How Stressed is Your Cat?

 

There are many different things that can cause our felines stress. New additions to the family (both of the four and two-legged variety), moving, changes in schedules, even a new piece of furniture can cause cats anxiety and stress. Besides the emotional and mental affects of stress, feline stress can cause a variety of health problems and can affect a cat’s behaviour in many different ways.

Common Stress-Related Behavioural Problems:

• urine marking
• vertical scratching
• over-grooming
• redirected aggression
• hiding, decreased activity, no interaction with owners

Common Stress-Related Medical Problems:

• Cystitis (inflammation of the bladder)
• Anorexia
• Obesity

 

Feliway is a synthetic copy of the natural feline facial pheromone proven to help reduce or prevent feline stress and the associated behavioural or medical problems. It is a replica of the natural feline marking pheromone that they use to designate their territory. Pheromones do not smell, and are processed only by the specific species they are produced by. 

Feliway can be used to help comfort and reassure cats while they cope with a challenging situation and help prevent or reduce the stress caused by a change in their environment. It comes in a few different methods of dispersement - a spray and a diffuser.

 

Diffuser:

• Need to place the diffuser in the most common area the animal will be and where the problem is occurring
• 1 diffuser will cover approx. 500-700 sq feet
• Needs to be plugged in all the time and can last 4-5 weeks
• Takes 24 hours to diffuse into a space
• Replace diffuser every 6 months or after 6 refills
• Should be no smell
• Do not place near vents or under a table as this may block the flow of the pheromones. Place in an open area to ensure optimal diffusion and effectiveness

Spray:

• Ideal for boarding animals, veterinary visits, car travel, vertical scratching, new elements in the house, spray 15 minutes before you put your cat into the area
• Needs 5 pumps into environment or carrier or surface
• Do not spray directly onto your cat
• The spray will have an immediate effect and lasts 5 hours in the environment
• Does not stain surfaces

Here at the Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic we have a designated cat room with a Feliway diffuser going all the time to ensure you cat's visit to the veterinary clinic is as stress free as possible.

For more information on Feliway and to learn more about cat behaviour, visit their webpage: http://www.feliway.com/ca_en

Chantelle Oliver, RVT
Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic

What it Means to be a Cat Friendly Practice

We love all animals from big to small but did you know that Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic is a certified "Cat Friendly Practice"?

I think we all recognize that many cats can find car rides and veterinary visits somewhat stressful and difficult. But the good news is that Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic has been certified through the American Association of Feline Practitioners to be a Cat Friendly Practice. Check out the AAFP website to see what this means to your cat and you! What the AAFP has done is help certified practices to reduce the stress associated with the veterinary visit, along with increasing the quality of care provided to your cat.

When designated as "Cat Friendly", selected veterinary practices have proven they have taken specific extra steps to assure they understand a cat's unique needs, and have implemented feline friendly standards. The Cat Friendly Practice certificate on our wall was earned. We had to meet a comprehensive check list of performance criteria to verify that staff members are especially qualified and dedicated to making every visit as pleasant as possible for you and your cat.

One of the goals of the program is to create a more calming environment. At Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic, we have instigated a "Cat Room" where your cat can relax. This room has a special diffuser in it that allows a "Happy Hormone" for cats to spread through the room. This hormone is produced by mother cats when nursing their kittens, and has been scientifically proven to have a calming, happy effect on nervous cats as well. We have noticed quite a difference in our feline patients since we started with this diffuser. Many of the nervous cats that come into the Cat Room, are soon rolling around and wanting to play with the toys we offer to them, and are much more relaxed about being examined.

Our staff members have also been trained in how to approach and handle cats in a gentle, empathetic and caring manner. At Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic, when you see the Cat Friendly Practice certificate on our wall, you can be confident that your cat will be given exceptional care and attention through all phases of the visit including examinations, procedures and hospitalization. Furthermore, the Cat Friendly Practice distinction shows that we have demonstrated a high level of commitment to excellence in feline medicine. Something which we know our feline friends deserve!

Wendy Korver, DVM
Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic