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I’ve talked about this before but I thought that Blog the Change would be a good time to bring it up again. Though the number of cats kept as pets is greater than the number of dogs, far fewer cats receive regular routine veterinary than their canine counterparts. Cat owners need to recognize that their cats need regular care, just like dogs.
Regular veterinary care goes far beyond the routine vaccinations, though those are important also. Regular veterinary care includes a thorough examination of your cat by his veterinarian, who can often spot subtle signs of illness or disease in your cat of which you may be unaware. Routine blood, urine and fecal testing is often part of this examination as well.
Why should your cat visit the veterinarian? By having regular veterinary checks for your feline companion, problems can be found early on and can often be resolved before they become serious.
How often should your cat visit the veterinarian? That will depend on your individual cat and his current health status. At a minimum, healthy cats should visit the veterinarian at least once yearly. Many veterinarians currently recommend twice yearly visits, particularly for mature or senior cats. If your cat has a health issue, your veterinarian may recommend more frequent visits.
Do you have difficulty getting your cat to the veterinarian? This is often one of the major hurdles involved in seeking veterinary care for a cat. For some cat owners, a visit to the veterinarian can turn into a nightmare. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. See Cats and Carriers: No Need To Be Foes and Take Your Cat to the Veterinarian with Ease for tips and suggestions.
If you are not familiar with the Catalyst Council, I suggest you visit their website and check them out. They are an organization that is doing great things to help promote the cause of proper care for cats. Because, as their motto says, “It’s all about the cat.”
When was the last time your cat visited the veterinarian? Are you planning a visit soon? Do you have tips or suggestions for making the visit easier? Please feel free to share.
And don’t forget to check out some of the other blogs participating in Be the Change for Animals.
About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
A very important, and often overlooked, requirement for our cats’ well-being. As a foster of cats, in addition to having my own, I’ll be checking out those links you’ve provided! It truly can be a deterrent to vet visits – I’ve been guilty of calling and explaining I need to reschedule my appointment, the cat has conveniently disappeared/is clinging for dear life to the underside of furniture/graced me with bleeding scratches I must attend to. Seriously, though, thank you for your reminder of our need to have our veterinarian thoroughly examine our cats regularly. Here’s to their health, and wonderful vets like you who ensure it!
Thank you for blogging and being the change for animals,
Kim Thomas
BtC4Animals.com
CindyLu’s Muse
Thank you, Kim. It’s always a pleasure being part of Blog the Change for Animals.
Thanks for the reminder, Lori. We’re pretty diligent about our pets’ health, both dogs and cats, but I know people sometimes think, especially with indoor cats, “They don’t look sick and they haven’t been exposed to anything, so we can wait.” Not every issue is easily detected and catching things early can make all the difference.
Thanks for Blogging the Change for better health in cats!
Kim C.
BTC4animals.com
ThisOneWildLife.com
It’s easy to fall into that kind of thinking, Kim. And I think a lot of people do. Thanks for your support. It’s always a pleasure to participate in Blog the Change for Animals. There are so many important animal issues that need attention and the pet blogging community is, collectively, an amazingly talented and committed group of people.