Routine veterinary visits for cats are one of the most essential parts of feline care. This said, however, in an article published in Veterinary Practice News, according to a study done by Bayer HealthCare and the American Association of Feline Practitioners, fifty percent of American cats don’t receive regular veterinary care.
Most kitty guardians love their cats, so I have to believe that they would want what’s best for them. So what might be standing in the way in providing their kitties with regular veterinary care?
In the same study, researchers found that just the trip to the veterinary clinic were major issues for kitty guardians, with fifty-eight percent of owners (58%) saying that not only did their cats abhor going to a veterinary clinic, their cats were so fearful of the carrier and the car travel that their owners avoided taking their cats to the veterinarian.
As far as I am concerned kitty guardians who are highly motivated to provide their cats with this essential care will move mountains to overcome these obstacles. There is an abundance of alternative methods to ensure that cats will receive routine veterinary care.
Since most cats are not very keen about traveling, an increasingly popular alternative is to use the services of a mobile house call veterinary practice. This is extremely convenient especially for folks who have a multi-cat household. Some veterinarians may even offer special discounts for multi-cat households. When making an appointment it’s a good idea to inquire about their discount policies.
Since cats find it stressful enough just going to the vet, another alternative is to consider seeking the services of a feline-only practice. What are some of the reasons for using a feline-only practice which can make veterinary visits easier for both cats and their guardians?
It goes without saying that the environment in a feline only practice is designed to be cat-friendly. In many feline-only practices noise levels are generally low. There are no barking dogs to further upset kitties. Exam rooms are designed to be more comfortable for cats and the examining rooms are typically devoid of inaccessible places so cats cannot get “trapped” into small spaces.
The staff has chosen to work with kitties, mainly because they love kitties. The veterinarians, the assistants and technicians have all received special training in how to handle cats safely. Veterinarians who are feline specialists are up to date with the most recent cat care techniques, diagnosis and treatment methods. Guardians will never get that unsettling feeling that the practitioner may still think that “cats are little dogs”.
Feline-only veterinarians will understand feline nature and behavior. They know how cats communicate and can more easily help them to relax while they are being examined. This helps kitties feel less stressed which makes handling easier.
Additionally, most feline-only veterinary practices will have not only toys, scratching posts and cat-trees and-grooming for sale; they may also have a wide selection of high-quality species appropriate raw and canned foods and healthy grain-free treats; making a visit to the vet more convenient for kitty guardians.
I highly suspect that cats will respond more positively to a veterinarian and staff who truly love cats and have specially chosen to work only with this species. What do you think? Tell us in a comment.
Expense for visits is one big problem. The cats are afraid of the visit and I’m afraid of the bill.
We don’t really have much problem with vet visits. A very helpful suggestion is to spray the bedding in the cat carrier with Feliway. This helped to keep some of my beloved cats calm and serene on some very long journeys, and I’m sure it would also help many cats overcome their fears on trips to their doctors.
We handle vet visits pretty well. We leave cat carriers fitted with blankets out for the cats to sleep in. when a cat has to go to the vet we have less stress thanks to the home carriers. Our vet is a small animal vet so we find dogs there as well as other critters. We put the carrier where it is not accessible to the other animals there. The vet has two resident cats that our cats know and the vet office cats will visit and sniff at the carrier doors. If we need the vet to come to the apartment she is happy to visit. When we have to leave a cat at the vet we always take a towel and rub it all over our faces and then have that towel put in their cage. So many little things help to ease their fears.
Samirah hates vet visits and cab rides, but I decided to that it’s best that she endure the cab ride. I don’t want her to be fearful of the apartment; it’s taken her long enough to relax and feel safe here. I believe being treated and examined in the apartment would make her even more fearful of home. She reacts very badly to the maintenance men when they come in and she hides for hours. After they leave she will not come out unless all the lights are on in the apartment and she is reassured that they’re not hiding somewhere, ready to pounce on her.
Her vet runs a feline-only practice. I am very satisfied with him and his staff. One change I did make was ditching the usual hard plastic cat carrier in favor of a soft-sided Sherpa carrier. Samirah likes that much better; during the cab ride she pushes against the side of the carrier and presses into the side of my leg. Her physical contact with me calms her down considerably. When we return home she knows she’s safe.