{"id":723,"date":"2021-03-07T08:16:42","date_gmt":"2021-03-07T08:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/?p=723"},"modified":"2024-03-16T03:28:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-16T03:28:38","slug":"a-cats-tail-of-woe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/a-cats-tail-of-woe\/","title":{"rendered":"A CAT&#8217;S TAIL OF WOE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221;][et_pb_column _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; text_font_size=&#8221;20px&#8221; header_3_font_size=&#8221;30px&#8221;]<h3>Why O MeoWhy Must We Go to the Vet<\/h3>\n<p>At MGVC, we are committed to health care for all cats, even though kitties like to fool their owners into thinking that they are \u201cpurrfectly\u201d healthy and to use their innate phobic behaviors to discourage their owners from making vet visits! \u00a0\u00a0We strive to inform owners about the \u201cWhy\u2019s?\u201d of regular check-ups\u00a0 and the \u201cHow to\u2019s\u201d of decreasing the stress of those vet visits!<\/p>\n<p>\u201c My cat looks healthy to me\u2014why should she go to the doctor?\u201d Or \u201cShe\u2019s just slowing down a bit\u2014I guess she\u2019s getting older, no need to see the vet\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 Well, hopefully she IS healthy, however:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0the physical exam done at routine check-ups helps to determine what is normal for your cat and allows the attending vet to become familiar with her, making it easier to pick up on abnormalities later on.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screening tests that may be done at regular check-up time\u00a0 are also very helpful in catching problems early, while they are more treatable<\/li>\n<li>cats age faster than we do.\u00a0 Your cat\u2019s annual exam is the equivalent of you going to the doctor only once every 4 to 5 years, which may be acceptable when you are young and healthy, but becomes more important when you get older.<\/li>\n<li>cats are masters at hiding problems and illness until it is critical or so far advanced that treatment becomes more difficult and expensive.\u00a0 Some examples of insidious issues that may not be noticed at home include pain, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, diabetes, dental disease.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So remember your fabulous feline friends need health care too, and we are here to help provide it!<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221;][et_pb_column _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.9.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;20px&#8221; header_3_font_size=&#8221;30px&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<h3>&#8220;Me-How Can It Be Easier?\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>Regarding the dreaded, anxiety-inducing vet visit, there are many ways to decrease the stress for both patient and owner!\u00a0 Some tips include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>withhold food for several hours before the car ride to help decrease motion sickness<\/li>\n<li>take your cat\u2019s favorite treats with you to the appointment to be used as rewards\/distraction<\/li>\n<li>invest in a carrier that is easy to take apart\/put back together<\/li>\n<li>leave the carrier out all the time, so kitty is accustomed to it. Tie or otherwise secure the door in the open position, so kitty does not accidentally lock herself in.\u00a0 \u00a0Place a soft blanket inside, give treats or catnip in the carrier, or even feed all her meals in there.\u00a0 Consider sitting it up on a stable shelf or table, because cats like to be up high.\u00a0\u00a0 Make it a happy place! (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.morainegrove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/How-to-habituate-your-cat-to-a-carrier.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">see \u201chow to Habituate Your Cat to a Carrier\u201d article<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>spray or wipe the carrier periodically, and especially\u00a030 minutes before travel, with the synthetic pheromone \u201cFeliway\u201d.\u00a0 This mimics the scents that are calming and comforting to cats.<\/li>\n<li>leave plenty of time before the vet visit for kitty to enter carrier by herself, then close the door.\u00a0 If she does not cooperate, take the lid off and place her in the bottom, then put lid back on.\u00a0 This eliminates the struggle of pushing her through the door.\u00a0 Make sure the carrier is put back together securely!<\/li>\n<li>support the carrier with both arms, rather than carrying by the handle, which is very unstable and bounces kitty around more.<\/li>\n<li>secure the carrier in the car so that it doesn\u2019t roll around if you turn a corner, etc.<\/li>\n<li>drive nicely!<\/li>\n<li>play soft classical music, which has been found to have a calming effect on cats.<\/li>\n<li>ask your vet about pre-medication to alleviate the cat\u2019s anxiety<\/li>\n<li>calm your own anxieties:\u00a0 cats can sense your emotions and react similarly<\/li>\n<li>if the waiting room is full, very noisy or otherwise uninviting for kitty, consider waiting in the car until a room is ready for you (weather permitting).\u00a0 Ask the receptionist to call you or come get you when a room is available.<\/li>\n<li>once you and kitty are in the clinic, Feliway sprayed towels will be available to cover the carrier, if you have not already done so at home, otherwise cover the carrier with a coat or towels to help block the view of scary things and muffle noises.<\/li>\n<li>in the exam room, kitty will be allowed to acclimate to the new surroundings and ease into her check-up, which will be as gentle and thorough as possible.<\/li>\n<li>avoid clutching your cat, talking in a loud voice, staring into her face or disturbing\/invading her personal space.\u00a0 Human \u201cshhhh\u201d sounds intended to soothe actually mimic another cat hissing and should be avoided.\u00a0 Physical correction, such as tapping her head and verbal reprimands should be avoided.<\/li>\n<li>if she needs extra soothing, medications will be offered to help her through it.<\/li>\n<li>every effort will be made to minimize scary noises, offensive odors and aggressive handling to help kitty have as pleasant an experience as one can have at the doctor!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a>Again, remember that your fabulous feline friends need health care too, and we are here to help provide it!<\/a><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why O MeoWhy Must We Go to the Vet At MGVC, we are committed to health care for all cats, even though kitties like to fool their owners into thinking that they are \u201cpurrfectly\u201d healthy and to use their innate phobic behaviors to discourage their owners from making vet visits! \u00a0\u00a0We strive to inform owners [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cats"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/cat4.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":747,"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions\/747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/public.morainegrove.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}