How Our Process Works - Cats - Veterinary Behavior Specialties of Minnesota

Comprehensive Feline Behavior Consultation

A Brief Overview

Your Cat’s Initial Consultation Includes:

A review of prior medical records, lab results, and a behavior questionnaire BEFORE your appointment.
Three video webinars:
- Feline Body Language and Communication Workshop
- Understanding Cat’s and Their Needs: Safety and Management Tools Webinar
- Feline Medication Administration: Three Cooperative Approaches

A 90-minute virtual diagnostic assessment with your behavior vet – for your cat’s comfort.
A 15-minute in-clinic observational appointment to establish your cat as a legal patient.
- Physical evaluation tailored to your cat’s comfort level.
Assessment of your pet’s diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and prognosis.
Recommendations for additional diagnostic tests, if necessary.
Initial treatment plan with management strategies, behavior modification, and medication, if appropriate.

Explore CareCredit Financing Options

A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Cat’s Treatment

Initial Behavior Consultation Package Includes Steps 1-3;

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to email us at info@vetbehaviormn.com, and our client care coordinator will be happy to assist you! Please note that we are currently booking appointments 2-3 weeks in advance.

Step 1 – Intake Information

Complete and return the following;
Behavior History Questionnaire (If you are making an appointment for more than 1 pet, you must
fill out a questionnaire for each pet that will be seen)

Feline Behavior History Questionnaire

Review and sign our Treatment Consent form

Review and sign our Practice Policies form

Once we have received all of the required forms, we will contact you for scheduling and to pay the appointment reservation fee.

Step 2 –Video Webinars

After you schedule your cats’ appointments, we will send you links to two video webinars led by our behavior therapy team. Please watch these videos before your appointment with the doctor.

Body Language Foundations – Communication is a Two-Way Street

Our pets constantly communicate with us through subtle body language. Learning to understand these cues can help you recognize your pet’s emotions and responses to fears or triggers. This webinar will explore how pets communicate with each other and with us.

Understanding Cats and Their Needs – Cats Are Not Just Small Dogs

This webinar covers how to use environmental management to meet the unique needs of cats and prevent unwanted behaviors. You’ll learn about the specific requirements of feline companions and how to incorporate them into your home.

Step 3 – Appointment With the Doctor

Our veterinarians specialize in treating emotional and behavioral disorders across various species. During this 60–90 minute virtual consultation, a Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist or Resident will review your pet’s health history, discuss possible motivations behind the behavior, and provide a diagnosis, prognosis, and customized treatment options tailored to your pet and household.

In addition, a brief 15-minute In-Clinic Visual Exam and Observation Appointment will be scheduled for your dog(s) at our Minnetonka clinic. This in-person exam is essential to establish a current client-patient relationship.

Following your consultation

Additional Steps On Your Pet’s Treatment Journey

Medication And Progress Update Appointments

Behavior care is not a one-stop journey.

Each pet responds to treatment in their own way, and the timeline for observing changes and improvements can vary significantly among patients. Medication and Progress Update appointments allow the doctor to assess your pet’s response to their individual treatment plan, management strategies, and any prescribed medications. Regular updates and adjustments are crucial for achieving both short-term and long-term positive outcomes.

These 15-minute appointments are conducted via Zoom and are recommended based on your pet’s progress. The first Medication and Progress Update appointment will take place 8-12 weeks after your pet’s initial consultation with the doctor.

Foundation Skills & Behavior Therapy Sessions

As part of our three-point approach to treatment, behavior modification sessions aim to change your pet’s emotional reactions to behavioral triggers and teach them the skills needed for safe interactions with other pets and people. Foundation Skills and Behavior Therapy sessions are often recommended as valuable additions to your pet’s treatment plan.

Foundation Skills sessions focus on essential skills that are beneficial for all behavior patients, while Behavior Therapy sessions delve into more complex skills and management tools. These sessions are conducted virtually via Zoom and last 45 minutes.

Annual In-Clinic Rechecks

Graduation! Our goal is for our patients to graduate from our care and transition their behavioral management back to their primary care veterinarian. We recommend that your pet maintain behavioral stability for 9-12 consecutive months without any new concerns or medication adjustments. Once your pet has achieved this level of stability, or if you feel you have met your goals, we will provide your primary care veterinarian with a summary of your pet’s complete care to facilitate the transition.

For patients who have received behavioral care from us, the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine requires annual in-clinic visits to maintain a current client-patient relationship. This is accomplished through an annual recheck appointment.

Questions? Contact Us Here

Our Cancellation Policy;

With appointments scheduled weeks and months in advance, it is essential to keep your scheduled appointments. However, we understand that changes may be necessary due to the nature of our patients’ behavioral concerns. To accommodate as many patients as possible while considering the preparation time required for each appointment, we have implemented the following cancellation and rescheduling policy.

For Initial Diagnostic Appointments:

If you decide to cancel/reschedule your appointment, please notify us at least 14 days before your virtual behavior intake appointment. Your deposit will be refunded, minus a $75.00 fee for appointment preparation. (For example, if your deposit is $400.00, your refund will be $325.00.) A 14-day notice is

required; if you do not provide this notice, your entire appointment reservation deposit will be forfeited and must be repaid if you wish to reschedule.

If you have completed your pre-visit workshops and choose to cancel your appointment, an additional fee will be deducted from your reservation fee. The fees are as follows: $70.00 for attending one workshop and $140.00 for attending both workshops.

For All Other Appointments:

We request a minimum of 30 days’ notice for any changes to your scheduled appointment as a courtesy. Any accounts with more than one previously rescheduled appointment will incur a $50.00 rebooking fee.