Cat’s Trip to the Vet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Libertyville, Illinois, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) December 27, 2011 -- (Libertyville, Ill) - Cats are the most popular pets in America, outnumbering dogs by over 15 million. Unfortunately, more and more cat owners are skipping their annual trip to the vet for preventive health care. According to a survey conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the number of cat owners that take their pet to the veterinarian for an annual check-up has dropped 30 percent in the past five years. This is bad news because preventable problems like obesity, diabetes, parasites, dental disease and ear infections are on the rise.

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Cat-Friendly Veterinary Care: De-stressing Your Cat’s Trip to the Vet

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Although the economy does play a role, another factor is taking your cat to the vet can be stressful on both of you. To combat that issue, the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the CATalyst Council have joined forces with veterinarians to help make their practices more cat-friendly.

“Cats are creatures of habit. They do not like a change in there routine,” says Dr. Rebecca Schmidt. “This is particularly true if the experience is negative. The idea is to make their trip to the veterinarian more positive.”

The cat-friendly practice idea isn’t new to Dr. Schmidt who founded the Northern Illinois Cat Clinic, her feline-exclusive practice, nearly 30 years ago. At the time, she felt veterinarians too frequently treated cats like small dogs. Many of the recommendations for the cat-friendly practice are already standard procedure in her Libertyville-based clinic.

“We worked on creating an environment that was different and focused on what we could do to counteract fear and reduce stress when the cats came into the practice,” says Dr. Schmidt. “Since cats often feed off the stress or fear that exists in their owner, we look at ways to make the visit less stressful for them. It starts with making the waiting room more inviting with chocolates, music, and beverages then continues through the rest of the practice.”

A key in making the practice more cat-friendly is focusing on a cat’s natural behavior. Since cats are generally curious, they are allowed to explore to their heart’s content in the exam rooms. Since most cats can’t resist sniffing a finger, veterinarians greet the cats with outstretched fingers smelling of treats or catnip.

“We read a cat’s body language and work with each cat to find ways to make the visit less stressful,” adds Dr. Schmidt. “If a cat is comfortable with being massaged during the exam, I’ll try that. I examine some cats on my lap, some on the floor and we even had a cat many years ago that only relaxed when we let him jump onto the toilet in the bathroom. From that point on, we examined him there.”

Cats often mask or hide symptoms of illness. The annual trip to the vet is important to catch problems early when they are more treatable. Just like with people, the stress of the trip could affect test results, making it important for vets and vet techs to take additional steps to keep kitties calm.

The Cat Clinic frequently uses big fluffy bath towels for cats to hide under during exams to add to a cat’s feeling of security. They also try to make vaccinations and blood draws a positive experience using treats and food on a tongue depressor or even some fresh catnip. Modern medicine has made it easier to treat even the most stressed-out cats. New types of light sedation may now be used for short periods of time. This really relaxes the kitties.

“I’ve been to other vets and they didn’t really focus on each individual cat,” says Diane Schorn who has a multi-cat household. “At the Cat Clinic, they ask a lot of questions about the behavior and day-to-day activity of each cat. They focus on subtle changes that may help indicate what is wrong. They also work with you to help modify behavior when issues occur in a multiple cat home.”

Dr. Schmidt says that while some cats will never be completely relaxed for their trip into the vet, working with your cat and your veterinarian in advance of your cat’s visit will relieve a lot of stress for everyone. She even notes there are many cats in her practice that are quite relaxed when they visit.

Dr. Rebecca Schmidt and Dr. Michelle Miller are veterinarians at the Northern Illinois Cat Clinic, a full service feline-exclusive veterinary clinic, located at 295 Peterson in Libertyville. Learn more at http://www.northernilcatclinic.com/, by calling 847-680-1770 or following them on Facebook.

More information can be found online at http://www.northernilcatclinic.com/

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