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Tips for Taking Your Cat to the Vet

Take Your Cat to the Vet Week 2011

Photo: The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation in Oyster Bay, NY

Jane Harrell, Petfinder.com associate producer

Aug. 22-28, 2011, is Take Your Cat to the Vet Week, and throughout that week we'll be reminding you to schedule a vet visit for your cat. (The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends cats go to the vet twice a year for checkups.)

Why is there a need for Take Your Cat to the Vet Week? Even though pet cats outnumber dogs in the U.S. by 15 million, CATalyst Council and the American Humane Association estimate that cats go to the vet only half as often as dogs.

In fact, Feline Pine, which founded the event, surveyed cat parents in 2009 and found that fewer than half took their cats to the vet unless the cat was sick.

But cats need preventive care just as much as dogs, and regular vet checkups can help you catch health issues before they become major illnesses that are painful for your cat and more difficult (and expensive) to treat.

Still, we realize that many people don't want to take their cat to the vet because the process seems so stressful for the cat -- not to mention the human. So read on for tips for making vet trips easier and getting the most out of every visit, including: