Abstract
On pages 211–233 of this issue we present the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines. This version is an update and extension of the AAFP–AAHA Feline Life Stage Guidelines published in 2010. The 2021 Task Force (see box below) was composed of a diverse group of experts in feline clinical medicine who rose to the challenge to revisit and present a schema of how best to approach the feline patient at each life stage. The goal of these guidelines is to provide a tool to aid practitioners in outlining a lifelong healthcare strategy for each feline patient that can facilitate the owner’s understanding of aging in their cat as well as the importance of regular healthcare visits.
This understanding is vital to promoting feline welfare because, although our knowledge of feline medicine has improved since the publication of the last guidelines, the disparity between feline and canine veterinary visits remains. While cats are the most popular pet in the United States, 1 they are brought less often to the veterinary clinic for care.2,3 Unfortunately, this is likely due to pet owners’ perception that cats require less care and are self-sufficient, combined with the stoic nature of the cat, making illness harder to identify. If the practitioner cannot be involved in the care of the feline patient at all life stages, great opportunity for education and healthcare is missed.
From kitten through to senior, the guidelines provide a comprehensive age-associated framework for promoting health and longevity throughout a cat’s lifetime. Image © Voren1/iStock, spxChrome/E+, AaronAmat/iStock, AngiePhotos/iStock via Getty Images Plus
Therefore, a critical theme throughout the guidelines is the importance of feline-friendly handling techniques as a method to eliminate barriers to regular feline healthcare. A cat-friendly approach tailored to the individual patient can create a more positive experience for the patient, client and care provider, and promote more frequent visits and improved compliance. Combining these practices with a framework for lifelong healthcare for the patient promises to be a powerful strategy to improve feline health and wellbeing.
The Task Force would like to thank Heather Loenser, Heather O’Steen and Ed Kanara for their excellent organizational abilities in herding the cats of our thoughts towards a consensus. We would also like to thank Kate Eaker for being our scribe for the event and surmounting the challenge of putting all those thoughts down on paper.
As we are passionate about the feline patient, our greatest hope is that the result of our endeavors will be of use to practitioners and can be employed to further improve the (nine) lives of cats and their people.