Here are some great resources for things you can do at home to help make your cat’s veterinary visit less stressful and more fear free! There is also information on feline enrichment, food puzzles and how to stop your cat from scratching your furniture.
The website Fear Free Happy Homes has tons of good information, tips and videos for both cats and dogs. Go to https://fearfreehappyhomes.com
Lots of good resources on everything “cat” at: http://catfriendly.com/be-a/cat-friendly-caregiver
Another great cat resource website with lots of good information and resources:
https://icatcare.org
Video that shows steps to training your cat to like it’s carrier: bit.ly/catcarriertraining
Also see our blog post on carrier training under the blog tab. Another good article on the subject can be also found at: https://catcare.org/advice/how-guides/how-train-your-cat-use-cat-carrier
You tube videos for cat owners that show how to get your cat used to medications, exams, carriers and other things can be found at https://youtube.com/user/iCatCare – click on the “Cat handling videos” area to see available instructional videos
Tips to avoid scratching of furniture, training your cat to use a scratching post and information about the new product “Feliscratch”: http://www.savethecouches.com/
To provide enrichment and encourage “hunting behavior” food puzzles can be great! These also serve to slow down the cat that eats too fast. Visit the website www.foodpuzzlesforcats.com for dozens of ideas and information on dry food puzzles, wet food puzzles and homemade food puzzles.
For individual help with behavior issues, we recommend an area veterinarian who does behavior consults. Her name is Manette M Kohler, DVM and her website is www.helpinghanddvm.com
A common misconception is that cats can’t be trained, but this is not true at all. Just like with dogs, it just takes knowledge, commitment, patience and time.
