Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Take Your Cat to the Vet Day #Cat2VetDay



When I decided to blog about Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, I wanted to do a little research to find out when it started and who started it, but I have found very little information. In the end, it really doesn't matter who started it, but it is the message that is important.


I am not the person you would traditionally think of as advocating for regular vet visits because of my "raw feeding, minimal vaccination" stance. People who feed a raw diet and shun annual vaccinations usually have had run-ins with a vet who has turned them off completely and you hear them complain that they are all in it for the money and that they don't know what they are talking about.


And even though I have some incredibly bad vet experiences over the years, I still believe in regular visits... Annually for young healthy cats, semi-annual for senior healthy cats, and as needed whenever health or behavioral issues arise. There are things I cannot detect physically I can't tell a kidney that is cystic vs one that is shrunken vs one that is enlarged, in fact, I have no idea where the kidney is. Sometimes I can feel "ropey" intestines on kittens that have had some serious irritation, but I can't tell you if they are full of stool or full of gas.


Going to the vet for regular visits and running standard tests will help you catch disease before it advances to the point that it is too expensive or too late to treat.  Sadly, too few people think cats need regular care. They think if they aren't showing obvious symptoms of pain or discomfort that they aren't ill, forgetting that cats are prey animals and any sign of weakness could mean that they will be at the mercy of the predator.

Many people cite the difficulty of catching the cat and getting it in the carrier or the high stress on the cat to be taken out of the house and transported to the vet.


I can't imagine anyone is a fan of listening to their cats howl in the car or put up with vomiting/diarrhea/drooling if the cat is one to become car sick, but it is absolutely worth it to catch illnesses while they are treatable.

So few cats go to the vet on a regular basis, and I believe as a result of that there is less demand for research on illnesses and study of medications because vets believe that people just won't follow through on treatment and care. Often people give up on treatments because they can be very difficult and they don't follow-up with the vet to see if there are other options. This causes vets start thinking people do not care and not that if there were better options they would have higher compliance - this is why many vets are so reliant on Convenia and don't even bother to ask their clients if they would like it or a different medication. I believe that if more people took their cats to the vet more often vets would be more willing to help owners learn the skills needed to treat their cats, like how to pill them, or how to home test a diabetic cat.  I do believe it is a failure on cat owners to demand better healthcare and I think that stems from old beliefs that cats are 'throw away' animals, that you don't treat them when they get sick, that they don't live long and they just 'go off to die' when they get sick. Taking your cat in for regular exams tells your vet that you are a dedicated cat owner and you are worth investing their time in you because you will be back.


If you would like to do something to benefit companion animals today, share a photo of your kitty or tips to a successful, stress-free vet visit, using the hashtag #Cat2VetDay. For every share, a $5 donation will be made to Frankie's Friends.

10 comments:

  1. My human is really good about scooping up Binga and Boodie with minimal drama for their vet visits. (There's no drama at all from me.) I wish it was as easy for everybody, so that there would be fewer barriers to vet visits.

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  2. Yes, cat vet visits are stressful, but I don't think doggies like it any better... Still, cat2vetday is a good idea!

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  3. all good points....although in reviewing pet applications for the rescue, mom says that she is noticing people being better about getting their cats in regularly (though obviously that is a small portion of the population)

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  4. We agree it's very important- and you have no idea how many times we've been forced to the vet in recent years!- but wow is it expensive. Mom says especially coming back to Tallahassee, the prices are horrible.

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  5. We too believe it's important for cats to have regular care. While it's stressful for them (and you) at times, they can't tell you if something is wrong. I have caught many things early, making treatment less complicated.

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  6. We take our boys ti the vet every 6 months. Each has some concerns that we keep monitoring. It's really worth it to catch illnesses early, while they are treatable.

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  7. Look at that froth! That's one unhappy kitty, but they forget after a while. If The Hubby wasn't able to pill Chucky successfully twice a day, that cat wouldn't still be with us! I am grateful for his abilities, plus a vet that is gentle with Chuck (and with me!). Great post!

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  8. Even though we don't like going to the vet, we know it's so important to make sure any health issues are caught early.

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  9. I guess I'm lucky in that veterinary prices don't seem unreasonable to me, at least not for the services we get. I've always taken all my cats for annual check-ups. It never dawned on me that you didn't do that!

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    1. back in the day when I didn't know better, I only took them when there seemed to be an issue. In my defense, we were pretty broke back then. These days vets lament that so few people take their cats into the vet, that I think this is a really important topic.

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