Making Vet Visits Easier for Cats

According to Temple Grandin's book, Animals in Translation, animals have less trouble with "mixed feelings" than we do. It may be true that animal brains aren't complex enough to entertain two feelings at once. It's also true that cats are capable of acting on two feelings in very quick succession. They hate being sick, or being treated or transported when sick, or being vaccinated. (Most cats also dislike being in new places or around new people.) On the other hand, they show gratitude when they have been successfully treated...even for health problems they may not recognize as potentially serious, like worms and fleas.

So, what's the fastest route from loathing to gratitude? Here's what I've learned:

1. If it's not a life-and-death emergency, call ahead to ensure prompt service. You don't want to take your pets in for routine rabies shots and worm treatments while the vet is doing a tricky operation on another animal. By calling ahead, you may be able to get the cat vaccinated faster than you can fill out the registration forms.

2. Find out which modes of transportation are less stressful for your cat. Some cats like to look out the window in a car; some like to hide under a seat or in a carrier. Some cats prefer that you ride in someone else's car so your hands and lap are free to cuddle the cat on the trip. Cats don't have the neurological structure that allows humans to suffer from motion sickness as such. Cats can empty their stomachs, bowels, and/or bladders under stress, though. If you or the driver can spare the time, it seems to help to spend time petting and grooming your cat inside the parked car, so just being in the car won't cause the cat to panic before you even get to the clinic.

3. Once parked at the clinic, use a carrier to ensure that, if something in the waiting room does frighten your cat, you won't have to peel the cat off the ceiling.

4. Wear durable clothes in case the cat suddenly becomes "attached to you." Being around strangers has a way of making pets clingier than usual.