When It Comes To Cats, Why Is Vet A Four Letter Word?

I am really curious why when cats are the most popular family pet in the U.S., that they are half as likely to see a vet than a dog. It is estimated that there are as many as 96 million pet cats living in U.S. households and of those 63% live indoors. Half of those cats don’t get regular or annuals vet visits, but dogs overwhelmingly do. So why if cats are so popular and so loved are they second class citizens when it comes to a trip to the vet?

There a a few reason why it seems this happens and I would like to tackle three and maybe open a few minds in the process

1. Cats are low maintenance.

While in some ways this may be true, they need regular preventative care just like dogs do. Cats are easier in that they don’t require walking, training and some people free feed, but this doesn’t mean that they don’t need to see the vet to keep them in good health. Cats are notorious for being silent sufferers and can be very sick before showing symptoms. Keep an eye on things like changes in eating habits, lethargy, excessive urination and poor grooming as these are just some of the signs of illness

2. Vet visits are so expensive.

Trust me when I say that a wellness check is much less expensive that the emergency visit you might just prevent. Shop around. I guarantee you can find a good vet near you that is not as expensive as you think. Also many local shelter provide low cost spay/ neuter and vaccine clinics. In extreme cases of expense there are organizations like Roses Fund (rosesfund.org) that can help if you need financial assistance.

3. I can’t get my cat in the carrier/ they freak out at the vets office.

These two seem to go together and are very common. As far as the carrier goes most people put it away until the day of the visit and drag it out last minute. Why wouldn’t your cat want to go in this as they haven’t seen it in years and the last time in there was a blast!?! If you can just leave there carrier out and have it be a place where they sleep that would be awesome. If that doesn’t happen it will at least seem much more familiar and much less scary. You can offer treats in there or some occasional yummy food to help the process along. Placing a soft towel in there will help as well. If you don’t want the carrier to always be out or don’t have the room, take it out a week in advance and try the same tips to take away the fear. Also spraying the inside of the carrier with a calming spray before you put kitty in there can really help. You can also do a little research on cat friendly vets and vet practices as this can really make a huge difference. I love a vet’s office that is set up with separated cat and dog sections. This definitely help lower the stress levels. One last piece of advice is to communicate with your vet. If your cats doesn’t respond well to scruffing, speak up! Don’t be afraid to tell them what your cat responds to as you know them best. Oh, and check your anxieties at the door. Your cat senses your uneasiness so take a deep breath and your kitty will relax a bit too.

So I hope that this starts a good discussion and maybe even inspires a few vet visits. Remember vet is not a four letter word and hopefully with prevention the bill won’t inspire the use of one!

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.”
― Charles Dickens

Contact Info:
The Contented Cat
1 Forrest Avenue
Rumson, NJ
07760
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