How to Take Your Cat to the Veterinary Clinic? Selection and Training Tips for Carriers

Parents who have taken their cats to the vet are likely familiar with the following scenarios:

• The cat disappears as soon as the carrier is taken out.
• When attempting to place the cat in the carrier, it kicks and fights, knocking over the cage and scratching everyone.
• After finally getting the cat into the carrier, it howls all the way to the clinic, causing neighbors to worry about animal abuse.
• After a long day of stress, the cat gives you a look that seems to say, “You traitor, how could you betray me?”

Cats are very sensitive and fragile. If they have a bad experience at the vet, it becomes increasingly difficult to take them out in the future. Eventually, the stress of taking the cat out or the cat’s aggression when sensing an outing prevents regular health checks, leading to late detection of diseases. Even when diseases are discovered, each follow-up visit is a painful experience for both the owner and the cat.

However, by understanding the cat’s nature and starting training from the ground up, it is still possible to make the cat not dread medical visits.

I. Choose the Right Carrier

There are many types of carriers on the market, from basic to luxurious. But if you’re just taking your cat to the vet and not walking a runway, pay attention to these key points:

• Size: It should be big enough to hold in your arms but allows the cat to turn around inside; otherwise, being confined in one position will drive anyone mad.
• Material: Since it will be taken to the hospital, choose a material that is easy to clean and disinfect. Hard plastic shells are more suitable. Soft shells can cause the cat to sink in during movement, causing extreme discomfort.
• Detachable: Veterinarians prefer carriers that can be separated into top and bottom parts because it allows the cat to stay in the half with its scent for preliminary checks without being taken out. Try assembling and disassembling it yourself when purchasing, and if the budget allows, choose a carrier that is quiet during disassembly and assembly to avoid disturbing the cat.

II. Make the Cat Love the Carrier

Cats need time to explore and adapt to the unknown and hate being forced. Therefore, if you bring out a carrier from the depths of the room just before the vet visit, and before the cat can figure it out, it’s caught and put inside, the cat will fear and even be angry at the carrier. The next time, just seeing you approach the carrier’s evil corner will make the cat disappear. In light of this, we offer several tips to lower the cat’s guard:

• Make the carrier part of the furniture: Treat the carrier as a small piece of furniture, like a stool or a side table, placed where the cat will pass by, giving it plenty of time to get familiar with it.
• Turn the carrier into a luxury suite: With a roof, the carrier is an excellent hiding place for cats. Place their favorite cushions and toys inside, prepare some delicious snacks, and even spray some cat pheromones to make the cat feel honored as soon as it enters.
• Gradual introduction and appropriate rewards: If the cat is afraid of trying new things or has had bad experiences, it may take some time to convince the cat that this little cage is a safe place.

1. First, without the lid, set up the lower part and prepare snacks. Once the cat approaches or enters, give it some snacks to make it think this is a good place.
2. After getting used to the lower part, put on the lid but don’t close it, and use the same method to induce.
3. When the cat gets used to the cage with a lid, try opening and closing the door repeatedly, giving a little snack each time. Then slowly increase the time the door is closed.

Remember, a cat’s trust is not built in a day, but it can be destroyed in a day. Never suddenly close the lid or the door when the cat is finally willing to approach the carrier; this will only scare it away. Slow and steady wins the race.

III. Reduce the Sense of Urgency During Movement

For cats, once they leave home, the familiar carrier is their home, their source of security. Therefore, the owner should try their best to make the carrier feel like home. The usual sleeping mat, favorite toys, and favorite snacks should all be available. If the cat is very nervous, you can cover the cage with a cloth to block its view. Consider using calming products before going out or discussing with the vet about prescribing sedatives. These products or medications are not to make the cat unconscious but to dull the cat’s reaction to external stimuli, making what would normally make them nervous and angry into a minor issue.

IV. Choose the Right Veterinary Clinic and Veterinarian

With the rise of cat ownership awareness, many veterinarians are genuine cat servants, willing to make many efforts to make the cat comfortable during the visit, preferring to be scratched themselves rather than upsetting the cat. Modern veterinary clinics also have various designs specifically for cats, trying to minimize their unease during visits. It is recommended to do some homework before going to the clinic to find the most suitable veterinary clinic and veterinarian for your cat.

V. After Coming Home

After a long day, when you get home and open the carrier, the cat may disappear immediately. At this time, you can disinfect the carrier, erase the smell of the animal hospital, and rebuild a small luxury home with the smell of home.

However, if there are other cats at home, you should not open the carrier as soon as you get home. Instead, observe how the other cats react to the companion who just returned from the animal hospital. If they show obvious hostility to the unfamiliar smell, opening the carrier suddenly may trigger a conflict. It is recommended to separate them for one night and try to integrate them into the original social circle the next day.

Conclusion

Understanding that cats are “extremely in need of security” animals helps us comprehend their resistance to the veterinary process.

Because cats need a sense of security, they dislike change, hate the sudden appearance of a carrier, dislike being inexplicably put into a cage, dislike the constant shaking and fluctuating temperatures during the journey, dislike the many smells of the hospital, dislike the barking dogs they don’t know, dislike unfamiliar veterinarians, and dislike companions returning with strange smells.

Therefore, if we can make every effort to make the cat feel at ease, we can make the cat’s visit to the vet smoother, and the owner does not have to destroy the long-accumulated trust with the cat, achieving a win-win-win result for the cat, the owner, and the veterinarian!