Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Get your cat checked up with MyCat2Vet Campaign by Royal Canin

"Your cat is a little on the chubby side for his size."

When the vet told me this, I stared at my silly furkid boy, Milo and patted the underside of his belly and his sides. Now that he mentioned it, Milo was a little on a meaty side and I hadn't realised it.

There are a lot of things we don't realise about our pets, cats in particular and one of those things are their health. A survey commissioned by Royal Canin revealed that an estimated 2 in 5 cat owners in Malaysia won’t be taking their cats to a veterinarian this year. One significant finding was that 40% of cat owners surveyed have never taken their cats to the veterinarian.



Why? Because they tend to think of cats as independent, self-sufficient and healthy and therefore there is no need to bring their cat to the veterinarian for check-ups.

*cue horrified face*

Royal Canin Malaysia’s Corporate Affairs & Scientific Communication Manager, Dr Calvin Cheah, who is also a veterinarian, said: “The three main reasons cited by owners, for not doing so are:
i) They are worried about the cost, 
ii) They think their cat can take care of itself and,
iii) They think their cat does not have health issues.

To be fair to owners, cats are masters of deception. Cats, have in their nature, the ability to tolerate and mask signs of pain. Thus many owners cannot recognise that their cat is sick! By the time they recognise their cat is suffering, often times the disease would have progressed to severe stage and/or is too late to treat.

When it comes to cost, I always believed that prevention is better than cure and that the cost of treatment is much more expensive and stressful on you and your cat if their health is left unattended and unmonitored.

The vet I went to advised me to keep an eye out for Milo's weight and possible kidney infection as he was reaching that age. He also asked me all sorts of questions about Milo's habits, diet, pooping and behaviours. 

Regular veterinary visits ensure that cats are up-to-date on all vaccinations and parasite prevention. Annual visits are essential to maintaining health and wellbeing, but cat owners should be conscious of other factors that display the need for more frequent visits. Changes in appetite, water consumption, house-soiling, breathing and behaviour patterns are all signs that your cat may need a check-up before its yearly visit.

To help raise greater awareness on the need for cats to get regular check-ups, Royal Canin Malaysia has launched the MyCat2Vet campaign. The campaign sees the brand investing resources and collaborating with the veterinary network to mobilise the campaign in order to encourage proactive prevention and to help create a better quality of life for cats and their hoomans.

HOW IT WORKS 
Royal Canin Malaysia has enlisted the support of 200 veterinary clinics all over the country where pet owners can take their cats for check-ups. Under this collaboration Royal Canin Malaysia will pick up the tab for the cat’s check-up. 

Dr Cheah shared that routine check-ups are important for a multitude of reasons:
1) The older a cat gets, the more likely the owner is to take it to the veterinarian, but only when it is sick. By then, it could be too late.
2) Routine wellness exams are vital for giving cats the long, happy and healthy lives they deserve.
3) Cats age much more rapidly than humans.
4) Vet visits are an opportunity to let your veterinarian know about any behaviour changes.
Preventive care is better than reactive care. 

Royal Canin Malaysia's goal is to have 10,000 cats have their first vet visit as a result of this campaign. Interested cat owners can log on to www.mycat2vet.my to register and for the panel clinics that are available. Owners can register their cats and schedule their visits to the participating veterinarians from today onwards.   

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