Cat Anxiety and the Dreaded Carrier

In honour of International Cat Day, our Tuesday tip will cover something most cat owners deal with - cat anxiety and the dreaded carrier.

We know we aren't the favourite place for pets to come, and many cats only see their carrier the day of their vet visit. We have compiled a list of some good tips to help our feline furbabies have an easier time.
- leave the open carrier in an area your cat frequents for a few days prior to the vet visit to help them acclimatize to seeing the carrier
- apply Feliway Spray to the inside of the carrier each day you have the carrier out - this is a synthetic pheromone that mimics a pheromone happy cats use to mark territory as safe and familiar
- place favourite treats, catnip or toys inside the carrier to encourage entry when leaving it out
- while travelling, place a blanket over the carrier and secure it with a seat belt for safety
- leave your cat in the carrier after arriving home to give other cats in the home time to adjust to the unfamiliar smells
- a couple of hours before you have to leave, bring the carrier into the room in which the cat is napping, leave the carrier in there and shut the door when you leave. After they are both in one room, you don't have to look for him in the basement and on the second floor
- If you have a veterinary appointment and need to leave on time, start getting him into a carrier earlier than you think you will need to; many cats notice that something is different and can be more uncooperative than usual when you have somewhere to go

​We sell different options of the Feliway product, and if you are having extra difficulty with your cat feel free to give us a call, there may be a medication option you can use to help take the edge off of their anxiety