VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital

How to Train a Cat

Cats are very independent creatures—they are not as demanding of attention as dogs and they don’t make large efforts to win your approval. While this makes for a fairly laid-back, easy-going house companion, it can present training challenges.

While many cats can be trained to do tricks and walk on leashes, the most important training for cats is to make sure they are performing normal and natural cat behaviors in the proper places at the proper times. For example, toilet training a cat is critical to living happily with a cat. Cat potty training is usually fairly easy to do as cats are naturally clean and prefer to bury their waste. The first step to training kittens is to make sure they know where their litterbox is located. It is often necessary to confine your kitten to a room with water,
food and a clean litterbox for a short time
until he or she is successfully using the
litterbox every time. Cat toilet training
usually happens very quickly.

cat grooming cat training

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Specialty Care

Sometimes sick or injured pets need the care of a veterinary medical specialist. When that happens, VCA specialty hospitals work closely with the general practitioner veterinarians who refer cases to us in order to provide seamless veterinary care to your pet. When your pet is facing any kind of serious illness or injury, our specialty referral hospitals will provide the compassionate and expert care your beloved pet needs.

Our goal is to make sure that when you and your pet are in need that you have access to board certified specialists who are up to date on the very latest developments in their field. In our state of the art hospitals, our specialists also have access to the most sophisticated diagnostic and treatment tools and techniques from ultrasonography and endoscopy to CAT scans and even MRI.

We have over 40 specialty hospitals across the US so there may be one near you. Our specialized services include: behavior, cardiology, critical care, dentistry, dermatology, integrative medicine, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, radiology, rehabilitation, reproduction, and surgery.

Find a VCA Specialty Care Animal Hospital near you:

 

See all VCA Animal Hospitals >

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Emergency Care

OUR EMERGENCY NUMBER - 703-823-3601

VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital is here for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can count on our critical care team to be here when you need them the most.

Your pet's health deserves the finest care. Each member of our team strives for the advancement of veterinary medicine. When you bring your pet to us, you can be certain you will receive the dedication and compassion that makes our hospital stand out in patient care. 

Please call us at 703-823-3601 immediately if you believe your pet is experiencing an emergency.

Find out what might constitute an Emergencyor read more about our Services.

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