{"id":811,"date":"2012-09-27T15:09:57","date_gmt":"2012-09-27T15:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/?p=811"},"modified":"2014-01-13T20:45:45","modified_gmt":"2014-01-13T20:45:45","slug":"a-cats-visit-to-the-vet-not-the-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/a-cats-visit-to-the-vet-not-the-car","title":{"rendered":"A Cat&#8217;s Visit To The Vet &#8211; Not The Car!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>There are very few cats that actually don&#8217;t mind or even enjoy having to ride in the car. Clear the Air would like to share some car ride tips for your cat.<\/h3>\n<p>The most common car trip is usually to the vet, and that event causes  enough anxiety by itself. Getting stressed out by the car ride to the  vet may make it difficult to tell what is &#8220;normal&#8221; and what is  stress-related on the physical exam for some cats. Here are some tips to  reduce travel stress to the vet&#8217;s office and beyond.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cat Transportation<\/strong><br \/>\nFor the safety of the driver and the cat, carriers should always be used  for transporting cats (dogs too). Cats can startle easily, jump out of  the smallest opening or basically interfere with the driver&#8217;s duties  when they are stressed. The carrier should be cleansed after each use  with a non-toxic soap or cleanser.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Carrier<\/strong><br \/>\nLetting your cat explore the cat carrier at their own pace and without any pending trip is always a good idea.  Offering a treat or small amount of food in this non-stressed situation  may incite some curiosity and comfort, too.<\/p>\n<div id=\"articlebody\">\n<p><strong>Short Trips<\/strong><br \/>\nWhile it may be considered a hassle to take your cat for a quick ride to  the post office or bank, short trips of no consequence (i.e. a vet  visit) may help reduce car anxiety and build confidence in your cat with  each car ride. It is important to stress the need for <em>short trips<\/em> so your cat will not be left alone in warm weather, where heatstroke in hot cars poses serious risk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Weight Check at the Vet&#8217;s Office<\/strong><br \/>\nMost veterinary offices are happy to do a quick weigh-in. Be sure to  call ahead to check office hours and avoid busy times. The receptionist  should be able to recommend a best day and time for a weigh-in.<\/p>\n<p>Your cat may be weighed alone on the scale or in the carrier on the  scale (subtracting the weight of the carrier) to become familiar with  the veterinary office. A one-pound gain or loss in an average 10-pound  cat represents 10% of their body weight, so tracking weight is always a  healthy idea.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Creative Scheduling<\/strong><br \/>\nSpeak to your veterinarian about scheduling your cat&#8217;s appointment  during quieter times of the day. Some veterinarians have cat-only  entrances and waiting rooms which also help to keep cats calm.<strong>Feline Only Practices<\/strong><br \/>\nSome veterinarians specialize in feline medicine and their practice is  limited to cats only. This is a great option for cats who are OK with  the car ride but get stressed out by the dogs and noise of a mixed  practice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>House Call Veterinarian<\/strong><br \/>\nIf the thought of going to the vet stresses you and your cat out,  consider utilizing a mobile veterinarian. Ask your vet if they do any  house calls, and if not, if they can recommend a house call vet in your  area. Friends, family, groomers and boarding kennels may also know of  someone to recommend.<strong>Sedation Medication<\/strong><br \/>\nIf your cat is one that will not be calmed in the car or at the  veterinary office, please speak to your veterinarian about the  possibility of giving a light sedation at home prior to the trip. This  may maximize the veterinary exam effectiveness while reducing your cat&#8217;s  stress.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are very few cats that actually don&#8217;t mind or even enjoy having to ride in the car. Clear the Air would like to share some car ride tips for your cat. The most common car trip is usually to the vet, and that event causes enough anxiety by itself. Getting stressed out by the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,5],"tags":[17,113,174,54,214,378,69,427,18,33,19,70,55,24,25,38,428],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=811"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":818,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811\/revisions\/818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleartheair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}