• Hero Banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Buying or Selling a Practice
Hospital Design
Leadership & Personal Growth
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Technology
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Live Conferences
Conference News
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Photo gallery: 6 feline wellness donts, 8 dos

October 18, 2019
Michael Nappier, DVM, DABVP

The future is here. Its 2019. These are the dos and donts to make sure your veterinary practice is showing cats the care they need to get their owners in for wellness visits.

Give veterinary clients a place above the floor to plant their cat carrier, like this counter at reception. (All photos courtesy of author)

6 don'ts to avoid for feline wellness visits

No. 1: Don't set cat carriers on the floor. Cats are sensitive to sights, sounds and smells. You may have cleaned up that puddle of dog pee as well as you can, but it still smells like wolf urine to a cat.

No. 2: Don't mix dogs and cats. As simple as this sounds, it's still not always practiced.

 

 

 

Scruff feline restraint

No. 3: Don't scruff (above) as your go-to restraint technique. There are so manybetter options that are lower stress and safer for you and the cat than this one.

No. 4: Don't do the cliffhanger (below). Just … no. Seriously, what would you do if this was you at your doctor's office?

"Cliffhanger" restraint

 

 

Advertisement

 

No. 5: Don't forget the blood pressure. Cats get hypertensive just like us. If you've done a good job with your low-stress techniques, you can believe the readings.

No. 6: Don't skip the parasite preventives. You know that just because a cat is “indoors only” doesn't mean it's not at risk for fleas or heartworms.

 

Now for the dos …

 

 

6 dos to make great feline wellness visits

No. 1: Go AAFP. Be welcoming to your cat clients and show your practice isn't just for dogs. Show your commitment to cats and become an American Association of Feline Practitioners Cat Friendly Practice.

No. 2: Be cat-only (at least a little). Understand that cats act as prey animals in your hospital. Calm, quiet, cat-only spaces help them relax and make life easier for everyone without pesky dogs around.

 

 

 

No. 3: Have a plan. Sit down and get all your doctors and team members on the same page when it comes to practice standards of care for feline wellness visits, then follow them. This ensures consistent care for all of your cat patients.

No. 4: Talk to clients about carrier training. It's not hard, but even our dog-owning clients who know about crate training sometimes forget that the same applies to cats. Get rid of the scruff and stuff of trying to get a cat in the carrier.

 

 

 

No. 5: Be positive. Remember that positive reinforcement works for cats too! Cats are obligate carnivores with a very refined palate, so offer a smorgasbord of options to tempt them. It doesn't have to be just food-catnip and toys work too.

No. 6: Get up-to-date on vaccine technology. Minimize the risk of injection-site sarcomas.

 

 

 

Google "Dr. Evil and Mr. Bigglesworth" if you don't get the author's pose above.

No. 7: Love your lab. Cats are prey animals and are great at hiding illness until it's too late. Screening lab work can find issues and allow us to adjust treatments early. Annually consider a complete blood count, chemistry panel, T4 test and urinalysis-especially for older cats. 

No. 8: Show you care. Cold and clinical doesn't cut it with cat owners. Let the cat lover inside you come out!

Dr. Michael Nappier is assistant professor of community practice in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Related Content:

BehaviorTechniciansOwnersFeline Medicine
Managing pain in the postoperative patient
Managing pain in the postoperative patient
Combining the best of private practice with clinic spay/neuter care
Combining the best of private practice with clinic spay/neuter care
Constant-rate infusions for feline pain
Constant-rate infusions for feline pain

Advertisement

Latest News

Drug for acute onset of canine pancreatitis is launched on the US market

New Automatic 2-in-1 Pet Feeder and Water Dispenser launched

PetHub launches AI tools for pet owners

Prairie dog pups emerge from underground at Maryland Zoo

View More Latest News
Advertisement