Want To Start Walking Your Cat? 3 Reasons To Visit The Vet First
Taking your cat on regular walks outdoors can be a great way to ensure that they get some fresh air and stimulation, while still enjoying the safety of being an indoor cat. If you've already gotten them used to wearing a harness and want to start taking your cat outside, you need to get familiar with exactly what you can do to ensure that your cat is safe.
Before starting to bring your cat outdoors, you should look into the following reasons why a vet visit can be a necessity for your cat.
Get Recommendations for Harnesses
While you may have already picked up a new harness for your cat to wear when outdoors, you may not have a harness due to being unsure of which one would be the very best fit for your cat. Visiting the vet can allow you to ask questions about what kind of harness would be the most secure and which harness would fit your cat comfortably.
Some vet clinics may even sell harnesses, allowing you to try some on your cat so that you're able to find the very best fit that keeps them secure outside.
Have Any Necessary Vaccines Done
If your cat hasn't had any vaccinations done in a long time, it's absolutely necessary for you to schedule for vaccines to be done before your cat goes outdoors. Since there's always the concern that your cat could get sick when exposed to other animals outside, you need to make sure that vaccines are done so that they're better protected when they head outside.
Visiting the vet can help get you the information about what vaccines your cat needs and help make sure that they're able to get a health exam at the same time as well.
Protect Your Cat from Fleas and Ticks
Along with having vaccines done, it's smart to have your cat protected with flea and tick medication. By getting any medicines applied ahead of time, you'll be able to protect your cat when stepping outside and being exposed to fleas and ticks that could be outside. Visiting the vet can ensure that your cat gets the very best flea and tick preventive medicine that's available compared to over-the-counter medications that may not be as effective.
As you get ready to take your cat outside on walks, you need to make sure that you do your best to keep your cat healthy so that they won't be at risk of getting sick outside. With the above reasons to visit the vet, you can feel good about scheduling a visit before bringing your cat outdoors.
Contact a center like Center-Sinai Animal Hospital for more information.