My cat is aggressive at the vet. Can I sedate him before visits?

Those side effects are more common with chronic long term use. One to two doses prior the appointment will provide mild sedation and help calm her for the visit. You can try feliway spray. You spray a towel for the carrier and place a towel on top to help keep her covered

Aggression is complicated and I recommend to have him neutered and to work with a behaviorist. If this appear more play related, sometimes this behavior can be related to boredom, anxiety or a desire to play roughly. There are a few things you can do which may help. Try enriching his environment. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. During the play time, if he seems like he wants to play rough, try to encourage him to wrestle with a stuffed animal. You may also try feeding him from a food puzzle and/or hiding food around the house for him to find. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with behavior. You may also try clicker training him for positive behavior. Here is a link about training cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/can-i-train-my-cat/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Puss! I know vet visits can be a challenge with some anxious kitties. As far as calming aids that you can get over the counter, you could try a calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure along with Feliway spray in the carrier - these are generally quite safe, and can be purchased at pet stores or ordered online without a prescription. Effects are usually pretty mild, though, so if he's extremely fearful this may not be enough to make a difference. If you have a regular vet who has seen Puss before, you could call them to discuss your concerns. There are some great prescription medications like gabapentin or trazodone that can be very effective at calming anxious kitties prior to a vet visit - but you would need a prior veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) with a vet in order to get prescription meds before the exam. If the visit isn't urgent, you can try placing the carrier out with the door open in an area where Puss spends a lot of time to let him investigate it and get comfortable on his own. By dropping treats in the carrier and letting him go in when he's comfortable, it can be much easier to get him in for his visit. If he needs to be seen right away, then you can use a blanket or towel to put over him, pick him up, and put him in the carrier without being scratched or bitten.

Poor kitties can get so scared when going to the veterinarian. Some veterinarians are More comfortable with cranky cats than others. You may want to call you veterinarian and ask for a sedative to give her before you bring her in. This may be enough to allow the doctor to examine her well. If not, they may need to give her a little more sedation once she is there. I find that it is much less stressful to the kitty, and all involved if you use sedation in these circumstances. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Ideally, you should contact a cat behaviorist in your area to help you in person with her behavior. However, spaying her would likely help with this behavior. Your veterinarian can consider sedating her so that they are able to proceed with taking the blood samples and the spay to see if that helps. Otherwise, it would be best to have someone help you in person to modify her behavior. Best of luck!

Locking her in a dark and confined room may in fact be worsening the aggression. Behavioral therapies such as Feliway pheromone plug -ins/sprays, VetriScience liquid composure supplement daily (both available online without a prescription) and having her spayed may help as well. Other options include prescription anti-anxiety/anti-depressants which would require a consult/exam at your vet’s. Good luck!

Actually now the recommend medication is gabapentin. Ask your veterinarian for some and give it before the visit. With this the cats are just mellow, easy to handle and not as drugged as with the other medications. Diazepam is not used much in cats now due to it causing liver problems. Apromazine can make them sedate but doesn’t reduce the aggression. I personally don’t find Xanax effective. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your cat.