International Cat Care and the International Society of Feline Medicine launch CatCareforLife #WorldVeterinaryDay

FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY: Today is World Veterinary Day, today, "the global veterinary community will come together to celebrate. Created by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Veterinary Association (WVA), World Veterinary Day is meant to raise public awareness about the important roles veterinarians undertake."

We love our Vet, ("Dr.Smiley") and are grateful for him and the entire staff at DePorre Veterinary Hospital. (Cody is particularly happy that they are designated as a "Cat Friendly Practice" and they are AAHA accredited. A MUST for us!)

"Don't tell "Dr.Smiley" that I am secretly LOVING THIS!!!"

Today, in honor of this special day, we are sharing a post from our friends at International Cat Care, which introduces their new program: CatCareforLife.

International Cat Care and its veterinary division, the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), were delighted to launch a new program at BSAVA Congress. Entitled CatCareforLife, it is a blueprint for how a clinic and owner can work together to keep cats healthy and encourage veterinary visits. The program is provided in partnership with IDEXX and Royal Canin, global leaders in veterinary diagnostics and cat nutrition.

Regular life-long preventive healthcare should be the goal for every veterinary patient. A combination of primary prevention (eg, vaccination), secondary prevention (early detection of disease) and tertiary prevention (reducing impact of disease) measures are important in a comprehensive healthcare program, although secondary and tertiary measures become more critical as the cat ages and as diseases become more prevalent. 

The program is aimed at both veterinary clinics and cat owners and will be promoted to both, encouraging owners to understand the life stages of their cat and its equivalent human age, and offers best practice guides for recommended health checks. The information is set out simply for owners and it is explained that it is based on independent published studies and data and developed by expert feline veterinarians and others working with International Cat Care/ISFM. It allows the practice to refer to reliable, trustworthy and independent information.

Clearly with a substantially lower number of veterinary visits than dogs, cats represent a considerable opportunity to a veterinary practice, as well as presenting a significant unmet health need. Experience with the Cat Friendly Clinic program has demonstrated that increased knowledge and understanding of cats pays real dividends in the clinic.  

International Cat Care and ISFM provide veterinary clinics with a freely available practical guide to the CatCareforLife program, including posters, charts, clinical sheets, owner resources and checklists and veterinary protocols, all on the dedicated website www.catcare4life.org.

International Cat Care, in partnership with Ceva, has developed a set of handling videos for both vets and nurses, and for owners. The videos, (there are 29 in all and a couple are seen above and below in this blog post).  detail best practice handling techniques and approaches, and are designed to reduce stress for cats and improve safety in vet clinics, and also to help build a bond between owners and cats at home. 

For owners, there are 13 videos covering two different areas, interacting with cats and handling cats. Particular attention is paid to getting cats used to going in the cat carrier and travelling – cats can be helped to understand that entering and spending time in their cat carrier is a positive experience. A number of the videos cover helping owners to get their cats accustomed to having ears, eyes, mouth, paws/claws and coat checked to improve handing at home, but also in the veterinary clinic. Of course, these are not just for owners, as the information is useful for the veterinary team to know in order to help owners prepare for veterinary visits as well as care at home. 

  For the veterinary team, there are 16 videos covering many aspects of handling cats in the clinic, from assessing the cat while in the carrier to handling for blood sampling, intravenous catheter placement and administering oral, aural and ocular products. Tips on towel wrapping to assist handling in a comfortable way for the cat are also covered.

How will you be celebrating World Veterinary Day?