Now if you are a vet who sees at least a few cats in your practice, there`s one scenario you will come across on constant repeat. It’s such a common exchange in the consult room that, when I spot a nervous kitty, I sometimes catch myself doing a “5…4…3…2…1…” in my head and…… cue client! Off they go, expressing surprise and shock at the behaviour of their very own cat who has some extraordinarily conflicting attitudes towards entering the cat basket at home vs at the vet. This is an animal that many of these people have lived with day after day, sometimes for many years, yet they have still managed to have not even a small ounce of understanding of the feline psyche. It does actually boggle MY mind how unobservant people are.
So, here we go….for those of you who still haven’t figured out your own fuzzy feline’s foibles, this is for you: Cat’s are territorial animals who like to stay in familiar surroundings and know their routines. Any exploration and adventuring they do, they want to do on their own terms. They absolutely HATE having uncalled-for adventures thrust upon them. They certainly don’t generally enjoy being made to get into a small space not of their own choosing. Then, after that initial scuffle, there’s the weird sensation of unfamiliar movement, noises, smells and vibrations happening on the outside of this involuntarily confined space, often making them nauseous as all hell. And as if that was not sufficiantly diabolical, once the car trip is over, they find themselves in a weird indoor environment where they will often be all too aware of the sounds and smells of other unknown animals in their vicinity which may or may not wish to kill them. In this new seemingly hostile environment, they are then expected to prance out of their now relatively safe small space and present themselves out in the open to be poked, squeezed, manhandled and pricked with needles by a person who is clearly pretending to be friendly but has some definitely dodgy intentions when it comes to the cat’s bodily autonomy. Once released from this strange and violating experience, is it not just entirely logical that one would hurl one’s furry body straight back into the magic transport portal in some desperate hope that by some miracle it might take you back to your lovely familiar home terf from whence you were unceremoniously snatched?
The trick, dear friends is NOT to only ever bring out the cat carrier on the day that you intend a trip to the vet. It needs to preferably be a regular fixture where tasty treats are to be found, snuggy blankets in winter and cosy smells and happy pheromones might be sprayed. At least that way, there will be a small ounce of familiarity and comfort during transport, even if that demonic taker of liberties at the other end is still standing there with that thermometer and a pseudo benign grimace of welcome as she drags you once more onto the table of doom for your annual near-death experience, aka your vaccination and wellness check.
If your cat is really terrified and trips to the vet cause an intolerable amount of trauma, there are tranquilisers and anti anxiety meds that can be given to ease the stress – just ask your GP to prescribe some for you.
Of course, if you still feel you need some for your cat as well, ask the vet in advance to prescribe something safe and easy to give a few hours before V-day.
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