The consulting room
It is helpful to leave the door of the carrier open while you are gathering a cat ' s history from the owner. It is less stressful for the cat if it is allowed to come out at its own pace, and perhaps walk around the room and explore, rather than be dragged or tipped out of the carrier. If the cat is not keen to come out, you could take the top of the carrier off and examine the cat while it is sitting in the bottom half. You could also drape a towel over the cat and the lower half of the carrier, to offer it a hiding place.
It is very easy to misinterpret cat behaviour as being‘ grumpy,‘ nasty’ or‘ naughty’ when the cat is simply feeling stressed and anxious, and is trying to communicate these emotions. Owners and veterinary staff who are less experienced with cats can fail to understand their body language and needs.
Cats are not small dogs and, for example, the way in which we would naturally greet a dog can seem incredibly threatening to cats. Allow the cat to come to you in its own time and sniff you if it chooses to. Asking for consent in this way allows the cat to feel in control. There is no greater feeling than a cat deciding it trusts you enough to give you a head-butt!
Figure 3. Posters offering cat owners tips and advice.
Hospitalisation
Hospitalisation can be a further source of stress to a cat, because of the unfamiliar surroundings, being confined and the presence of other animals.
A survey in 2013 showed that 60 % of practices do not provide hiding places for their feline patients [ 5 ]. Cats Protection designed the‘ Feline Fort’ [ 6 ], which provides a hiding place and a high perch, so cats can choose where they feel most comfortable. If your practice does not have the budget to buy some Feline Forts, you could get creative: a cheap plastic storage box( Figure 5) makes an effective hide that can be easily disinfected between patients and made comfortable with some soft bedding.
Figure 4. Leaflets and information for cat owners.
Cat-friendly appointment times
Your practice could also consider offering cat-friendly hours in practice, where only cats can be booked in for appointments. These do not have to be every day; just a few hours once a week would give cat owners the option to book in at a time when their cats would be most comfortable. If you use an online booking system, this would need to be configured to ensure that only cats could be booked in at these times.
Figure 5. A plastic box used as a cat hide.
20 Veterinary Nursing Journal