For cat health choose a veterinarian sensibly

How many cat owners choose their veterinarian sensibly or even carefully? 😕

Personally, I go to the nearest veterinarian I can find and book an appointment; not good. The reason is because the independent veterinarians where I live have been bought up by conglomerates and therefore all their branches are exactly the same: rather poor or at best average.

However, if I was living in America I would do my best to seek out a veterinarian who did not declaw cats. That would be my criteria for selecting a veterinarian for my cat companion. The trouble with that criteria is that it may be impossible to find a veterinarian who does not declaw cats within a hundred mile radius. If that were true I would have to see a veterinarian who declawed cats which, personally, I would find deeply upsetting. It would indicate a culture and mentality towards cats which is morally bankrupt in my personal view.

Choose a veterinarian for your cat sensibly. Image: Pixabay.

But if you don't live in America you can still choose a cat sensibly. Obviously proximity is a major factor and perhaps the single factor for most cat owners but it shouldn't be.

It is nice if you have a similar attitude to your veterinarian on ethical issues. I'm back to declawing because it is highly unethical to de-claw. However, there are other ethical issues such as the frequency of inoculations and deworming. I'm referring to perhaps the old days when veterinarians encouraged clients to come into their clinic by recommending booster shots and then selling them other procedures and products.

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If a veterinarian has a tendency to do that they should be avoided if possible. The attitude towards cat vaccinations have changed over the years. They are given less often partly, or perhaps majorly, because vaccinations are not entirely safe. They can cause cancer at the site of the injection example.

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You might think that you should select the veterinarian who's the cheapest. This is not necessarily the best criteria because a veterinarian may charge more because they have better equipment to diagnose illness. 

When a veterinarian invests in her business with better diagnostic equipment her overheads are higher forcing her to increase charges to cover the cost. But you'll get a better service. In fact, the service may prove cheaper in the long run because of better diagnostics and therefore reduced or more precise treatments.

Dr. Bruce Fogle recommends that when choosing a veterinarian you should ask to have a look around the clinic to meet the staff. 😦 Tricky you think? Yes, it might be but it would set the scene for a better relationship: a partnership with the mutual goal of improved cat health.

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You should ask questions of the staff and asked them how long they've been at the clinic! That might be difficult to do in the presence of a veterinarian but it would be very effective. If staff stay at a veterinarian's clinic for decades you can be assured that the ethical standards, management and medical standards are high.