Cats are notoriously underserved when it pertains to veterinary care. The  American association of Feline professionals shares the following statistics:

In the United States, there are 86 Million owned Cats and 78 Million owned Dogs.

Almost twice as lots of cats than dogs never visit the veterinarian.

Of the cats that do visit the veterinarian, they average 26% fewer visits than dogs.

41% of cat owners visit the veterinarian only for vaccinations.

39% of cat owners say they would only take their cat to the veterinarian if the cat was sick.

60% of cat owners report that their cat hates going to the veterinarian.

38% of cat owners report that they get stressed just thinking about bringing their cat to the practice.

These numbers are alarming, because  they support the misconception that cats don’t need the same level of care as dogs. In fact, quite the opposite may be true. The American association of Feline professionals recommends annual wellness exams for cats of all ages, with a lot more frequent exams for seniors, geriatrics and cats with known medical conditions. I recommend bi-annual exams for cats age 7 and older. Cats are masters at hiding discomfort, and annual or bi-annual exams are the best way to detect problems early. once a cat shows symptoms, treatment may be much a lot more extensive, not as effective, and will also cost more.

One barrier to regular vet visits for cat guardians is the fact that so lots of cats get so stressed when they have to go to the vet’s. going to a veterinary clinic where the doctors and staff understand cats can go a long way towards making the experience less stressful. If in any way possible, look for a feline-only practice.  You will find a lot more and a lot more of these practices in large, metropolitan areas, and even in some smaller, rural areas. If an all-feline practice is not an option where you live, look for a cat-friendly practice.

Earlier this year, the AAFP rolled out its cat-friendly practice initiative. The goals of the initiative are to:

Lay the groundwork for the delivery of care to the underserved feline population.

Identify trends and baseline species information essential for understanding cats.

Acknowledg the essential role of the cat owner in the veterinary visit.

Provide support to veterinarians and their teams to create a cat friendly practice environment.

Outline methods for introducing changes in the delivery of care that incorporate a better understanding of the cat’s distinct needs and behaviors.

Certification requires a practice to have at least one staff member who belongs to the American association of Feline Practitioners, though a practice does not need to specialize specifically in cats. practices need to abide by a 10-item checklist and send it to the AAFP for review.

You can search for a cat-friendly practice by country, state/provide, or city on the AAFP website.

Is your vet feline-friendly? If you like them, leave their name and location in a comment, and tell us a little bit about what makes them cat-friendly.

Photo: istockphoto

Ingrid King

You might also like:
AAFP rolls out cat friendly practice initiative

I’m a member of the cat friendly practice Advisory Council

Cat friendly practice Program improves Veterinary care for Cats, cat parents and Veterinary teams

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28 comments on finding a cat-friendly vet

Laura for Batman says:

September 7, 2018 at 2:06 pm

After having been a regular individual at Loving Hands animal Hospital, I am very angry my cat’s long-term medicine maker was changed because the regular maker was out of stock. The vet knows the cat needs the medicine so DEMANDED I bring the cat back in for another visit that I would of course have to pay for when I had already been in this year a couple months ago and a full exam and extra tests were done, including an x-ray. I get angry when I feel like I am being nickled and dimed to death and using my cat’s medical condition to hold my budget hostage and threaten to report me if I don’t bring the cat in. THEY are the ones who changed the maker to purchase an ineffective medicine which was working great through the original manufacturer, of which the doctor claimed that all medicines are the same no matter who manufactures it. Not true. ONE little molecular addition or subtraction during the manufacturing process would change the EFFECTIVENESS of that medicine. but I’m the one who doesn’t know what I am talking about, even though I VERIFIED it with known manufacturing EXPERTS, and I even worked in chemical manufacturing plants and took courses towards a medical degree, but yeah, I don’t know what I’m talking about when I say the composition is different from this maker than the new one they used. then when I proceed to make my point, ALL the doctors and staff TALKED OVER me, pissed me off, and stressed menullnull