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Should you take your cat to the vet?
Why Taking Your Cat to the Vet Is Important
Scheduling regular veterinary visits for your cat is essential when it comes to maintaining your cat’s health, and yet only 67.8 percent of owners are taking their cat to the vet on an annual basis, according to a recent survey of 12,776 cat owners1. And while it can be easy to simply push off scheduling a vet appointment for your cat, here are five reasons why your cat should visit your veterinarian on an annual—or even a biannual—basis, as outlined in the Merck Veterinary Manual:
1. Your Vet Can Give Nutritional Advice
Excess weight can lead to a variety of health issues in cats, like diabetes and arthritis, and the prevalence of obesity among cats is rising. In fact, a 2018-19 survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention found that nearly 60 percent of cats in America were classified as overweight or obese. Fortunately, your veterinarian can identify any weight problems and offer tailored guidance on how to address it based on your cat’s needs.
Even if your cat maintains a healthy weight, you can still use your cat’s vet visit as an opportunity to learn more about how you can exercise your cat and which pet food might be best for them.
2. Your Vet Can Provide Dental Care
Just like humans, cats can develop dental issues like plaque and gum disease without proper care. And while feeding your cat dry food can help keep their teeth and gums in good condition, it’s no replacement for the professional dental cleaning your veterinarian can provide.
3. Your Cat Stays Up to Date on Vaccinations
It’s a common misconception that indoor cats don’t need to be vaccinated, but any cat can develop serious illnesses and conditions, like panleukopenia and herpesvirus. Fortunately, routine vaccines can help prevent these serious infections and keep your cat healthy. The AAHA/AAFP Task Force recommends vaccines for eline herpes virus, calicivirus, panleukopenia virus, rabies and feline leukemia virus (cats younger than 1 year old) as core vaccines for pet and shelter cats.
Other booster shots are also available to provide ongoing protection for your cat, and your veterinarian can help you determine which vaccinations are necessary for your cat and when.
4. Your Vet Can Detect Parasites
Cats are susceptible to internal parasites, such as roundworms, hookworms, and heartworms, and even external ones like fleas and ticks. Since intestinal parasites can be a threat to your cat’s overall health, it’s important for your veterinarian to test fecal samples several times in kittens and annually in indoor cats.
Your Veterinarian can also recommend heartworm disease preventative for your cat.
When it comes to external parasites, prevention is critical. Monthly and extended duration flea and tick preventive treatments are available, and your veterinarian can guide you on which product is best for your cat.
5. Your Vet Can Spot Health Issues in Your Cat Early
The sooner an illness or disease is detected, the easier it is to treat. That’s why your veterinarian performs a head-to-tail physical exam of your cat at each vet visit and often performs bloodwork to help identify any potential underlying health issues.
Monitor Your Cat’s Behavior Year-Round with Sure Petcare
As a pet owner, it’s important to be on the constant lookout for any potential changes in your cat between vet visits, which can be difficult to do - but certainly not impossible, thanks to Sure Petcare.
Whether you’re looking to learn more about your cat’s feeding or drinking habits, Sure Petcare’s wide product suite has what you’re looking for:
For the owner who wants to track their cat’s eating behavior: The SureFeed® Microchip Pet Feeder Connect syncs with your cat’s unique microchip to monitor how much, how often, and when your pet eats. This is especially beneficial for overweight cats or for those with medical conditions that require close monitoring. Plus, its integrated scales with an LED guide enables you to accurately weigh their food, so you never have to worry about under- or overfeeding your cat.
For the owner who wants to track their cat’s drinking behavior: Similar to the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect, Felaqua® Connect also syncs with your cat’s microchip to track how much, how often, and when your cat drinks. Designed with veterinary behaviorists, it also presents the water like a puddle, making it easier for your cat to see and drink. Even better? Track all of the cats in your home from one device. Felaqua Connect can sync with up to 32 cat’s microchips.
For the owner who wants to track both: Who says you can’t have the best of both worlds? You can add up to 10 connected Sure Petcare products to your home via the Hub.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of the above products is that all the data on your cat’s feeding and drinking behaviors is gathered into the Sure Petcare App, which you can share with anyone by adding them to your household. This information also comes in handy at your pet’s veterinary appointments where you can show your vet the data on your phone.
This is especially important since a recent survey of 64 veterinarians found that 48 percent agreed it was difficult to get reliable information from cat owners to support accurate diagnoses.2
But with the Sure Petcare App, you and your veterinarian can rest assured the data is timely and accurate, helping each of you catch behavioral changes and provide the best possible care for your cat—which in the end, is what matters most.
1 Sure Petcare Cat Wellness Survey of 12,776 cat owners, June – July 2021
