Articles: American Association of Feline Practitioners

We’re looking at cats today with an entirely different lens than say 25 years ago, and this is true for veterinarians too! Veterinarians have responded by creating Cat Friendly Practices. The idea is to offer an approach which is more cat friendly, from the cats’ perspectives.  The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) Cat Friendly…

Roxy is our 15-year-old cat who, about 90 percent of the time, scratches on one of our four vertical posts and two horizontal posts, and has done so her entire life. So, we really don’t have a problem. But, I still wanted to test a new product with Roxy called Feliscratch. Feliscratch is supposed to…

The tide is certainly shifting regarding declaw of cats. After a lengthy political struggle (of which the primary opponent was local organized veterinary medicine), Denver just became the first city outside California to ban declaw in cats. In California, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Hollywood, and others ban the procedure, which is also banned…

Cats and people with them don’t need to feel stress or even terror in the veterinary setting, says Dr. Elizabeth Colleran on Steve Dale’s Pet World, national radio show. HEAR Dr. Colleran talk about why – if you happen to be owned by a cat – a certified Cat Friendly Practice is beneficial. We talk…

Have you ever felt so terrified that you were going to die? I mean like hanging outside a window 30 stories high or held up at gun point. I suggest this is how a surprising number of our beloved pets feel when visiting the veterinarian. If your pet is perceived as uncomfortable, you will be too,…

Look for the label (or logo) Cat Friendly Practice at your veterinary clinic, but what I talk a lot to Dr. Elizabeth Colleran about on my national Steve Dale’s Pet World show is diabetes in cats. LISTEN HERE as Dr. Colleran explains why there are SO many diabetic cats out there – lots more than we…

It’s a pressing question with no good answer – until now. Dr. Lauren Demos, incoming president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners notes everyone agrees cats should be spay/neutered, but there’s no one good answer regarding when to do it. And that’s why a Task Force of experts got together to figure this out,…

Take Your Cat to the Vet Day, listen HERE as I chat pets with Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder at WGN radio.  We discuss Peanut, Bill’s long lived gibbon.  And how with his AARP card, an older ape gets bananas at half price. More important, when we were on air – it was Take Your…

Bring Your Cat to the Vet Day is August 22. Most kittens often do see a veterinarian, but after that most cats do not and frankly —- be ready —- I think that is animal abuse. Enough playing around, cats are not getting proper care without veterinary care. End of story. And that’s a shame…

The good news is that if your cat is diagnosed with feline hyperthyroidism, your cat has likely lived long, as this is mostly a disease found in older cats – most often cats  in their teens, and nearly always in cats over 10-years old. Feline hyperthyroidism is caused by an overactive thyroid gland that secretes…