There is a saying in veterinary medicine: Cats are NOT small dogs!  This is true when it comes to all things cats, from medicine to behavior.

 

Cats outnumber dogs as pets in the United States, however if you ask veterinarians, most will say they see far more dogs than cats as patients in their practice.  There are several reasons for this, however there are two reasons we hear more often than most.

            1) The misconception that cats don’t need veterinary care like dogs.

            2) Many cats don’t like going to the vet, and their owners dislike upsetting their feline friends.

 

Suburban Animal Clinic seeks to educate cat owners on the importance of preventative care as well as making the veterinary visit as pleasant as possible.  This is why we recently elected to apply for certification as a Cat Friendly Practice.  Suburban was awarded Silver Status in October.  The Cat Friendly Practice is a program through the American Association of Feline Practitioners (www.catvets.org) designed to educate veterinary staff and cat owners on giving their cats the best of care.

 

To apply for the Cat Friendly Practice program, veterinary clinics must meet standards set forth by the American Association of Feline Practitioners.  These include, but aren’t limited to, feline preventative care, feline disease, anesthesia, x-rays, emergency and critical care, diagnostics, and feline handling.  Clinics must also adopt the Feline Friendly Handling Guidelines set forth by the AAFP.

 

The staff of Suburban is trained to handle our feline patients with care and respect.  As most of our staff members are “owned” by at least one cat, we understand the challenges in caring for cats, from behavior to veterinary care, including the adventure of visiting the veterinarian. (We recommend acclimating your cat to the carrier-see our recent blog on Cats & Carriers http://suburbananimalclinic.vetstreet.com/cats-carriers) We believe in “less is more” in terms of restraint in the veterinary clinic, and use Feliway (www.feliway.com/us) in exam rooms, carriers, and cages to help calm our feline patients.

 

We are firm believers in regular preventative care for a lifetime of health, and this does include routine vaccines for all cats, even indoor only cats.  We will evaluate your cat’s lifestyle and give only the vaccines that are needed to protect your cat.  Our cat owners will notice changes in our feline vaccine protocol at future visits.  Suburban Animal Clinic’s Feline Vaccine Protocol is determined based on patient health and exposure, as well as recommendations set forth from the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Feline Practitioners.

 

Please continue to check back as we celebrate Feline Health Month with blogs on cat care and behavior.  We will post on topics such as declawing, litterbox concerns, feline disease, introducing new housemates to your cat, and bringing kitty home.

 

Also check out the feline friendly websites above, and those posted below:

Cornell Feline Health Center-CUCVM www.partnersah.vet.cornell.edu

          (contains videos on Nail Trims, Brushing Teeth, & Giving Medications)

OSU CVM Indoor Pet Initiative http://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats

American Animal Hospital Association www.healthypet.com

Catalyst Council www.catalystcouncil.org

American Humane Association www.americanhumane.org