At-home Tips to Help Ensure a Stress-Free Vet Visit

Getting your cat from the living room to the exam room in a calm state is the first step, says Dr. Becker. Here’s what to do:

Get the carrier out a week before a wellness visit (not the night before or the morning of the visit which often causes a pet to panic)

Start feeding high value treats in the carrier

Start a magic carpet ride of pheromones that will go from carrier to car to clinic

Withhold food for 12 hours before the visit (unless medically contraindicated) so that your cat comes in hungry and responds better to food rewards

Preheat or precool the vehicle so that your cat goes from 72 degrees in the home, to 72 in the vehicle and 72 in the vet clinic

Cover the carrier on three sides with a towel or sheet to reduce visual stimuli

Play classical or reggae music on the way in

Do not baby talk your cat

Once at the practice, leave your cat in the car, go check in, and go back out and wait in the vehicle until it’s your turn to be seen.