HAVE WE SEEN YOUR CAT LATELY?
Happy back to school, everyone! As our lives settle back into our school schedules, this is a great time to catch your pets up on their well care. While for many pets this means vaccines, even more importantly are the physical exams that can detect early potential health risks for your beloved dogs and cats. Speaking of cats, have we seen your cat lately? Did you know that cats are the #1 pet in America, outnumbering dogs by nearly 8 million! However, compared to dogs, 3 times as many cats do not receive regular veterinary care. Why??
Common myths include:
Cats are more self-sufficient than dogs: Cats require the same amount of attention as dogs in regards to their care (food, water, litter box maintenance AND veterinary care!)
Cats are healthier and experience fewer health problems than dogs: Cats are no more or no less healthy than dogs. However, cats are better at hiding disease and illness, making it more difficult for their owners to even know they are sick! Regular wellness checks are imperative to detect early changes that may indicate big problems for your cat.
Health problems come from outside, so indoor cats don’t get sick: Many feline diseases such as kidney disease and diabetes affect both indoor and outdoor cats.
Veterinary visits are too stressful for cats (and their owners!): With proper preparation, you can minimize the stress and discomfort your cat experiences when coming to the vet. As I have discussed in my Fear Free Forum videos, desensitizing your cat to the carrier can make vet visits much easier. For more information on carrier training, please visit http://www.haveweseenyourcatlately.com/Visiting_Your_Vet.html
On a personal level, I can’t tell you how many cats I see that have missed preventative wellness care and come to me extremely ill. Sometimes they are beyond my help, and I am heartbroken for the cat and their owner. I wonder, is this something we could have caught early with weight monitoring, physical exams and screening bloodwork? For some, the answer is no. However, I feel that our success at managing and treating feline illness improves greatly when we have current medical knowledge of that pet.
So ask yourself… Have we seen your cat lately?
Take care, and we will see you soon!
Dr. Cher Canaday