Declining visits: Cat care in crisis

My next appointment on a recent Tuesday afternoon was a cat we hadn’t seen since 2006.  I opened the patient record on my computer before going into the exam room, curious as to what crisis had finally compelled Furball’s owner to bring him to our animal hospital.  Sure enough, poor Furball hadn’t eaten in four days, a dangerous situation for a cat.  But why would a cat owner skip eight years of wellness visits? 

Recent studies have found a decline in the frequency of veterinary visits by cats.  The great recession of 2007 affected most of us, so it’s not surprising that the most significant reason veterinarians don’t see as many cats is cost.   But to me, that doesn’t entirely explain the situation.  After all, the same clients who skip cat visits to our practice bring in their dogs, and they continue to acquire new pets.  What other reasons can there be that keep our favorite felines from getting the care they need?

Many cat owners believe that because their cats don’t go outdoors, they don’t need a checkup.  But dental problems, chronic gastrointestinal disorders, and aging changes such as arthritis will occur whether your cat goes outdoors or stays in.  Indoor cats can even get parasites, such as heartworm disease.  Mosquitoes can sneak inside and transmit that disease.  Even fleas can find their way into a house or apartment building. 

I’ve had clients assure me that their cat never acts sick, or is “just slowing down because he’s old,” so he doesn’t need a checkup. They tell me about their last cat, who never went to the vet and lived to be 20.  I feel sorry for those cats, who are members of a species that is programmed to hide pain. Conditions such as bad teeth and arthritis can cause a great deal of suffering that owners might never detect. Yes, the cat lived to be 20, but did he have the best quality of life possible? A yearly exam allows us to find problems early and alleviate pain, making your cat more comfortable and active.  There’s no need for our furry friends to suffer in silence!

Does this sound familiar?  “My cat hates going to the vet, and I don’t want to stress her.”  With the right carrier, proper handling, and a few tricks, we can make a visit to our hospital much more pleasant for your kitty.  Just call us, and one of our doctors can consult with you and come up with a good plan.  And watch for a future blog on this important topic!

Would cat owners take their pet to the veterinarian more often if they knew it could prevent problems and expensive treatment later?   According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, only 56% say yes.   But it’s true that you can often avoid an expensive health crisis through early diagnosis of a problem.   And regular checkups are also important to help your cat attain a healthy weight and alert you to troubling behaviors.  

Furball is a good example of that.  Upon taking a history from his owner, I learned that he had been vomiting two or three times a week for several years.  His owners never considered it a pathological problem, just a normal thing that cats do.  The severely dehydrated kitty lying on my exam table had grossly thickened intestines, a red flag for lymphoma in a cat with his history. (See my previous blog “‘Just’ a hairball? Maybe not.”).   Saving his life would require loads of supportive care, imaging studies and blood work.   Had he come in years earlier, it’s quite possible we could have put him on medication that would have prevented his condition from becoming critical.

Too often we find clients crying in our exam room over a similar crisis that could have been prevented.  Don’t be that sad cat owner; keep your own Furball as healthy and happy as possible with regular veterinary care.