preparing for your kitten's first vet visit
Anyone who has ever taken a cat to the vet knows that it can be a stressful experience for both feline and human. Just the sight of a cat carrier can send your cat into hiding! This stress and anxiety is one of the reasons that, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), cats are far less likely to go to the vet than dogs. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way!
In this video, Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) Certified Training Partner (CTP) Cari Tetzlaff helps her foster kittens prepare for their first veterinary visit by developing positive associations with routine veterinary tools. Cari also includes toys to introduce the carrier as a fun place to be as well as lickable food treats to help the kittens feel relaxed around novel care tools such as bottles, syringes, and Q-tips. These training strategies can also be used for adult cats that need a little help learning that vet visits and husbandry tasks are safe and enjoyable!
Want more tips on training your cat? Check out Karen Pryor Academy’s Train Your Cat course. For more tips on how to prepare your clients' pets for successful vet visits, check out our Better Veterinary Visits course!
Happy Training!