July - Friendship Animal Hospital

July - Have We Seen Your Cat Lately?

Feline pets do not always display signs of illness to you, which is why routine veterinary care is an essential component to your cat’s health and well-being. This month we are highlighting the health and wellness of your feline family member!

You may be surprised to learn that despite the feline pet population increasing, cats see a veterinarian only about half as frequently as dogs do. Feline pets do not always display signs of illness to you, which is why routine veterinary care is an essential component to your cat’s health and well-being. While you have many reasons why you may not think to bring your cats in, here are the most common:

1) Misinterpretation of the signs/symptoms of feline illness.
Cats are illusionists and they tend to disguise their symptoms of illness or they are so subtle that we often overlook them. Early detection of illness is imperative, especially since your cat may be hiding a serious health condition.

2) False belief that feline health risks are decreased for indoor only pet.
Restricting your cat to indoor living does not protect him/her from intestinal parasites, fleas, ear mites, heartworm disease, or ticks. Cat owners also tend to think that indoor-only cats do not need vaccinations. All of our vaccine protocols are individualized and lifestyle based, however, rabies vaccines should be given to every cat. Rabies is 100% fatal and many rabies cases involve indoor cats and bats in the home.

3) The visit out of the house is too stressful to your cat.
We pride ourselves in low-stress handling and making the veterinary visit as pleasant as can be for your pet. We highly recommend working at home to make your cat love their carrier. Being shoved in or dumped out of the carrier is not enjoyable to your cat. Leave the carrier out, hide treats/toys in there, and take your cat on short car trips at times. There are many things you can do at home to make your cat more comfortable with travel, please ask if you need more suggestions. Reducing the stress of transport, as well as low-stress handling can make your cat’s visits to the clinic much more tolerable. We recommend starting day 1 with your new kitten/cat.

If we haven't seen your cat this year, schedule your appointment today!