You love your family pet and we all want to take the best care of our cats, but is that yearly check up really necessary? If our feline friend isn’t having any problems, isn’t it just a needless fight into the cat carrier and unnecessary stress on us and our pet?
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You may already know the answer, but the reasons those yearly vet visits are vital might educate you. Thanks to Sarah Wooten, DVM’s published work, “5 Things I Didn’t Learn in Vet School,” we can understand why the fight for that yearly checkup is necessary.
Preventative Care is Vital
There is an old saying. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Ms. Wooten explained, “What I found after I started practicing is that a large percentage of a small-animal veterinarian’s job is preventive care. When you work with these pets year after year, your focus changes from treating a one-time disease to helping prevent health problems from occurring in the first place. I quickly realized that the way to create a lifetime of wellness is through regular exams and preventive care.“
Internet Diagnosing
We are all guilty of self-diagnosing. Thanks to the internet, so much information is out there that will allow you to get an idea of what might be causing problems. However, self-diagnosing can be a huge problem in itself. “Many times, pet owners have researched their pets’ signs on the internet before they come in and are able to ask informed questions,” the DVM began. “At the same time, astute pet owners realize that much of what is available on the internet can be questionable, and they rely on me to steer them true in an ocean of information. I had NO IDEA when I graduated that my clients would rely on me to separate the good from the bad internet information, so they could make more informed decisions about their pets.“
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Human Health
Another surprising factor is you and your human family’s health. As Sarah reveals, “A decent portion of my job as a veterinarian is keeping families safe from diseases that their pets may unknowingly harbor. From ringworm to intestinal parasites and other disease-causing agents, I keep my eyes, ears and other senses tuned for diseases that might affect humans when I see your pet in the clinic. You might not even know it, but your veterinarian is doing the same thing.“
Do you have a story or tip for taking your cat to the vet? Please share your thoughts or stories in the comment section below.
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We dont have a cat but my dad does so this will for sure be interesting and helpful to him!
I don’t have any pets, but I will share this with friends and family that have cats. I can see how it is important for them to have a yearly check up.
Catherine Sargent
My two cats and three dogs are part of the family. I take all five for yearly checkups to ensure that all five live as long and healthily as possible.
We have three cats to handle and this is helpful. Preventative care can keep us out of trouble!
-Liz Mays
I don’t have fur babies but I’ve friends who does. So I’m going to pass this along.
Great reminders of how important it is to care for our pets. I wouldn’t have considered the additional benefit to keeping the non-furry members of my family healthy with annual trips to the vet.
I have to take my cat to the vet in the new year as well to get him ready for the upcoming year. vet visits are so important
We have a lot of pets and try to keep on top of their appointments. You never know what can happen in a few short months