Collaboration aims to better understand and overcome barriers to routine veterinary care for cats

Bayer HealthCare Animal Health and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) are partnering to improve the health of America's cats. The partnership will work to uncover and remove obstacles to routine veterinary care for cats. 

The impetus for this partnership, said Ian Spinks, president and general manager for Bayer's Animal Health Division, was the Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study. The study, which appears in the May 15, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), sets out to confirm the decrease in the number of patient visits, to identify the factors responsible and present the specific actions companion animal practitioners can take to encourage more frequent veterinary visits for dogs and cats. 

"Like dogs, cats require regular veterinary healthcare and, without it, there is a significant risk to their health," said Donna Stephens Manley, DVM, president of AAFP and principal veterinarian at Manley Veterinary Services in Chapel Hill, N.C. 

"Through the combined efforts of AAFP and Bayer HealthCare, we want to improve the healthcare provided to cats and overcome the barriers that veterinarians have encountered regarding routine visits for cats. If cats are seen more regularly, better care can be provided, especially relating to preventative care."