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How to give your cat a stress-free visit to the vet · The Hissing Feline

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_04: Taking your cat to the veterinarian can be a challenge.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_04: Putting your four-footed child into its carrier is just the start.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_04: Then there's the battle of giving your cat a pill if the vet prescribes medication.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_04: There must be a better way to deal with those situations, you tell yourself.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_04: Well, there is.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_04: You'll hear about solutions to those problems next on the Hissing Feline Podcast.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_04: Hi, I'm Clark Greer, retired communications professor, full-time cat dad, and host of the Hissing Feline, a podcast that is about everything cats.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_04: Each week, cat specialists share their expertise in everything from feline health, training, and adoption to fostering community cats and kittens.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_04: Now let's get started with today's show.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you for selecting the Hissing Feline Podcast as your cat information source.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_04: Visits to the veterinarian can be stressful both for you and your cat.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_04: Even seeing its carrier might send your feline into panic mode and under the bed or another hiding spot.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_04: Joining me today again on the podcast is Dr.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_04: Elizabeth Chapman, owner and medical director of Just Cats Clinic in Reston, Virginia.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_04: This is Dr.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_04: Chapman's second time on the podcast.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_04: Always glad to have you on the program.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks for having me.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's super fun.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_04: I really appreciate you uh sharing your insights about making vet visits a little easier.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_04: All of us that have cats understand how difficult it is.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_04: And you are exactly right when you talk about even just showing the carrier, they just know and they'll hide.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_04: Vet visits don't start the day of the vet.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_04: Visit itself, it actually starts uh ahead of time.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so a good vet visit starts at home, and that really is the theme for today.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I want everyone to imagine what happens when you bring the carrier out from wherever it was hiding.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: Your cat sees it and it runs and it goes under the bed.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: So you spend 20 minutes chasing your cat around and then you can't get it in very well because your cat's pulling it, you know, stretching its arms and legs out, and it's terrified, and you're stressed, and everybody's stressed.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: Well, cats learn association really quickly.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: That's why when the carrier comes out, they are nowhere to be found.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: What we have learned in the past 10, 15 years is we should be starting training the cats to the carrier long before it's time for the visit.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the most important things you can do is to just not hide that carrier.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_01: The carrier doesn't live in the garage.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't live in a closet.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: It lives in your living room or your bedroom or a space that the cat sees all the time.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: And that way it's not unfamiliar and it doesn't smell bad when you bring it in.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: Even, you know, putting a soft blanket in there, putting treats in there, feeding your cat near it or in it, it has made a huge difference, not only with my uh most recent, you know, cat additions, it's just night and day.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, oh, there are they get in the carrier just for fun sometimes.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: So it takes that stress level up way down.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, that's that's one of the hints, but really it's about lowering your stress and the cat's stress because your stress feeds the cat too.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's hard for everybody.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_04: It sounds like you've been in our house when we have to take our cat to the veterinarians because that's exactly what happens.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_04: And now I know better than to, well, we leave it down in our basement and I bring it up, and either one of the cats is going to hide behind the couch or under the bed.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, uh, so I mean, that is a really good suggestion so that immediately the cat's acquainted with it because they see it around all the time.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: And it doesn't smell like the basement and it doesn't have some bugs in it, and it doesn't, you know, it's a nice place.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: It can be a pleasant place if you make it.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: But you also need to choose the correct carrier.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: So you want a sturdy carrier that's easy to clean and has two openings.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: We don't want just an opening from the front.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: We also want an opening from the top, um, just for ease of loading the cat in or out if needed.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: And really want one that's easy to take apart so that uh so no more bolting it in and using zip ties when you lose the bolts.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: It really needs to be easy to come apart because we should never be pulling a cat out of a carrier for a vet exam or dumping them out.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, that's so rude.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: If they don't want to come out on their own, we can unhook the carrier and do the exam in the bottom half of the carrier, and they're much less stressed that way.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, replace your carrier if uh if you if you have missing parts to it.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's a that's a really good suggestion.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_04: Our calico is pretty good size, and uh she's not a large cat, let's say like a main coon or something like that.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_04: But she's a larger cat, she requires a larger carrier.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_04: We used to have a smaller one when we had Sadie, who was our cat that passed a few years ago.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_04: She was relatively small.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_04: So I would think the size and the comfort of the cat would be an important thing.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's absolutely important.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: And there's so many different carrier types out there.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: There's even one that's been safety tested in auto crashes.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's called a sleepy pod.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: They're really expensive.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: I don't own one yet, but um, it's nice because it's just like a round sleeper, and then you can just zip the top on if you need to.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: So there's so many different options out there.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: Just make sure there's, you know, your cat is comfortable in it and that it doesn't require you or a vet assistant or a veterinarian to dump or pull your cat out for exams.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_01: And the best time to start this is when you bring a new kitten home.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that's the best time.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: But for those of you who don't have new kittens, you can teach an older cat to appreciate the carrier by bringing it up, not in the basement, not in the garage.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: You can start feeding them treats in it or just leaving it out.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, small short steps.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, start closing the door, then give them a treat after you've closed the door.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, walk around the house with it, just anything that uh makes it a familiar piece of furniture and not a scary thing.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and and and you suggest also tossing treats and toys into it, even when you're not gonna go to the vet, just so they think, oh, this is a pleasant experience.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna get something nice.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it doesn't have to be all bad.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_04: That's a good thing.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_04: You know, maybe people should do things like that when they're gonna have to go to the doctor.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_04: Or the dentist in my case.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_04: I'm not a big fan of girlfriend.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: I always get a treat after I go to the dentist.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_04: See, that's what I need.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna have to tell my wife that and say, Yeah, I need a treat after I go to the dentist.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_04: Usually it's the worst thing.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, so we won't go down that road.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_04: But uh you also advocate putting comfortable bedding inside something a cat will feel really good about.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: So a favorite blanket or shirt that smells like you, or whatever your cat wants to snuggle on so that it's not just a hard bare carrier.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: That also prevents them, if it's a plastic one, from sliding around in it.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, their nails can't grip when you take turns in the car.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: So absolutely.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: It has to have something in the bottom.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so making it a uh making it desirable to go there.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_04: And what I found was interesting when we had Sadie many years ago, she actually, when she was younger and not even a kitten, she was probably a couple years of age, she went into the carrier and just slept in there.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_04: It's like, really?
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_04: You know, who can't would do that?
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_04: But we did keep it around the uh family room, and I guess she just got used to saying it.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: It really makes it better.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: Other things that you can do to make the car less frightening is to make sure you secure the carrier.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: So buckle it in.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I see people load their cats into the trunks if they have little hatchbacks, and I wonder what's keeping those cats from sliding from one side to the other when you're taking turns.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like I always put my cat either in the passenger seat next to me, buckled in, or in the back seat buckled in, just so the carrier doesn't slide or turn or fall.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: You want to keep the car quiet and you want to make sure it's a cool temperature.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if it's really hot outside or really cold, warm your car up first.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: Don't turn your music up really loud.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: Drive smoothly, not like a maniac if possible.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, some cats actually do better with a towel covering the carrier.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you would have to test that on your own individual cat.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes just decreasing their visual capability makes them calmer.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: Things that you can do for that towel and in the carrier itself is to use um feel away spray, which is feline pheromones, to make uh make it smell fine.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: But you need to apply the feel away to the carrier bedding and the towel if you're going to use one at least an hour prior, because it does have quite a strong smell at first, and you need it to kind of latch on and dissipate.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: Don't spray it and then immediately put it your cat in the carrier and don't spray your cat with it.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, if your cat gets car sick, sometimes they vomit and sometimes they defecate.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: I recommend talking to your veterinarian, they're anti-nause medications that could be given the night before, so that makes vomiting less likely if they get motion sick.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: And if they defecate every time they go in the car, don't feed them.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: Just fast them before their trip.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: So if you have a morning appointment, don't feed them breakfast.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: If you have an evening appointment, don't feed them dinner before you go.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: That can help.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_04: Well, we take our calico to our veterinarian.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_04: She's a smart cat.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_04: When we put her in the carrier, she immediately starts to meow.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_04: We put her in the car.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_04: She meows all the way to the veterinarian.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_04: Fortunately, it's about a five to ten minute drive.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_04: So all we're hearing it is one way.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_04: And then when I were going to come home, she's not at all.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_04: Is there anything anything that you would suggest when those types of things happen in the car?
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: I have not found a shut-up medication for the cat in the car.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: But I do think we need to talk about pre-visit medications because stress at a veterinary visit for a cat is cumulative.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: Every time they have a bad, stressful experience, it adds and it builds.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so eventually they become untouchable.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: So it might be the cat that really didn't want to be there, got held down, got its shots done, and the next time you came back, it was even harder to do the things.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: And then finally, you know, you have the cat lunging and uh lashing out.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's stress is cumulative.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: So if your vet has recommended for you to give a medication ahead of time, it's very important to do so.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: It is not a failure on your part, and your cat is not a bad cat.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: But these medications, particularly, there's two that we use there's GABAPensin and pregabalin, which now comes as boncat, which uh doesn't taste as bad as gabapentin.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I highly recommend it.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a smaller amount of liquid.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: So giving those the sweet spot we found is three hours prior uh for gabapensin and an hour and a half prior for the bond cat or pre-clapin liquid.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: I know that these two medications last about 12 hours in your cat's body, so they may be excessively sleepy at home or maybe a little wobbly when they walk.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's not doing any harm.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_01: It wears off.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's hard to see your cat like that at home, but it makes the stress of the visit so much better.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: And when I started practicing veterinary medicine 18 years ago, I probably did three to five sedated exams a week on cats because we could not touch them safely.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: Now that we are using gabapentin and pre-gabelin, I do a sedated exam maybe once a month for a cat that just we haven't gotten the right cocktail for ahead of time.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: So it's vital, absolutely vital, that that we use those medications uh appropriately.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: If your vet isn't suggesting one and you think your cat is very stressed, please advocate for your cat.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's okay to say, I think my cat is very stressed, or even if you have trouble getting your cat in the carrier, medication can help you prevent that chasing around and that hiding.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: I know a lot of owners have trouble getting medication in their cats, so it's also important to start teaching them to accept medications early on, not just when we need them.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: My trick is to when the cat is healthy and young, start feeding them pill pockets or treats designed to hide pills as part of their treat regimen.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not this brand new thing and we know that they like them.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: Every once in a while, buy a bag of that and use that instead of temptations or whatever treat you're using.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Do the same with the um the little squeezy tubes of churu or there's a bunch of them out there, but those are magic for medication delivery.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so just, you know, making sure your cat gets one every now and then.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: An even better trick would be to teach your cat to accept pills in a pill pocket by buying empty gel caps.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: You can buy them off of Amazon.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, there's no medication in them, but it would be, it would teach them that you know it's okay if it crunches in the middle sometimes.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: And the real trick is you when you do need to give actual medication, you give one or two pill pockets without anything in it, and then the pill pocket with something with the medication hidden, and then another two to chase it without anything in it.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, their first taste and their last taste are the best.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_04: Our um Calico had a UTI.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_04: We put some in her wet food, and she loves to eat anyway.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_04: We just broke it in a couple of pieces and it was great.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_04: We did use some of the churu, and we have another soft treat that we use with them, and she loves that, and it actually works for her.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_04: Those are great things to try.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: Be careful with just mixing it in their regular food because sometimes they won't eat if it's a pre-visit medication, they won't eat all of it in time, or they'll not like the taste of the gabapapentin or the medication you've mixed in.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're doing that, a small amount, like the size of a teaspoon or or half a teaspoon or something, um, to make sure they get all of the medication when you're using food for it.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_04: This is really helpful for people that need to give uh medication to cats.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_04: One of the things about taking the cat to the veterinarian is just being in the car and getting used to it.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_04: One thing is, and you've you've mentioned this in some of our uh materials, is uh to practice taking the cat even when you're not gonna go any place.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I I really recommend this for if you get a new kitten um or pair of kittens.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I don't know that I recommend it for your older cats who've already set in their ways and know they hate the car.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: But when you adopt a new kitten and let's say it's three to six months old, start just taking it places, 10 or 15 minutes in the cars.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: They learn, oh, I go in my carrier, we go in the car, I get a treat, and I don't die, and nothing bad happens to me.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: So they associate the car with it's okay.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes we we do things.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: Not saying you need to put them in there for an hour, but go through the drive-thru or something.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_01: Go pick up a coffee with your cat.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: That that can make it all the difference for them.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_04: And you even talk about picking the carrier up and walking around the house just to get the cat used to being in the carrier in movement.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, anything that you can do that just desensitizes them can be helpful.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: And and that's where we start talking about cooperative uh veterinary care and and really trying to get buy-in from cats and kittens.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: So if you have a young animal or a young cat and you need to be touching their paws and their toes, and you need to be opening their mouths and then giving them rewards.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_01: You need to teach them, it's okay when I touch these places, it's okay if I give you a pill, it's okay to do these things.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: And you've just got to continuously train them that way.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: That's also the way to train them to accept nail trims, is is by doing it very frequently, like once a week when um when they're very young.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: And that way they associate it with it.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's an okay thing that just happens.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: But you have to know when to stop, right?
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: So when you're training your cat, if you get three nails trimmed and then they start freaking out, let it go.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: Do three more tomorrow.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: You want to stop when it's still okay.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: Do three, give them a cookie, give them some churu, build up to all of them at the same time at that one time if you can.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: But if not, it's okay.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: You've got to work cooperatively.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_04: We sometimes, and I guess I should say most of the time for our tabby, is uh she's quite active.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_04: She doesn't like to be held, so trimming her nails is a real trick.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_04: And uh I think we usually manage to get her front paws done, but then she's ready to be let go.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_04: And uh I I just we're concerned about making them afraid or you think for the something it really we need to take care of so that their their health is thought of.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: And if your cat does need previsit medication for gapapentin or pregabalin, you can use those at home to assist in nail trims.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: Or if your cat needs to be brushed out and you can't do it at home, or you have mats that need trimming, using those medications at home, just talk to your to your veterinarian.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: But my clients use it all the time.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_04: Let's look at it from your perspective as a veterinarian.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_04: A calmer visit, not only for the owner of the cat and the cat itself, but it really helps veterinarians when you have a cat that's not under stress and and they shed and things, you know.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, the shedding never bothers me, but it hurts my heart when they're so stressed out and you know, they either freeze or they fight, just like we do, right?
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: And when they are lunging and trying to bite us, it's so sad because I know that they're just terrified.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_01: They're not bad cats, they're just terrified, and it really limits the amount of care that we can give.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if you're able to have a cat that you can bring to the veterinarian, especially as they get older and have chronic illnesses that require frequent visits, uh, it makes everything better.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: Everything better for the cat and for the staff too.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, nobody likes to get scratched or bit.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: I am not an advocate of hold them down and get it done.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: We don't use cat gloves at my practice.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: We do not scruff cats at my practice.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: We use towels, we use previsit medications, we use injectable medications if we need to, so that the cat is not stressed and we can get the diagnostics done.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_04: Things like respiratory rates and blood pressure ratings and each other.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_04: Respiratory blood pressure.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_04: I'm hoping the cat maybe gets a better idea of okay, this is a vet visit, it's not really that bad, and then they're calmer, and then the next time you have to bring the cat back to the veterinarian, the visit should be a lot calmer, hopefully, for that for the cat.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_04: And everybody concerned uh for your office as well.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_04: The morning of the appointment, what are some suggestions you have?
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: I think you have to keep your schedule.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: You need to be calm.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: Just because you know the visit's coming up, you need to be calm because I know we love them so much.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I also dread bringing my own cat in, I have to say, I'm honest.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: I dread it too, right?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: I I don't like putting them doing anything that they don't like, but you need to keep your routine normal.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need to signal that this is a bad day ahead of us.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: You need to know where your kitty is.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: Don't start looking five or 10 minutes before you need them.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_01: You just need to kind of know where your cat is at all times that day.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: And if they're gonna run and hide, go ahead and close off the bedrooms, close off the places they get to that you can't reach them.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: Leave enough time that you're not rushing to get to the vet.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: Load them calmly, give them treats, try to bring comfort items with them.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: Leave yourself enough time.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, another thing is if there is any, if the cat is stressful, if it's really difficult if they're taking medication or whatever, is to communicate with your veterinarian.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_04: That's it's essential.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_01: It is absolutely essential.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: Please tell me if you have to chase your cat around for an hour before you can get it in the carrier, because I want to help you with that problem.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: I want to give you medication, and you should be having a discussion with your vet of I could I can give my cat a pill, I would be able to give my cat a liquid, or there's no way I can medicate, what can we do?
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: And your vet should be asking you those questions too, because I do see sometimes we send home pre-visit medications and then the owners say, Oh, I couldn't give it.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: Well, let us know.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: Let us know what the struggle you're having is because we can get things made into different, you know, if it's pill, we can get it made into a liquid.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if it's liquid, we it often comes in a pill version and learning uh tips and tricks of how to how to get your cat to accept medication.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_04: Just wrapping up our visit today is you have some uh takeaways for us, and I you've got three things that owners can actually start doing today, even before they're thinking about the next veterinarian visit.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, uh the takeaways.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: Get the carrier out of the garage or the closet or the basement and make it part of your house.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_01: It might take your cat a week to get used to it, but don't worry, they will eventually make it a good place that they can go.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_01: Please start teaching your cat to accept medication before medication's needed.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: So pill pockets or churu treats, practice brief, uh rewarding handling um of their paws and their ears and their mouth.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: All of those things can really help.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_04: Cats aren't necessarily going to make, are they gonna love saying, oh, yes, I don't know what a cat has on its mind.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_04: They're not gonna say, oh, can we go to the vet today?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_04: But it's to make the experience better.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: And and all of those things will make a drastic improvement.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: There are a lot of tips and explanations at catfriendly.com.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_01: That is an excellent resource for owners and picking carriers and medication.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: All of those things and even choosing a veterinarian.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_01: You should be looking for people who are cat-friendly veterinarians or at least members of the feline VMA, or better yet, a cat-friendly practice.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: But you can search for all of that at catfriendly.com.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_04: Doctor, I can hear my listeners thanking you for your guidance about preparing for their cat's visit to the veterinarian.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_04: And one of the most important things to remember is getting ready for the trip.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_04: We talked about that today.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_04: And it starts before the day of the appointment.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_04: And some of the takeaways you've given us really emphasize that.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_04: And another thing that people need to remember is having the right kind of carrier and making the carrier a positive experience by leaving it out, maybe putting some treats in there, letting the cats go in and out of it so they've been in there before.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_04: And uh it doesn't become a big ordeal the day they have to go visit their doctor.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: Sounds like you've got the lesson.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_04: I want to thank Dr.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_04: Chapman for joining me today to talk about preparing your cat for a veterinary visit.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_04: You've been listening to the Hissing Feline podcast with my guest, Dr.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_04: Elizabeth Chapman.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_04: She's owner and medical director of Just Cats Clinic in Reston, Virginia.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_04: Be sure to tell your friends about the Hissing Feline and click the follow button where you listen to this podcast.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_04: Next week, I'll be talking with Dr.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_04: Emily Coleman, Executive Director of the Kitten Coalition, about retroviruses and kittens.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_04: Coming up next is this week's Inspiring Cat Story.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_04: Remember to keep purring.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_03: This is Inspirational Cat Stories.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_03: Tales about the joys and quirks of cat ownership.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: My name is Bill, and I've had three cats in the last 30 years, and I will tell you about Sammy.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_02: Sammy was a Chocolate Point Siamese.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: I got him in 1995, and he lived till 2015.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_02: He had a pretty interesting life.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: He was a traveling cat.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_02: He liked to go wherever I went, and I surely took him wherever I could.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_02: He liked to get up into the window of the vehicle and hang his head out just like a dog, although he did not like dogs.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_02: He went on construction jobs with me at night when I worked at night.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: And he just had a he had a ball doing that.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_02: He was a lot of help to me in bad times.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_02: He started having some problems after the age of 11.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_02: He uh he developed uh bad teeth and he had ringworm at time at a certain time.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_02: And then when he was 16, he developed kidney disease.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_02: We treated him and uh he lived another four years.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_02: The last year was kind of rough, but uh it's hard to let him go.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: So that's my brief story about Sammy.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_03: You've been listening to Inspirational Cat Stories, a weekly feature of the Hissing Feline podcast.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_04: Do you have a humorous, thoughtful, or fun story that you want to share with listeners of the Hissing Feline?
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_04: Visit the contact page on the podcast website at the Hissingfeline.com.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_04: Scroll down to Inspiring Cat Stories and click the submission info button for complete details.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: Content on the Hissing Feline Podcast is for information and entertainment purposes only, and it's not intended to provide medical, veterinary, or legal advice.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Please consult your veterinarian and local and state authorities before dealing with feral and stray cats.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and not necessarily those of Duracho Cat Media LLC.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: References to products or services do not imply an endorsement.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: The Hissing Feline podcast is a production of Duracho Cat Media LLC and has been blessed by our rescue cats, Bridget and Maddie.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: All content is used with permission or under fair use.