A variety of so‐called personalities are frequently described, including the widely used “scaredy‐cat” descriptor. Pet‐specific care is a practice philosophy involving transformation from the current reactive model to a proactive version of care. This must start with understanding normal behavior for cats as a species and recognizing individual expressions of behavior. This is the foundation for being both feline friendly and pet specific.
1.5.2 Terms Defined
Body Language (Feline): Communicating nonverbally through movements or position. When properly reading a cat's body language, veterinary team members and cat parents can recognize how cats feel. Body posture and facial expression, including ear set and whisker positions, provide significant information on a cat's level of arousal, distress, and pain. This is a key feature of being feline friendly because an astute observer of cats' body language can alter their interaction with the cat accordingly in advance of any necessary physical contact.
Environment Enrichment (Feline): Availability of resources for a cat to exhibit normal behavior where it lives, including physical, nutritional, elimination, social, and behavioral resources. Examples include providing adequate space and locations for eating and drinking, resting and sleeping, playing and perching, hiding and personal space, and elimination. Thoughtful, open‐ended client queries can explore the number and location of food and water stations, toys, perches and resting areas, and litter box number, location, and substrate(s).
Ethos: The distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution. An ethical appeal using credibility and character.
Handling (Feline): The term and mindset which should replace the concept and the word “restraint” in all veterinary practices. Scruffing has been shown to be detrimental in handling cats due to the stress and distress it can cause.
Heightened Arousal (Feline): Arousal is a state of heightened activity in mind and body that makes individuals more alert. It manifests along a spectrum from low to high. An individual can be slightly aroused or extremely highly aroused. Arousal is the result of stimulation related to a change in places, people, and patterns with which a cat is familiar and is an outcome of stress, anxiety, fear, or a combination of all three. Fear aggression is a common sequela in cats, and it is important to avoid labeling it as mean and understand the cat is scared, which allows us to act with empathy.
Medicalization: The process by which conditions and problems come to be defined and treated as medical conditions, and thus become the subject of medical study, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment. Medicalization can be driven by new evidence or hypotheses about conditions; by changing social attitudes or economic considerations; or by the development of new medications or treatments. Medicalization is also a term used to describe the percentage of animals receiving veterinary care over a 12‐month period.
1.5.3 The Data is for the Dogs
Companion cats outnumber dogs in the US, Canada, and many other nations, yet comprise only 25–40% of patients in typical companion animal veterinary practices. This trend was first recognized after the release of the 2007 AVMA US Pet Owner and Demographics Sourcebook [1] which showed a decline in the number of veterinary visits and expenditures for pet cats. Furthermore, compared to dogs, cats were twice as likely not to visit a veterinarian at all. At that time, it was also noted that households considering their cats as family members had a higher average number of veterinary visits (2.0) compared to households that viewed their cats as pets/companions (1.4) or as property (0.7). This insight is one of the reasons that supporting the human–animal bond is critical for cats (see 2.14 Benefits of the Human–Animal Bond). Unfortunately, the declining trends have continued and the 2017–2018 edition of the AVMA Pet Owner and Demographics Sourcebook [2] reported that 45.7% – nearly half of all cats – did not visit a veterinarian in the year the study was conducted. Of those, 41% cited the reason as their “cats did not get sick or injured.” Only 16% cited “did not have the money…” to pay for a veterinary visit as the reason their cats didn't receive veterinary care.
While this and other data seem daunting, it creates a tremendous opportunity for the veterinary profession. To make this happen, hospital teams need to commit to creating, implementing, and sustaining a knowledgeable, feline‐friendly mindset and environment. This will allow cat owners to feel comfortable and committed to getting their cats veterinary care, irrespective of their age or perceived health status.
Fortunately, as the realization of this opportunity occurred, several organizations began or increased their efforts to improve cat health. The CATalyst Summit brought together more than 50 people and organizations representing all stakeholders in cat care, including animal welfare organizations. Subsequent to the summit, the CATalyst Council was created, representing a unique coalition of cat health and welfare organizations, companies, foundations, and the media. The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) developed Feline Life Stage Guidelines [3]. The AAFP and International Cat Care (ICC, known as Feline Advisory Bureau at the time) both began their efforts for their Cat‐Friendly Practice and Cat Friendly Clinic initiatives. These organizations have robust online resources that practices should visit and take the needed steps to acquire the related designations and certifications. The tools provided by the AAFP and ICC as well as those from the Canadian initiative Cat Healthy and the Ohio State University's Indoor Pet Initiative for Cats [4] offer resources for veterinary teams, animal shelters, and pet owners.
As a profession, we must understand consumers' desires, for without them, companion cats will not benefit from evidence‐based, feline‐friendly, health and welfare knowledge that we have, must implement and share. Consumers become clients when the 45.7% of cat owners not currently obtaining veterinary care do so.
1.5.4 Cat Concepts in the Veterinary Clinic
Cats are unique pets because they are both predators and prey, hunters and hunted. When pet parents and healthcare providers understand that concept, everything else becomes obvious. Cats prefer familiar places, people, and patterns, and when faced with anything unfamiliar, they become fearful and may exhibit heightened arousal. To avoid (potential) conflict, their instinct is to flee (flight) and when they have no means of escape, as in a closed exam room, this heightened arousal may manifest as fear aggression. Unfortunately, this normal behavior has caused many cats to be labeled as “AGGRESSIVE” – which is frequently captured on the medical record in upper case letters and even numbers of exclamation points. Approaching cats with quiet observation, nonthreatening postures, and expressions (get low, turn and look sideways) and slow movements is less likely to cause additional arousal. Largely due to the lack of habituation to travel and carriers, most cats are far less accepting of transport and travel than dogs. As such, they are frequently aroused before they come in our doors. What would it look like if we could have a warm, quiet and calm exam room ready for a cat so they could bypass the reception area that has the sounds, sights, and scents of their most common and feared predators – unfamiliar dogs and people?
Preventive care for all ages includes health and lifestyle‐appropriate vaccines, nutrition, parasiticides, and especially regularly scheduled wellness visits, annually at a minimum and semi annual or quarterly examinations are in the “well” cat's best interest, including juveniles and young adults with weight gain or red gums. Addressing changes early in the process to prevent future problems like obesity, diabetes mellitus, and oral disease is paramount to
