Cats Need to Visit their Veterinarian

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Photo Courtesy of Lisette Brodey

It hurts my heart to think that cat owners don't realize that their cat needs to see a veterinarian exactly as much as a dog does. I can't imagine why they don't think of it but so few cats have ever seen a veterinarian, have an annual check-up, vaccinations, etc. that it's startling.

There are some interesting facts that lead me to this conclusion and I'm happy to share them with you.
In the United States there are 86 million owned cats and 78 million owned dogs yet nearly twice as many cats than dogs never visit the veterinarian. Think about that for a minute. What's wrong with this picture?

41% of cats only go to the veterinarian for vaccinations and 39% of cat owners say that they would only take their cat to the veterinarian if it was sick. 83% of cats are taken to the veterinarian within the first year that they're owned but over half of them do not return. That's a sad fact. 

Photo Courtesy of Claire Clayton

Why? 60% of cat owners say their cat hates to go to the veterinarian, 39% only take the cat to the veterinarian if the cat is sick and 38% report that the thought of taking their cat to the veterinarian stresses them out.

This really is an issue that's easily resolved but it seems that few people have sought help, or even information that could help them. Yet a full 56% of owners say they would bring their cat to the veterinarian more often if they knew it could prevent problems.

Wellness started in human medicine and then moved to veterinary medicine. Preventive care is as important for our pets as it is for us. That yearly visit to the veterinarian can help prevent disease, or catch it early before it becomes advanced and more difficult to treat.  Your veterinarian can also teach you to brush your cat's teeth. Healthy teeth and gums are as important for our pets as they are for us. All sorts of germs can leech down from dirty teeth and cause a wide range of health problems.

My cat, Aimee, is now 16 years old. When she was about 12  I took her for her first Senior Wellness Exam. It included a full range of blood work and tests to see what her baseline is so that her veterinarian can tell if something is changing and catch it early. Senior cats should visit their veterinarian twice a year.  Putting off veterinary visits is a case of pennywise and pound foolish. If kitty really gets sick it will cost you more in the end to try to fix the problem, and it will be harder on both you and your kitty.

Photo Courtesy of Shara Rendell Smock

Cats are experts at hiding illness and Feline Practitioners are experts in feline health.  Please don't wait until kitty is really ill.

The sad thing is that only 18% of cat owners report that they have received instruction teaching them how to transport their cat. Transporting a cat isn't all that difficult. Cats are extremely intelligent and they only need to learn that their carrier is a wonderful place to be.  Bring the carrier out, leave it open and put a soft towel, or pad or snuggly blanket in there. You might want to add a toy. Let kitty get used to going in an out. There is a product called Feliway that will help calm the cat.  You may have heard of it as a plug-in room spray, or as a spray can but it also comes in the form of wipes. You can wipe the inside of the carrier, especially before the trip to the veterinarian, to help calm kitty.

Photo Courtesy of Frank Incremona

When you arrive at the veterinary hospital, hopefully there will be a separate waiting room for cats but whether there is or not, keep kitty's carrier on a chair next to you so it's elevated. Cats like higher places. Turn the carrier toward you so she's not making eye contact with other cats or curious dogs. You may opt to put a towel on top of the carrier and drop it down over the door for privacy which can make kitty feel more secure.

My veterinarian sees all manner of pets in her practice but she's also a Feline Practitioner. The American Association of Feline Practitioners is an organization of veterinarians who are dedicated to cats and their health. Their website has a special section for pets owners with  downloadable brochures to help you and your kitty as well as a listing of members so you can locate a Feline Practitioner near you. You can find them at: www.catvets.com

If push comes to shove and you really can't take your cat out to the veterinarian, seek out a mobile veterinarian who will come to your home. There really is no excuse for not having your kitty seen annually by a veterinarian, twice a year for senior cats. 

Photo Courtesy of Anthony James

Here are some helpful links:

Getting your cat to the veterinarian: 
http://www.catvets.com/cat-owners/behavior-and-care-tips/getting-your-cat-to-the-vet

Signs and Symptoms of illness:
http://www.catvets.com/cat-owners/caring-for-cats/signs-and-symptoms

Getting Your Cat to the Veterinarian Brochure http://www.catvets.com/public/PDFs/ClientBrochures/Cat-to-VetHandout.pdf

More educational brochures are available on the website. Spend some time looking around.  It's a great resource for cat owners, whether new or experienced.

References:

American Association of Feline Practitioners: www.catvets.com

Ownership Statistics in the U.S.: http://www.statista.com/statistics/198102/cats-in-the-united-states-since-2000/

Statistics Simplified: https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx

Petxpert Podcast with Dr, .Jane Brunt of The Catalyst Council: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JsGafbkLNw

National Bring Your Cat to the Vet Day!

This Saturday is National Bring Your Cat to the Vet Day.  The American Association of Feline Practitoners (AAFP) is anxious to get this message out. I am, too.  You know I've written about this before. Owners bring their dogs to the vet but forget that cats need to see their veterinarian every bit as much.  

Please read this information. It's important to know why this needs to happen.  Share this with your cat-owning friends, too. Let's get this information out to EVERY cat owner!

Feline Wellness Featured on The Discovery Channel!

Aimee Photo © Helmi Flick

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time you know that I'm a proponent of Wellness for pets. Usually concepts and treatments go from animals to people but in the case of Wellness it happened the other way around. Wellness for people was adopted by the veterinary medical community. One of the first places to embrace the concept an implement Wellness plans for Cats and Dog was Boston's venerated Angell Memorial Animal Hospital. I literally wrote the book on it, The Angell Memorial Animal Hospital Book of Wellness and Preventive Care for Dogs. Why just dogs? Ask the publisher. It was originally supposed to be two books but they decided not to go ahead with the Cat book. Why? There was a general concept then that cat people don't buy books.  I beg to differ but it's a moot point now.

Alana by Claire Clayton

The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) is finally getting the attention for this that it deserves. The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) will be featured on an episode of Innovations with Ed Begley Jr., airing via The Discovery Channel Monday, April 20, 2015 at 7:30 a.m. EST / PST, 6:30am CST 

Here's a sneak peek at the episode:

The BEST Holiday Gift for Your Cat

Aimee

If you're reading this, then you, like me, include your cat in every celebration. In December, whatever you celebrate it's a pretty safe bet that you cat will be getting presents. Only you know what you have planned. A new bed? A new scratching post or cat tree? A new toy or two? Some special kitty treats? Some sort of goody is on your gift list but do you know what your cat really needs? The best thing you can give your cat? It's a visit to his or her veterinarian. Really.

There are some interesting facts that lead me to this conclusion and I'm happy to share them with you.
In the United States there are 86 million owned cats and 78 million owned dogs yet nearly twice as many cats than dogs never visit the veterinarian. Think about that for a minute. What's wrong with this picture?

41% of cats only go to the veterinarian for vaccinations and 39% of cat owners say that they would only take their cat to the veterinarian if it was sick. 83% of cats are taken to the veterinarian within the first year that they're owned but over half of them do not return. That's a sad fact. 

"Little One," photo by Gary Rhode, finds a shoebox comfy. 

Why? 60% of cat owners say their cat hates to go to the veterinarian, 39% only take the cat to the veterinarian if the cat is sick and 38% report that the thought of taking their cat to the veterinarian stresses them out.

This really is an issue that's easily resolved but it seems that few people have sought help, or even information that could help them. Yet a full 56% of owners say they would bring their cat to the veterinarian more often if they knew it could prevent problems.

Wellness started in human medicine but moved to veterinarian medicine. Preventive care is as important for our pets as it is for us. That yearly visit to the veterinarian can help prevent disease, or catch it early before it becomes advanced and more difficult to treat.  Your veterinarian can also teach you to brush your cat's teeth. Healthy teeth and gums are as important for our pets as they are for us. All sorts of germs can leech down from dirty teeth and cause a wide range of health problems.

My cat, Aimee, is now 15 years old. When she was about 12  I took her for her first Senior Wellness Exam. It included a full range of blood work and tests to see what her baseline is so that her veterinarian can tell if something is changing and catch it early. Senior cats should visit their veterinarian twice a year.  Putting off veterinary visits is a case of pennywise and pound foolish. If kitty really gets sick it will cost you more in the end to try to fix the problem, and it will be harder on both you and your kitty.

"Velvet" photo by Sue Janson

Cats are experts at hiding illness and Feline Practitioners are experts in feline health.  Please don't wait until kitty is really ill.

The sad thing is that only 18% of cat owners report that they have received instruction teaching them how to transport their cat. Transporting a cat isn't all that difficult. Cats are extremely intelligent and they only need to learn that their carrier is a wonderful place to be.  Bring the carrier out, leave it open and put a soft towel, or pad or snuggly blanket in there. You might want to add a toy. Let kitty get used to going in an out. There is a product called Feliway that will help calm the cat.  You may have heard of it as a plug-in room spray, or as a spray can but it also comes in the form of wipes. You can wipe the inside of the carrier, especially before the trip to the veterinarian, to help calm kitty.

When you arrive at the veterinary hospital, hopefully there will be a separate waiting room for cats but whether there is or not, keep kitty's carrier on a chair next to you so it's elevated. Cats like higher places. Turn the carrier toward you so she's not making eye contact with other cats or curious dogs. You may opt to put a towel on top of the carrier and drop it down over the door for privacy which can make kitty feel more secure.

My veterinarian sees all manner of pets in her practice but she's also a Feline Practitioner. The American Association of Feline Practitioners is an organization of veterinarians who are dedicated to cats and their health. Their website has a special section for pets owners with  downloadable brochures to help you and your kitty as well as a listing of members so you can locate a Feline Practitioner near you. You can find them at: www.catvets.com

Photo by Darlene Arden

Here are some helpful links:

Getting your cat to the veterinarian: 
http://www.catvets.com/cat-owners/behavior-and-care-tips/getting-your-cat-to-the-vet

Signs and Symptoms of illness:
http://www.catvets.com/cat-owners/caring-for-cats/signs-and-symptoms

Getting Your Cat to the Veterinarian Brochure:
http://www.catvets.com/public/PDFs/ClientBrochures/Cat-to-VetHandout.pdf

More educational brochures are available on the website. Spend some time looking around.  It's a great resource for cat owners, whether new or experienced.

Aimee and I wish you a your special cat(s) a wonderful holiday season! Call and make that veterinary appointment now, while you're thinking about it, and give kitty the gift of good health every year! 

And to All A Goodnight!

"Alana" photo by Claire Clayton

References:

American Association of Feline Practitioners: www.catvets.com

Ownership Statistics in the U.S.: http://www.statista.com/statistics/198102/cats-in-the-united-states-since-2000/

Statistics Simplified: https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx

Petxpert Podcast with Dr, .Jane Brunt of The Catalyst Council: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JsGafbkLNw

What Cat Owners Need to Know

Photo of Alana by Claire Clayton

Cats are thought to be mysterious creatures. Are they?  No, they're actually social animals who love to be around people and need more attention than many owners give them. 

Cats like to make the first approach. If you ignore them, they will come to  you. They often curl up with their owners or another pet in the house when they want to sleep. They walk on your newspaper or book when you're trying to read, not to drive you crazy but because they are seeking your attention. Your cat loves you!  

Photo of Aimee by Darlene Arden

Your cat will follow you around, wanting to be where you are.  Hopefully, you've already discovered this. But as good as they are about being private, this can work against them when they're sick. They are masters at masking illness. Optimum would be having a feline practitioner who doesn't just know cats but has the extra knowledge that can make a real difference when it comes to a sick kitty.  While all veterinarians treat cats, not every one of them has gone the extra mile to learn even more about cats.  Some feline cat practitioners also treat other species.  I find this particularly helpful with a Toy or small dog because they know how to moderate their touch for a smaller animal.

The American Association for Feline Practitioners has a wonderful website, including a page of things that cat owners need to know.  Point your browser to:

http://goo.gl/4wfdMe

There is always more to lear about taking care of your feline companion. You can also search for a feline practitioner in your area.

If you'll pardon my immodesty, I've crammed a lot of information about taking care of your cat in

The Complete Cat's Meow.  You can find it at your local bookstore or at Amazon for quick, easy ordering:   http://tinyurl.com/mmq628k

Take Your Cat to The Vet Day Should Be EVERY Day!

The American Association of Feline Practitioners (http://www.catvets.com) wants you to take your cat to the veterinarian. So do I. Taking Aimee to see her veterinarian is basic to her care.  As a responsible owner and someone who loves her cat to distraction, it's important for me to insure that Aimee is healthy as well as happy, that she eats well and properly. Aimee turned 15 years old this month.  She came to live with me when she was 3 1/2.  It seems as if she has always been here, an especially sweet presence in my life who gives unconditional love.

August 22nd is Take Your Cat to The Vet Day.  It's a good reminder for us.  It doesn't mean rushing for an appointment today. It means that you should take your cat to see her veterinarian at least once a year.  In Aimee's case, at her age, she goes twice a year. Why? She has Senior Wellness Visits.  At the very first one a baseline was done with every possible test. Every six months she has a check-up. If anything is wrong, we'll find out more quickly.  

When you take your cat in, be sure to take a list of questions with you. If you need to know something about your cat's care, your veterinarian is the person to ask. You will work together as a team in the best interests of your feline companion.

Part of going to the veterinarian is transporting your cat. It will be so much easier if your cat likes her carrier and is comfortable in there. He's an info graphic from The American Association of Feline Practitioners on that topic:

Courtesy of AAFP

If your cat hasn't been to the veterinarian in a long time, or if your cat has never been to the veterinarian, please pick up the phone and make an appointment - the earliest one you can get. Aimee's veterinarian not only sees dogs but is a feline practitioner. It gives me an extra feeling of confidence.  

And please hug and kiss your cat for me.