International Cat Care and its veterinary division, the ISFM
(International Society of Feline Medicine), launched a new
programme at BSAVA Congress. Entitled CatCareforLife, it
is a blueprint for how a clinic and owner can work together
to keep cats healthy and encourage veterinary visits.
The programme is provided in partnership with IDEXX and
Royal Canin.
Regular life-long preventive healthcare should be the
goal for every veterinary patient. A combination of primary
prevention (eg vaccination), secondary prevention (early
detection of disease) and tertiary prevention (reducing
impact of disease) measures are important in a compre-
hensive healthcare programme, although secondary and
tertiary measures become more critical as the cat ages and
as diseases become more prevalent.
The programme is aimed at both veterinary clinics and
cat owners. It will encourage owners to understand the
life stages of their cat and offer best practice guides for
recommended health checks. The information is based on
independent published studies and data and developed
by expert feline veterinarians and others working with
International Cat Care/ISFM.
A freely available practical guide including posters,
charts, clinical sheets, owner resources and checklists
can be found at: catcare4life.org