THE significance of FIC is now
widely recognised. And whilst
our knowledge of this important
condition is rapidly expanding,
it still often presents a serious
challenge when we are called upon
to deal with it in practice; not least
because of the stressful nature of
the modern world.
Added
complications
include the
many factors
that contribute
to the
development
of the problem, the difficulties
associated with diagnosis and treatment
and the time required to gather all the
necessary, relevant information.
The role of behavioural therapy
and hence the desirability of involving
appropriately qualified feline behaviour
counsellors, in-house or by referral,
is also now generally accepted;
unfortunately, though, not every owner
will be in a position to take such a
route, even if they are willing to do so.
This can be problematic, as failure
to identify, understand and address
a range of associated environmental
and management issues can not only prolong a patient’s suffering,
sometimes for years, but often also
undermines the success of treatment.
“Recruiting” clients
pays dividends
More positively, however, owners
are commonly a fantastic “resource” as well as being an essential part of
any management programme aimed
at resolving an FIC are up in the
short term, and very importantly in
preventing future episodes.
By immediately implementing a
number of measures within the home,
committed clients can help speed
recovery and improve not only the
quality of life of affected cats but in a
multi-cat household also beneficially
affect the welfare of other feline
residents.
Most of these strategies have the
added bene t of requiring little, if
any, financial outlay, so lack of funds should never be
a limiting factor.
As chronic
arousal, generally
combined with
the effects of
short-term
stressors, is
a common
feature of FIC cases, stress reduction
and environmental modi cation form
an essential component of health care,
particularly in multi-cat groups, as does
increasing fluid intake and encouraging
frequent urination in the individual.
Adapting advice
Evidently general
advice needs to be
adapted to suit each
patient and their home
circumstances, but
once in receipt of the
necessary knowledge
and understanding of the crucial nature
of their input, many
owners become
remarkably well
motivated, committed and inventive. Undoubtedly, fully
informing them and engaging their
help with home-care can be time-
consuming.
However, finding the necessary
space to ensure owners are really clued up and fully engaged
with the programme
from the outset is always
worthwhile in terms of
the individual pet’s well-
being. It should also help
avoid the frustration and extra time required
when a patient returns
with another episode,
an especially significant
issue as the number of cats in the “at-risk
category” continues to
rise.
