THOUSANDS OF WELSH CATS AT RISK OF POTENTIALLY FATAL DISEASES

Thousands of Wales’ domestic cats are at risk of potentially
life-threatening feline diseases because 40 per cent of owners in the
region don’t feel regular vaccinations are necessary, experts warned
today[ [1]1].

Nearly a quarter (22 per cent) of cat owners in Wales – said to be
around 580,000 people – will only vaccinate their pets as kittens and
won’t continue with the recommended booster vaccinations, they
added.

Veterinary professionals are urging the region’s cat owners to
rethink this decision as their cat’s health is being threatened by
common, preventable feline diseases. 

Merial Animal Health, who conducted this new research1 into the
habits of cat owners in Wales, said owners need to be aware that
vaccines protect against many potentially fatal diseases such as
feline leukaemia and panleukopenia.

The survey also revealed that more than 60 per cent of cat owners
know very little about the serious diseases that their cat is at risk
from. Notably, 30 per cent of female owners aged between 18-35
don’t believe vaccination to be necessary at all

Dr Sally Edis-Bates BVSc MRCVS, veterinary surgeon for Merial Animal
Health, commented on the research:

“The lack of awareness regarding the importance of vaccination is
surprising, especially the relatively high number of UK cat owners who
don’t believe that vaccination is important at any stage of their
cat’s life. Many owners understand the need to vaccinate in the
first few months, but it appears that the message regarding regular
vaccination and its importance in helping to guard against potentially
life threatening diseases is not getting through.”

Sally continues: “These results demonstrate that as an industry we
need to look at how we can better inform cat owners about the need to
vaccinate regularly and provide more information on the diseases that
cats can be protected against.”

To help promote the importance of good cat health, Merial Animal
Health has re-launched its Viral Cats campaign, which aims to provide
the information that cat owners need so that they understand the risks
associated with not vaccinating their cat.

To help owners find out if their cat is at risk of disease, a new
online cat health checker quiz is available via the Viral Cats website
www.viralcats.co.uk [2]. Owners will be asked a series of simple
questions about their cat, such as age, whether it lives indoors or
out, whether it lives with other cats and how often it visits the vet.

Following completion of the quiz, owners will find out whether their
cat is at risk and in need of a check-up. If their cat is deemed to be
at risk, participants will have the option to receive a free text
entitling them to a 2-for-1 vaccination at participating veterinary
practices, if their vet advises that a full primary course is
necessary. T&Cs apply – see www.viralcats.co.uk [3] for more
information.