Environmental enrichment means modifying an animal’s living space to encourage physical activity and allow the animal to engage in behaviors that are natural for its species. For indoor pets especially, environmental enrichment improves physical and mental health and can reduce behavior problems.
 
Dogs and cats with mobility problems need environmental modification for accessibility and mental stimulation. Pets have mobility limitations for a variety of reasons:

• Arthritis or other medical conditions that cause joint, bone, or muscle pain
• Frailty from advanced age
• Neurologic conditions that affect balance and coordination
• Decreased vision
• Recovery from surgery
• Activity restriction as part of medical treatment

For these pets, thoughtful environmental enrichment can reduce stress and increase quality of life.
 
Household Modifications and Physical Activity
Cover hard floors with nonslip mats or rugs. Consider using lots of small washable mats instead of large rugs for easier cleaning if your pet urinates or defecates on the floor (common in animals with medical problems, mobility limitations, or cognitive decline). Be sure to have a nonslip surface in front of your pet’s food and water bowls.
 
Use steps and ramps. Think of all the places your pet likes to be that are not the floor—bed, sofa, cat tree (climbing structure), window seat, and so forth—and make sure your pet can get up and down without jumping. You might need to train your pet to use steps and ramps by leading them with treats.
 
Cats need to scratch for claw health and their mental health (it’s normal species behavior). Reaching and stretching can be difficult for cats with arthritis, so offer your cat horizontal as well as vertical scratching surfaces.
 
Ask your veterinarian about exercise that’s appropriate for your pet. Depending on the medical condition, your pet might benefit from controlled gentle exercise. Some veterinary facilities have physical rehabilitation equipment like underwater treadmills.
 
Toileting
Difficulty reaching the toileting area causes anxiety for animals. For cats, put low-sided litter boxes on every floor of the house in quiet, accessible areas. Cats tend to be most comfortable toileting in big open boxes (at least 1.5 times the length of the cat, not including the tail). A large plastic storage bin makes a great litter box; cut an opening on one side so your cat can walk in and out easily.
 
Dogs with new mobility problems or cognitive decline might not give you their usual cues that they need to go out. If your dog or cat starts having toileting accidents indoors, make a veterinary appointment to check for a medical reason. If no medical cause is found, your pet might be having trouble getting outside or to the litter box.
 
Mental Stimulation
Engage your pet’s senses: use toys with different odors, textures, and sounds. Puzzle feeders and treat-dispensing toys engage the brain and encourage physical activity. Teach your old dog or cat new tricks. Use positive reinforcement to train new behaviors that don’t require a lot of movement (like touching their nose to your hand).
 
For dogs with mobility problems, walks aren’t really about walking. Just seeing and smelling the outdoors is valuable mental enrichment for dogs. Take your dog out on a harness and forget about actually getting anywhere; be patient and let him sniff and wander at his own pace. If your dog can’t walk easily, carry him or use a wagon.
 
Give your cat a soft seat by a window if possible. Your cat might also enjoy cat-friendly videos.
 
For More Ideas
Home modifications. International Cat Care. 2024. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://icatcare.org/app/uploads/2024/03/Changes-to-the-home-environment_ISFM-caregiver-guide_FINAL.pdf
 
Sueda K, Cho J. Environmental enrichment for senior dogs and cats. Clinician’s Brief. December 2017. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://www.cliniciansbrief.com/article/environmental-enrichment-senior-dogs-cats
 
Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/black-cat-on-white-cat-tree-X7OokuRyvCI

Cats need access to food, water, shelter, and litter boxes. We can consider these their essential needs to survive; however, they also need means to express typical species behavior like hunting, viewing, climbing, scratching, and playing. Enrichment enhances our cat’s environment by giving them chances to express these behaviors. This can improve their mental and physical well-being and even reduce unwanted behaviors. Any changes in routine can be stressful for cats and any new activity or changes in environment are recommended to be done slow and steady.
 
Different Types of Enrichment
Food puzzles/foraging toys: Food puzzles are a great way to increase your cat's activity and mental stimulation. There are a variety of commercially made food puzzles like Doc and Phoebe’s mice, sniffle mats, Trixie puzzle feeders, etc. Some of these are stationary and others cats have to move around to get food out of them. You can also make your own using cardboard boxes, towels, toilet paper roll, etc. When introducing your cat to any food puzzle, recommend starting easy then building up to more challenging puzzles.
 
Toys: Cats have a natural instinct to hunt and we can use this instinct to get them to play. Cats typically like mice, bugs, and birds as prey when they live outdoors. With this in mind, using toys that mimic the feel, sound, or movement of mice, bugs, or birds can entice cats to play more. Some examples are wand toys with feathers or faux fur OR cat dancer toys (mimic a bug). It is best to rotate toys so they do not lose interest (ideally every few days).
 
Clicker training: Cats can be trained to do a variety of tricks (sit, high-five, lay down, etc) or go through an obstacle course. Clicker training can even be used to help you medicate your cat (with appropriate training). Recommend getting a clicker with a ball at the end (this can be purchased online).
 
Sensory enrichment: Videos of mice, birds, or fish can be stimulating for cats (YouTube videos). Or set up a bird feeder outside near their favorite window with a window perch. For their sense of smell and need to chew, catnip or silvervine or cat grass can be stimulating for them. Outdoor walks or screened-in porches are great sources of enrichment for cats as well (please ensure this is under supervision).
 
Environmental enrichment (cat trees, scratchers, and more): One of the cat’s essential needs is shelter, which includes a safe place to sleep and rest; however, this also includes a place to have time alone or get away from people or other animals. This is where cat trees or other vertical spaces can be very useful. It also creates areas where you can have playtime or feed them or use it as part of an obstacle course. Another important behavior/need cats have is scratching. This is important for their nail health. Many cats have preferences of the material and vertical versus horizontal. I recommend trying out the different options. There are a variety of other cat furniture ideas you can use for enrichment, such as shelves, tunnels, window perches, etc. Consider changing the positions or locations of any of these to renew their interest.
 
Check out these resources for more ideas regarding feline enrichment:

• https://www.catschool.co/clicker-training-cats-all-your-questions-answered/
• Fundamentally Feline by Ingrid Johnson
• Ohio State University Indoor Cat Initiative
• “Play With Your Cat” by Mikel Delgado on her What a Cat Wants blog
• http://foodpuzzlesforcats.com/

Many dogs and cats experience fear, anxiety, and stress at the veterinary clinic. Their anxiety often begins before they even arrive at the clinic, especially if they associate pet carriers and car rides with the clinic. Previsit antianxiety medications for pets can make clinic visits easier and safer for these pets, their owners, and clinic staff.
 
These are some of the benefits of previsit medications for anxious pets:

• Less stress at the clinic
• Better acceptance of future clinic visits
• Less stress for car rides
• Less need for restraint by multiple staff members
• Increased ability to have diagnostic procedures and treatments
• Increased safety for patients for whom stress and struggle are risky (for example, patients with heart disease, respiratory disease, frail condition, or brachycephalic head shape [flat face])

 
Previsit medications have benefits for pet owners and clinic staff members too. Being the caretaker of an anxious and fearful pet isn’t easy, so previsit medications for pets can reduce everyone’s stress levels. For clinic staff members, managing patients’ clinic anxiety reduces the risk of injury and decreases workplace stress (we love animals too and don’t want to cause them distress).
 
How to Know if Your Pet Needs Previsit Medications
Previsit medications aren’t just for aggressive animals. Pets with more subtle signs of stress are scared too, and they deserve help for their anxiety just as much as animals that can’t be handled without full sedation.
 
If your pet shows obvious signs of fear at the clinic, you probably already know that your pet would benefit from previsit medications. But maybe your pet’s signs are not as noticeable and you’re a little surprised when your veterinarian recommends medications.
 
Dogs and cats show anxiety and fear with a range of behaviors and body language cues. Anxious and fearful dogs and cats tend to start with subtle behaviors like lip licking or freezing. If the scary thing doesn’t go away—or tries to draw a blood sample—the behavior can escalate to aggression.
 
Dogs and cats that are anxious at the veterinary clinic can show these signs:

• Hiding
• Refusing to leave the carrier
• Freezing
• Yawning, lip licking (dogs)
• Pacing
• Panting
• Trembling
• Hard stare or side eye
• Struggling
• Growling, hissing, snarling, barking
• Swatting (cats)
• Warning snap
• Biting

 
How to Use Previsit Medications
Previsit medications work best if they’re used along with training and positive reinforcement. For example, a cat can make positive associations with the cat carrier if the carrier is left out all the time as part of the normal household furniture, sometimes with yummy treats inside, instead of appearing only when the cat is going to the clinic.
 
Veterinarians choose previsit medications according to the needs and medical condition of the individual patient. Some of the drugs commonly prescribed for situational (short-term) anxiety are gabapentin, trazodone, and clonidine. Motion sickness contributes to anxiety, so pets might also receive antinausea medication. Some of these medications can cause sedation, but the main goal is anxiety reduction, not sedation.
 
Previsit medications are timed to have maximum effect at the time of the clinic visit. They need to take effect before the pet experiences any stress. Most of these medications are given at least 1 to 2 hours before the clinic visit; sometimes a loading dose is also given the night before. They typically last for up to 8 hours, although the duration can vary.
 
Because individual animals respond differently to these medications, giving a trial dose can be very helpful. If you use a trial dose, tell your veterinarian how long it took for the medication to take effect, how the medication affected your pet’s behavior, whether your pet had adverse effects like vomiting or excessive sedation, and how long the medication’s effects lasted.
 
For some dogs and cats, previsit medications aren’t enough to overcome their fear. These pets might also need a sedative injection at the clinic. For these pets, previsit medications given at home make the sedative injection easier for the pet (and staff) and can also reduce the dose of injectable drug.
 
Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-white-cat-sitting-inside-of-a-cage-B-_SyRxv2So

Palliative care and end-of-life hospice care for animals focus on improving quality of life, not curing disease. The decision to begin these types of care can be difficult for pet owners. Whether palliative care is right for an individual pet depends on the needs and capacity of the family as well as the medical needs of the animal, so the decision is specific to each pet and each caregiver.
 
Animals that are candidates for palliative and hospice care typically fall into one of these categories:

• Have a terminal disease
• Have a progressive chronic condition
• Have a chronic disability
• Are advanced in age and near the end of life

 
Palliative care is treatment that minimizes an animal’s pain and distress (without curing disease) at any time, not just at the end of life. The term hospice care more specifically refers to care near the end of life.
 
Hospice care generally includes palliative care for the animal and support for the human caregivers. The biggest difference between human and animal hospice care is that euthanasia is a legal and humane option for animals. Hospice-assisted natural death is possible for some animals. However, choosing to let pets “die on their own” without any relief of pain and distress is unethical.
 
Some veterinarians are specialists in palliative and hospice care. End-of-life care for animals might involve a team including veterinary staff members, specialists (like grief counselors) to support the humans, and the pet owners themselves.
 
Tips for Pet Owners
The American Association of Feline Practitioners recently published hospice and palliative care guidelines for cats and has very helpful suggestions for pet owners (not just cat owners). Here’s a summary; for more details, see the Cat Friendly Homes website.

• Have an honest discussion with your veterinarian. Talk about your goals for your pet’s care, what you’re able to provide (financially, emotionally, and physically), and how to make the end-of-life decision. The treatment plan can—and should—be tailored to your preferences and abilities.
• Learn about your pet’s condition, including the prognosis and the type of care your pet will need.
• Make a care plan that includes your pet’s physical, emotional, and social needs.
• Learn how to care for your pet. You might need to modify your pet’s environment (with ramps, nonslip mats, litter box cutouts for easy access, etc). Learn how to give your pet medication. Tell your veterinarian if you’re having trouble giving your pet medication.
• Acknowledge your grief. Feelings of grief can start before your pet dies and are completely normal. Seek help if you need it.

 
If you know your pet is nearing the end of life, it can be very helpful to plan in advance for your pet’s death. Options might include euthanasia at your veterinarian’s office, home euthanasia (if available in your location), or hospice-assisted natural death (if appropriate and available for your pet). Ask about the euthanasia procedure and the cremation and burial options.
 
For More Information

• End-of-Life Care Guidelines (American Animal Hospital Association): https://www.aaha.org/your-pet/pet-owner-education/aaha-guidelines-for-pet-owners/end-of-life-care/
• Hospice and Palliative Care for Your Cat (American Association of Feline Practitioners): https://catfriendly.com/life-stages/hospice/

 
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/25256183337/

Most dogs and cats cope very well with vision loss. They rely more on the sense of smell than on the sense of sight. Blind animals can have happy, comfortable lives with some help from their owners.
 
Pets with gradual vision loss often adapt so well that their owners don’t realize their pets are having trouble seeing until they’re completely blind and bumping into things. Animals with sudden blindness can take longer to adjust.
 
Safety and Navigation
Use gates and other barriers to block a blind animal’s access to stairs, swimming pools, fireplaces, and other dangers. Use foam cushioning (child safety equipment) to pad furniture corners. Keep the floor clear of trip hazards like toys and laundry.
 
Keep blind animals in a crate or other secure space whenever they’re unsupervised, at least while they’re adjusting to their loss of vision. This space can also become a safe, familiar retreat.
 
Blind animals can have a hard time navigating stairs, especially descending. Be patient and use a harness and treats to show blind dogs how to manage stairs. Consider covering short runs of steps with a ramp. Nonslip strips applied to stair treads might make a blind pet feel more secure. Dogs and cats that sleep on furniture might need a ramp or steps so they don’t have to jump up and down.
 
To help blind pets learn their way around the house, don’t pick them up and carry them; let them walk on their own. Different floor surfaces (mats or rugs) can help them identify specific areas like doorways and the location of food and water bowls. A radio left on at all times in one room and scents applied to furniture at the pet’s head height can also help orient them inside the house.
 
Face whiskers help animals feel obstacles, so don’t have their whiskers trimmed at grooming appointments. Vests with circular extensions around the head or chest (halo vests) are available for blind dogs who keep bumping into things.
 
Exercise and Mental Health
Blind animals need exercise just like every other animal, but they shouldn’t go outdoors unsupervised. Even a small fenced yard can have holes and fallen branches that would pose a risk to a blind pet. If you don’t have a fenced yard that’s safe and familiar to your dog, keep your dog on a leash.
 
When walking your blind dog, attach the leash to a harness instead of a collar in case you need to pull your dog away from a hazard. Teach your dog verbal cues like “left,” “right,” and “stop.” An unexpected touch can frighten a blind dog, so warn people who approach that your dog is blind. Consider using a dog vest with the words “Blind dog” or “Do not pet.” Be very careful if another dog approaches while you’re walking your dog. A blind dog can’t read other dogs’ body language. If you let your dog interact with another dog, be sure that the other dog is friendly and that your dog is comfortable with the interaction.
 
Provide toys that stimulate senses other than sight. Use toys with bells (with supervision—bells can be a choking hazard), catnip toys for cats, and tracking games for dogs who enjoy following scents. For some animals, playing contact games like tug of war might be easier than chasing toys by sound or scent.
 
Some animals experience anxiety while they’re adjusting to vision loss. Keep your pet’s routine consistent, stay positive around your pet, and provide a safe retreat like a crate. Behavior changes like hiding, reluctance to walk or play, growling, barking, and snapping can all be signs of anxiety. Contact your veterinarian if your pet has any of these changes or seems to be having trouble adapting. Some pets benefit from short-term or long-term prescription anxiety medications.
 
For more ideas, see the ACVO Vision for Animals Foundation website: https://www.visionforanimals.org/coping-with-a-blind-dog/
 
Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/SEX4KAz9ExQ

Many dogs and cats need eye medication at some point in their lives. Pets with chronic eye diseases might need more than 1 eye medication given multiple times a day for years. With practice and positive reinforcement, giving eye medication to an animal can be quick and drama free.
 
If your pet doesn’t need eye medication yet, you can train them for it in advance. This training will reduce your pet’s stress when they need medication later on. Go through the body positioning and head handling steps listed below and give yummy treats at each stage. Large dogs can be trained to rest their head on your knee to receive eye medication.
 
Handling Eye Medication

• Some medications need to be shaken before use; check the label.
• Wash your hands before handling eye medication.
• Don’t touch the tip of the bottle/tube with your hands.
• Don’t let the tip of the bottle/tube touch your pet’s eye.

 
Giving Multiple Medications

• If you need to give more than 1 medication at a time, wait 5 to 10 minutes between medications.
• Give drops first, ointments last.
• Keep track of which cap goes with which medication container so you can replace the caps on the right containers.

 
Preparation

• Have treats ready, especially if your pet is new to eye medication.
• Choose a location where you can comfortably stand (or sit) behind or beside your pet. Your pet can be on the floor, your lap, or a table as long as you can easily reach their head and they can’t back away from you.
• If your pet is wiggly, try placing them on an unfamiliar surface like a table.

 
Administering the Medication

• Position yourself behind or beside your pet. To avoid intimidating your pet, don’t lean down over their head.
• Uncap the bottle/tube and hold it in your dominant hand (if you’re right-handed, hold the medication in your right hand). Hold the bottle/tube between your thumb and forefinger with the tip pointing toward your pinky, like you’d hold a dropper.
• Place your other hand under your pet’s chin and tilt their nose slightly upward.
• Bring the hand holding the medication toward the eye, ideally approaching from below and to the side so it won’t look (to your pet) like you’re about to poke them in the eye.
• Place the pinky side of your medication-holding hand on your pet’s head just above the eye.
• Use the side of your medication-holding hand to gently stretch the skin above the eye upward; this will pull the upper eyelid slightly open.
• At the same time, use the thumb of your chin-supporting hand to gently pull down the lower eyelid, if you can reach it.
• For eye drops (liquids): Quickly drop a single drop onto the surface of the eye. It’s okay if it lands on the inside of the lower lid. If the drop lands on haired skin or if your pet closes the eye before the drop lands, try again.
• For ointments: Quickly squeeze out a small strip about the length of a grain of rice and let it drape down onto the surface of the eye or the inside of the lower eyelid. Wait until your pet blinks. Blinking will spread the ointment across the surface of the eye; there’s no need for you to rub the eye.
• Give your pet a yummy treat and tell them how wonderful and clever they are.

 
Watch for Unwanted Effects
Some eye medications are a little uncomfortable for the first few applications. It’s common for animals to blink more than usual or squint for a minute or two after an eye medication is applied. If your pet’s eye seems uncomfortable for more than a few minutes or if this response continues for more than the first few doses, contact your veterinarian.
 
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/181765699@N08/48298582227/

Aggression related to being petted is very common in cats. Cats with this type of aggression suddenly scratch, growl, or bite while they’re being petted.
 
The most likely explanations for petting-related aggression are that the cat is overstimulated, has a low tolerance for being touched, or is trying to exert some control over the interaction. It’s also possible that the cat has a medical problem (for example, pain caused by arthritis or dental disease). Any type of aggression, especially if it’s a new behavior, warrants an examination by a veterinarian.
 
The people most at risk of injury are children and others who don’t know the signs that a cat is uncomfortable with an interaction. Tolerance to petting varies from cat to cat, and the same cat’s tolerance can change according to the circumstances.
 
To help people understand the best way to interact with cats, a team of researchers in the United Kingdom developed a set of guidelines that they describe with the acronym CAT (for choice, attention, and touch).[1] The team found that cats showed less aggression when people followed the CAT guidelines during interactions.
 
The gist of the CAT guidelines is that we should handle cats the way they want to be handled and leave them alone when they want to be left alone. Makes sense, right? However, in another study, the same team found that some people who had lots of cat-owning experience and rated their own cat knowledge as high interacted in ways the cats did not want.[2]
 
The following is a summary of the CAT guidelines, or how to pet a cat.
 
C: Give the cat choice and control.

• Stay in one place and offer your hand to the cat. Let the cat decide whether to approach you and interact.
• If the cat rubs against you, it’s OK to pet the cat. If the cat doesn’t rub against you, don’t pet the cat.
• If the cat walks away from you, don’t follow.
• When you’re petting a cat, pause every few seconds to let the cat choose whether to continue. If the cat doesn’t rub against your hand when you pause, don’t keep petting the cat.

 
A: Pay attention to the cat’s body language.
These are signs that a cat might not want to be petted any longer:

• Turns head away from you
• Moves away from you
• Flattens ears or rotates ears backward
• Shakes head
• Fur on the back makes a rippling movement
• Licks nose
• Grooms self for just a few seconds
• Stops purring or rubbing against you
• Turns head sharply toward you or your hand
• Twitches tail vigorously

 
T: Touch the cat only where the cat wants to be touched.

• Areas that are OK with most friendly cats: top of head, base of ears, side of face, under chin
• Areas that are not OK with most cats: belly, base of tail
• Areas that might or might not be OK (watch the cat’s body language): back, sides, legs, tail

 
To read more about cat-friendly petting and how humans interact with cats, check out these 2 articles:

• “Why Petting Can Make Some Cats Aggressive,” by Zazie Todd, PhD (Psychology Today website, June 29, 2021): https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fellow-creatures/202106/why-petting-can-make-some-cats-aggressive
• “Do People Know How to Pet Cats?” by Mikel Maria Delgado, PhD (What Your Cat Wants website, October 2, 2022): http://whatyourcatwants.com/do-people-know-how-to-pet-cats

 
References
1. Haywood C, Ripari L, Puzzo J, Foreman-Worsley R, Finka LR. Providing humans with practical, best practice handling guidelines during human-cat interactions increases cats' affiliative behaviour and reduces aggression and signs of conflict. Front Vet Sci. 2021;8:714143. doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.714143
2. Finka LR, Ripari L, Quinlan L, et al. Investigation of humans individual differences as predictors of their animal interaction styles, focused on the domestic cat. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):12128. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-15194-7
 
Photo by Ilze on Unsplash

Urinalysis is part of the diagnostic workup for many medical conditions, such as kidney disease, diabetes, and urinary tract infection. Pets that are urinating in unfortunate locations need urinalysis because inappropriate urination can be a symptom of a medical problem. Routine wellness checks, especially for senior animals, often include urinalysis. Urine is also collected for bacterial culture and other tests.
 
Urinalysis includes measurement of urine concentration, chemical analysis, and examination under a microscope. The results are affected by the age of the urine and the way the sample is collected. Urine begins to change soon after it’s voided, so urine samples need to be very fresh, ideally delivered to the veterinary clinic within an hour. The collection container needs to be completely clean, with no residue from food or cleaning solutions that can affect the chemical test results. Debris in a urine sample interferes with the chemical analysis and microscopic examination.
 
Urine can be collected either at home or at the veterinary clinic, depending on the reason the sample is needed and individual pet and household factors (such as the animal’s temperament and medical conditions, owner’s ability to collect urine, and distance to the clinic). Home urine collection is fine for most routine urinalysis, but check with your veterinarian to be sure it’s appropriate for your pet. Sometimes urine needs to be collected in a sterile manner at the veterinary clinic. In these cases, urine is usually collected by cystocentesis, a technique using a needle inserted directly into the bladder.
 
General Urine Collection Tips

• Make sure home urine collection is suitable for your pet (ask your veterinarian).
• Wear disposable gloves while collecting urine, and wash your hands afterward.
• Collect the sample on a day that your veterinary clinic is open.
• Collect at least 5 mL (1 measuring teaspoon) if you can.
• Urine must be in liquid form, not soaked into paper, cloth, or cat litter.
• Urine must be clean, not contaminated by leaves, grass, dirt, cat litter, food residue, or cleaning solutions.
• Collect urine either in a specimen cup from your veterinary clinic or in a clean container with a secure lid. If you’re using a container from home, clean it with soap and water, rinse thoroughly, and dry it before collecting urine in it.
• If your pet urinates on a hard surface, draw up a sample into a dropper or needleless syringe (ask your veterinary clinic for one in advance). Tell the clinic staff where you collected the urine.
• Take the sample to the clinic right away.
• If you can’t take the urine to the clinic immediately, keep it at refrigerator temperature.

 
Collecting Urine From Dogs

• If your dog’s urine will be collected at the veterinary clinic, do not let your dog urinate before going in the building.
• For collecting urine at home, the easiest time is usually first thing in the morning when the dog’s bladder is full.
• Walk your dog on a short leash. You might need two people, one to hold the leash and one to catch the urine.
• Catch the urine in your container when your dog starts to pee.
• For female dogs, it might be easiest to catch the urine in something with a long handle (like a soup ladle that you never want to use again).
• Some dogs are startled if a person bends down close or a container touches them while they’re urinating. If your dog stops peeing when you start to catch the urine, act nonchalant and wait for your dog to urinate again. If collecting urine at home causes anxiety for your dog or yourself, call your veterinary clinic and arrange for urine collection there.

 
Collecting Urine From Cats

• Cystocentesis is sometimes the simplest way to collect urine from a cat. Whether it’s the best way depends on the reason for collection and the individual cat and household. Your veterinarian can tell you if cystocentesis would be a good idea for your cat.
• To collect a sample from a litter box, clean the box thoroughly or at least cover it with a clean plastic liner. Some cats will urinate in an empty litter box. If your cat prefers to urinate on litter, use nonabsorbent material especially made for litter box urine collection instead of normal cat litter. Your veterinary clinic should be able to supply this or direct you to a source.
• Leave the cat in a room with the litter box. If you have more than one cat, separate your cats until you have the sample.
• Check the litter box frequently so you can collect the urine as soon as possible, before your cat also defecates in the box.
• Draw up the urine into a dropper or needleless syringe or pour it from the box into your urine container.
• Cats with urinary problems might urinate on the floor or in a bathtub instead of in a litter box. If this is the case with your cat, leave your cat and the prepared litter box in a bathroom (assuming this is safe and not stressful for your cat). Clean the bathtub, rinse it well, dry it, and close the drain. Remove bath mats and rugs so your cat's only options for peeing are the litter box, the tub, and the hard floor. Collect as much urine as you can, even if it’s only a few drops. Tell the veterinary clinic staff where your cat urinated when you take in the sample.

 
Photo by Tran Mau Tri Tam on Unsplash

Pets need stool tests to screen for parasites or help find the cause of diarrhea and other digestive system problems. Collecting a stool sample at home is the least stressful option for the pet. The alternative is for someone at the veterinary clinic to use a loop to remove a little bit of stool from the rectum. This option yields a much smaller sample and can be unpleasant for the animal.
 
A fecal test for parasites involves mixing the stool sample in a flotation solution and either spinning it in a centrifuge or leaving it to sit in a vial for a certain amount of time. The material at the top of the solution is then removed to a microscope slide to look for parasite eggs that have floated to the surface. Sometimes a tiny bit of stool is smeared directly onto a microscope slide for examination. Fecal analysis can also include chemical tests. For all of these tests, the stool needs to be fresh and squishy enough to mix or smear.
 
The age and condition of a stool sample affect the results. Parasite eggs can dry out or hatch in old stool. Hard, dry feces is very difficult or impossible to prepare for testing. Stool that has been sitting outdoors for a while can contain fly eggs or larvae (maggots). Liquid diarrhea that’s soaked into paper or cloth can’t be mixed in solution to test for parasites.
 
Here’s how to collect a stool sample to get the most accurate results:

• Collect a fresh sample that’s less than 24 hours old.
• Collect at least a 1-inch chunk if possible.
• Wear disposable gloves or put a plastic bag over your hand to collect feces. Wash your hands afterward.
• Bring the sample to the clinic in a plastic bag or sealed container (your veterinary clinic can give you a container if you need one).
• It’s fine if some grass, leaves, mulch, or cat litter is stuck to the feces.
• If the stool is runny, don’t soak it up with a paper towel; scoop the runny stool as best you can into a plastic bag or container.
• For dogs, collect the sample right after the dog defecates.
• For cats, collect a fresh sample from the litter box. If your cat usually goes outdoors to defecate, keep him indoors until you can get a sample.
• Bring the sample to the veterinary clinic within 24 hours of collection.
• Fecal samples can be kept at room temperature or refrigerator temperature but not frozen.

 
Photo by Lucas Ludwig on Unsplash

Socializing young kittens and puppies means giving them positive experiences with things they’ll encounter throughout their lives. Building positive associations early in life helps animals feel comfortable with new people and new situations. Animals that are well socialized when they’re young are less likely to develop fear-based behavior problems (like aggression) that could put them at risk of being sent to a shelter or euthanized later on.
 
Sensitive Period for Socialization
For kittens, the window of opportunity for socialization is very early: from 3 weeks to about 7 to 9 weeks of age.[1,2] The sensitive period is the time when a young kitten’s brain is most receptive to socialization. During these early weeks, a kitten is exploring and learning, developing neurological pathways that will help the kitten learn in the future. After the sensitive period, brain development shifts; kittens don’t make positive associations as quickly or easily and they’re more likely to be afraid of new things. This is why it’s so difficult, if not impossible, to convert a semi-feral adult cat into a cat that can be happy living as a house pet.
 
You will have noticed that the sensitive socialization period for kittens is nearly closed by the time they’re typically adopted or purchased. Socialization needs to start with the person caring for the mother cat and newborns. When you adopt or buy a kitten, continue providing socialization (at the kitten’s comfort level and pace) to reinforce what the kitten has already learned.
 
The socialization process should always be positive. Don’t force kittens to interact with strangers or other animals if they’re shy, and don’t push them to be near things that scare them. Let them choose whether to interact. Give them room to walk away and let them hide if they want to. Use positive reinforcement (food or play) to encourage them to interact and build their confidence.
 
The following suggestions are adapted from the American Veterinary Medical Association.[1] For more tips, check out the First Year of Life page on the Cat Friendly Homes website: https://catfriendly.com/life-stages/first-year-life/
 
Socializing Kittens Before Weaning

• Kittens need to interact with members of their own species. For orphaned kittens, provide interaction with other kittens and cats as much as possible.
• Have more than 1 person handle the kittens.
• Handle each kitten individually, away from the mama cat and the litter, every day.
• Provide exposure to a variety of surfaces, textures, and objects to play with.

 
Socializing Kittens 8 to 12 Weeks Old

• Provide toys with various textures, scents, and sounds.
• Give the kitten gentle, positive exposure to a variety of people of different ages, sizes, and genders; with beards, wearing hats, wearing face coverings, carrying umbrellas, and so forth.
• Provide supervised interaction with other animals, especially species that might become pets in the kitten’s home.
• Playing with other kittens and cats (belonging to family members/friends or in a kitten class) is very useful. Kittens this age are not yet fully vaccinated, so the other kittens and cats should be vaccinated as appropriate for their age and free of parasites.
• Start crate training: leave the crate out all the time with the door open and put toys and food inside. Let the kitten explore the crate and start going into the crate on her own.
• Once the kitten is comfortable with the crate, start taking the kitten on short car rides that end with something fun, like a play session. (Don’t pull out the crate and go for a car ride only when the trip is going to end with shots at the veterinary clinic.)
• Handle all parts of the kitten’s body and hold him in different positions—always gently and never in a way that frightens the kitten.

 
Older Kittens and Newly Adopted Adult Cats

• Don’t assume that an older kitten or cat had early socialization. Instead, watch the cat for signs of stress or fear to assess her comfort level with different situations and people.
• Take time to build trust with the cat so he will feel secure in his new home. Don’t force interactions and don’t scold the cat; use lots of positive reinforcement like treats.
• Provide the same kinds of enrichment and exposure as with younger kittens (including crate training), but realize that an older kitten or an adult cat might need much longer to become accustomed to new things.
• Seek the advice of a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist if the cat has fear or aggression that does not improve with time.

 
References
1. Welfare implications of socialization of puppies and kittens. American Veterinary Medical Association. June 9, 2015. Accessed July 8, 2022. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/welfare-implications-socialization-puppies-and-kittens
2. Todd Z. The sensitive period for socialization in puppies and kittens. Companion Animal Psychology. July 26, 2017. Accessed July 8, 2022. https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/07/the-sensitive-period-for-socialization.html
 
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