Top of the list, it appears, is dog and cat owners listening to other people for veterinary medical advice leading to pet owners arguing with veterinarians, telling them that their trainer, groomer or breeder told them something else. In fact, it can be anybody else including friends and I presume the internet but it leads to disagreements between cat owners and veterinarians which it appears annoys veterinarians – it would.
A well-informed cat owner is a good thing in a veterinary clinic. It must be because it should provide the veterinarian with more information and therefore a better diagnosis and treatment, at least potentially. But strong disagreements between client and veterinarian is unlikely to lead to a positive outcome. My gut feeling is that there are more arguments nowadays because pet owners are better informed thanks to Mr Google.
Allowing cats and dogs to become overweight appears to be a pet hate of veterinarians (excuse the pun). Veterinarians advise that cat and dog owners feed the best quality food that the client can afford and take guidance from the packaging. Veterinarians obviously see too many overweight cats and dogs. We do know about this though. We know that there is a so-called cat and dog obesity epidemic in line with a human version.
The third issue which always pops up with veterinarians is that clients do not take care of their pet’s teeth. Informed cat owners also know about this problem. Oral health of cats is a constant issue and one of the top 10 health problems. The reasons are obvious i.e. it is very difficult to clean your cat’s teeth and the foods that we feed our cat don’t help either. Veterinarians want us to ensure that we take our cats and dogs for annual dental checkups but more importantly suggest that cat owners get used to brushing their cat’s teeth.
Yes, once again informed cat owners do know about this but it is almost impossible to act on the advice unless the cat has been habituated and socialized to having his teeth brushed during those precious formative weeks: the first seven weeks of his life. But how many cat owners clean the teeth of the kitten with the goal of ensuring that they can do the same thing throughout the life of their cat?
“Trim your pet’s nails” – this is a problem for vets. They see a lot of ingrown nails curling into the paw pads of cats and I presume the same thing applies to dogs. They recommend that cat owners trim their cat’s claws. This should not be an issue for outdoor cats because their claws are naturally worn down through use. For indoor cats it can be a problem and for elderly indoor cat it is almost certainly going to be a problem. Cat owners should check the claws of their cat regularly if she is elderly and inactive. The problem is that cats do not complain about it and therefore unless you check you don’t know.
As for dogs, veterinarians imply that not enough dog owners ensure that their puppy has been socialized to all the things that they are likely to encounter in their life namely strange people, other dogs, cats, noises, just about anything which could upset a dog. If dogs are not socialized to these circumstances then they are likely to go nuts and freak out whenever they see something that they haven’t seen before during the period of socialization. Obviously it should be controlled socialization and the experiences should be positive and happy with rewards.
Also with regard to dogs, there are too many unhealthy breeds and therefore it is important that potential dog owners select healthy breeds. To a lesser extent the same can be said about cat breeds. There are one or two unhealthy cat breeds such as the flat-faced Persian. You can check this info out on this website.
Finally, veterinarians suggested to many cat and dog owners skip the annual checkup. They understand why i.e. the difficulty of getting your cat to the clinic and I might add the suspicion that you are going to be sold something that you don’t think your cat needs. One veterinarian makes an interesting point. He or she says that things change in our pet’s body faster than they do in ours. This is because their lifespan is shorter than ours. Therefore we should be more aware of potential changes occurring quite quickly. This therefore demands an annual checkup. Just one day out of 365 is not much to ask of a cat owner to help ensure that their cat remains healthy. I am guilty as charged. But loved and well cared for indoor cats in sole cat households shouldn’t need an annual check in my view.
Source: Reddit.com via MNN.com
I agree with you , Michael. My furbabies don’t go outside at all. When I first managed to get my 3 deaf ferals inside- 2 were kittens and 1 was 5 years old, I was more interested in convincing them I was harmless. The 5 year old was a TNR, so I didn’t have to worry about spraying. He walked into the house on his own after I accidentally on purpose left the back door open. All the other kitties were in other rooms with the doors closed. The two kittens were born under my house. There were 2 moms and they avoided any and all efforts at trapping. Thor and Thomasina found their way back to my house after being gone for weeks. They also came in. All were taken to the vet’s for a thorough checkup, xrays, blood tests and anything else I could think of. They also had their first shots. Joy came to me via a friend who was selling his house and couldn’t find a good home. She also is deaf. She is the only one who hasn’t seen my vet, but she came after being spayed, chipped and having all tests. Howie and Kutawnnie were abused and they came to me via the vet’s. I don’t feel that they need to get shots or undergo the trauma of being put in carriers and driven 30 miles to the cat vet unless they are ill. Also if I tried to put my fingers in any of their tiny mouths, I would be minus some fingers. I don’t use a toothbrush, I use a piece of gauze around my finger. I put a smidgen of broth on the gauze and have been able to do teeth that way. However NOT with this bunch. They all get the best cat food I can find, both dry and canned. They are fed separately twice a day, and their weight is excellent, their coats are gorgeous, and their nails are taken care of by the cats themselves. They have rugs and scratching posts and cat trees to do their manicures and pedicures. For some reason, they usually leave the furniture alone, thank you very much. There are times we all need to see the doctor, but I don’t think they need to go as often as the doctors say.
Super comment and a nice insight into excellent cat caretaking/guardianship. Thanks Susan.