5 Tips For Your Next Vet Visit
If you have a young cat, going to the vet is usually the regular routine with vaccines, checking blood,, and whatnot. However, vet visits can be a little more time-consuming and concerning if you have an older kitty. So here are some great tips for your next vet visit:
- Call Ahead – if you are bringing your kitty in for something other than the standard physical – like for stomach problems, then you should find out if you need to bring in stool samples and whatnot. Calling ahead can also help you determine whether or not you need to fast your kitty. By calling ahead, you save your time and the doctor’s too!
- Make An Appointment – some vets take walk-ins, and others accept appointments. I prefer the appointment because I know my cat will be seen then. Start making a list (possibly even on your phone) of what your kitty is doing that you’re concerned about).
- Make A List – as I mentioned in #2, you will want to list concerns or questions you have for the vet so that you don’t remember that you should have asked something two days after the visit.
- Take Photos or Take a Video – if your cat has a particular issue, you should snap a photo of them in action doing the issue or take a video of it and put it on YouTube so that the vet can check it out.
- Take Notes – when you’re at the vet, you might need to take notes, so unless you like to take notes on your phone, you should bring along a notebook or a laptop. That way, you will remember all of the vet’s recommendations.
Those are a few tips. Do you have any recommendations for our readers? What pre-, post-, or during-vet rituals have you learned over the years? Please share them with our readers by leaving a comment below!
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
Do not underestimate how sensitive your cat (especially your mellow Ragdoll) is to new scenery, the car, loud noises, the elevator, strange people, new smells, meds, getting passed from tech to doc to front desk, motion of the cat carrier, your high pitched “it’s all gonna be alright” voice… They’re taking it all in, it’s making them nervous, and could easily make them physically ill. It surprised me when it happened to our five-year-old this Thanksgiving on the way out of the emergency clinic. Do what you need to do but try to mitigate the trauma.
Hi Jenny – one of our cats, Louie, absolutely HATES riding to the vet. It doesn’t matter what I do. Of course, then he is very anxious when at the vet. He’s not a biter or anything like that. It’s just that his heart rate goes way up. I have gabapentin for him. Our vet recommends I give it to him an hour or 2 before his appointment. This is especially true if anesthesia is involved, such as teeth cleaning. The reason he says this is that if Louie is calmer already from the gabapentin, he can use much less anesthesia. I also do this when the groomer comes, although he is pretty good with her – she is mobile with an amazingly equipped van.
Glad Gabapentin works for Mr. Louie – mine can barely move when I give it to them!