Traditional waiting rooms put a cat carrier next to a barking Great Dane. This is a recipe for stress. Behavior-savvy clinics have separate "cat-only" waiting zones, pheromone diffusers, and soundproofing.
Administering pre-visit pharmaceuticals (PVPs) like gabapentin or trazodone to calm highly anxious patients before they arrive.
Historically, veterinary visits relied heavily on physical restraint to get procedures done quickly. However, forcing a terrified animal into submission creates learned helplessness and severe psychological trauma, making each subsequent visit progressively more difficult.