- The inaugural Feline Summit brought together veterinary and animal health leaders to discuss the future of feline healthcare.
- Participants identified education, research, product development, communications, practice operations and clinical care as areas requiring greater industry collaboration.
- Attendees discussed barriers that continue to limit veterinary visits for cats and strategies to improve feline care and caregiver engagement.
- The Feline Veterinary Medical Association announced plans to launch a Cat Friendly Campaign later this year.
Veterinary and animal health professionals gathered July 19-21 for the inaugural Feline Summit, a meeting organized by the Feline Veterinary Medical Association (FelineVMA) to examine issues affecting feline healthcare and identify opportunities to improve care for cats.
Hosted by Butterfly Network and TriviumVet/PRN Pharmacal, the summit brought together representatives from veterinary medicine and the animal health industry for discussions focused on feline health, veterinary practice, education, research and industry collaboration.
According to the FelineVMA, participants agreed that improving feline healthcare will require collaboration across the profession, including veterinary education, research, product development, communications, practice operations and clinical care.
Industry Trends Influence Feline Care
During the meeting, attendees discussed several trends affecting feline healthcare, including increasing cat ownership, advances in treatments for chronic and life-threatening feline diseases, longer feline lifespans, veterinary workforce shortages, changing caregiver demographics and the expanding role of technology in veterinary medicine.
Participants also noted that, despite these developments, cats continue to receive veterinary care less frequently than dogs.
The FelineVMA also cited data from the CATalyst Council reporting that canine and puppy visits have declined while kitten visits have remained comparatively stronger. Participants said the findings highlight the importance of understanding changing pet demographics and identifying opportunities to better engage cat caregivers.
Addressing Barriers to Veterinary Care
Attendees discussed a range of factors that can prevent cats from receiving veterinary care, including transportation challenges, carrier-related stress, previous negative veterinary experiences, difficulties administering medications, scheduling concerns, communication gaps, financial considerations and veterinary environments that may increase feline stress.
Participants also discussed the importance of recognizing the behavioral, emotional and medical differences between cats and dogs and adapting veterinary systems, workflows and care models to better address feline-specific needs.
The meeting highlighted Cat Friendly principles and practices, which participants said have been associated with more frequent veterinary visits, reduced stress for cats and caregivers, more thorough examinations, increased diagnostic testing, earlier disease detection, improved experiences for veterinary teams and practice growth.
According to the discussions, many improvements can be achieved through changes in communication, patient handling, hospital environments, workflow and staff education.
Future Priorities Identified
Participants identified several priorities for continued collaboration, including expanding feline-focused education in veterinary and veterinary technician programs, increasing adoption of Cat Friendly principles within teaching hospitals, supporting continuing education for veterinary teams, promoting language that better reflects feline behavior and experiences, increasing public awareness of feline healthcare needs and strengthening collaboration among veterinary and animal health stakeholders.
The FelineVMA also announced plans to launch a Cat Friendly Campaign this fall. According to the association, the initiative will provide educational resources, practical tools and guidance to help veterinary teams and organizations implement Cat Friendly care strategies in a variety of practice settings.
Information sourced from the organization’s press release.
