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Sun: CLOSED

503-235-7005
8065 SE 13th Avenue

Portland, OR 97202

Helpful Holiday Tips

​Holiday Fireworks –
With the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, it is time to discuss fireworks. Fireworks are very scary for our feline friends. All cats should be kept inside with doors and windows shut to help reduce the sound of the fireworks. Over the counter products such as Feliway can be very beneficial to reduce stress. Feliway is a natural feline pheromone to help make cats feel more comfortable in their home environment. This can be used as a diffuser that is plugged in continuously for 30 days. It can be used starting one week before a known stressful event and continued until the diffuser runs out. A safe and secure cozy environment could be created for your cat by making an enclosed space such as a covered bed that they can hide in. Feliway spray can be used on the bed 1 hour before the event so it is dry. Some cats will benefit from anti-anxiety medication if their reaction is severe enough. Please make an appointment to discuss with us today.

Indoor vs. Outdoor Cats –
There are many different opinions regarding indoor vs. outdoor cats. Cats who go outside are more at risk for getting hit by a car, attacked by other animals, and contracting infectious disease. There are ways to make your indoor environment more manageable for the feline who is persistent to go outside. Environmental modification and enrichment can help maintain your cat’s overall happiness. Some ways are to increase vertical space within the home so that your cat can get up high, exercise, and feel safe. This can be accomplished through the use of multiple tall cat towers, wall perches, and wall ramps/tunnels that the cat can climb up. A catio, which is an enclosed outdoor space for cats, is an elegant idea to allow cats access to the outdoors without compromising their safety. There are also fenced in yards with barriers over the top that can keep cats from escaping outside of the yard. Cats can also be trained to walk on a harness.

Written by,
Dr. Shover