A Few Tips For Anxious/ Nervous Cats

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 Not every cat fits this profile and we prefer letting cats who are outgoing, eagerly accepting of new people, or more treat-motivated than fearful, to roam freely to reduce any possible stress. But some cats just can't easily warm up to the presence of strangers no matter what and prefer to hide.

Their personality is their personality and we strive to work within your pet's needs to give them the most stress-free experience we can.

 Unfortunately, as with a clinic visit it is the owner's responsibility to make sure their pet is available and accessible for exam during the scheduled time, but hopefully this information helps.  

 Utilizing a small, isolated room will limit the number of places your cat can hide and avoid the doctor. 

If a bathroom or other room is not an option, please close all doors in the home to limit the number of areas accessible for hiding and block as many other hiding areas as much as is feasible. The worst places are closets, under beds and large furniture, and any areas where it may be extra difficult/ impossible to easily reach them. Please be sure those areas in particular are sealed off. 

 We recommend a gradual acclimation to the bathroom/ other room, when possible, so it doesn't feel as odd or sudden. 

If possible, start at least 2-3 days before our appointment by placing a litterbox (if one's not already present), food/ water (as far from the litterbox as possible), maybe some familiar bedding/ blanket, and a couple toys. This temporarily becomes their little "Cave of Solitude". You can even pull the door 1/2- 2/3 closed to create exclusivity and demonstrate the closed-door action.

Then, after set-up just conduct meal times in the bathroom with the door open until the visit. That way your cat can get acclimated to the idea of just hanging out in there.  

 On the day of our visit, after you've placed food for the morning and they are eating, you can gently close the door until visit time. Cats like schedule consistency, but if needed and viable, you can adjust mealtime some to bring it closer to our visit time to narrow that gap between, when feasible. In these situations, we recommend the earliest appointment possible on the day of our visit, so your cat isn't locked up too long. 

But, if you need a later appointment and they are treat-motivated, you can do the same thing and just feed a little less in the morning and give a highly-valued snack at the time you'd like to close the door. Between a smaller main meal and a great unexpected treat (generally, cats really value Churu/ Delectables, a little tuna, tuna juice/water (to help reduce the salt content), among other options), this should help entice them into the bathroom when it's time.