Going to the animal hospital can be a vital part of your cat's health. However, these visits can sometimes be distressing to your pet when the cat isn't used to visiting the vet. Here are some things that you should do to ease your cat into an animal hospital visit.

Get Your Cat Used to the Procedures

One reason that a vet visit can be stressful for your cat is that the cat isn't used to having his nails clipped, being groomed, and having their paws and mouth inspected. You can get your cat more used to these activities by doing them at home before your visit.

Spend Time in the Carrier

Being transported in the carrier is another part of a vet visit that's stressful for many pets. You don't need to wait until you're on the way to the animal hospital to have your cat spend some time in her carrier. Try having your pet go inside the kennel at least once a week to make this a more familiar location.

Make the Kennel More Friendly

If your pet carrier is simply a metal or plastic box, it may be uncomfortable for your cat. Add blankets, toys, and food to the kennel to make it a more pleasant experience on the way to the vet.

Choose Hospitals with Calming Scents

Some animal hospitals apply pheromones, such as feline facial pheromone, which may calm cats down during their visit to the hospital. If these scents seem to work, you may ask your doctor about getting some over the counter scents and homeopathy scents to keep your cat calm during subsequent visits.

Pay Attention to Signs of Stress

You can often tell when your pet is not taking well to the conditions of the hospital. For instance, you may notice that your cat has an arched back and a twitching tail as signs of distress. If you also notice that your cat has sweaty paws, you may need to take some additional steps to calm your cat down, such as petting.

Your cat won't always take well to being transported to the vet. You may need to show some additional love and care to your pet and reward her after the visit to the animal hospital is over. Your doctor will do everything possible to make the visit a pleasant one, but you can take these steps before you even arrive at the hospital to make your pet more comfortable. 

To learn more, contact an animal hospital like Lamb's Gap Animal Hospital.