Many people choose to expand their family by adding a cat to the household, an animal that, although domesticated and accustomed to living with humans, requires specific care and needs to be taken into account, especially when scheduling timely veterinary check-ups.
As in most countries, veterinary expenses are covered by private healthcare and therefore fall directly on citizens, something to consider before adopting a new animal, as these costs can be quite high.
In fact, this is one of the main reasons why cat owners do not take their pets to the vet, as they cannot afford to pay the high prices for consultations and treatments for felines.
This is stated, for the first time, in a report published by the organization Cats Protection, dated 2023, which indicates that “the main reason for not taking their cat to the vet is the cost for owners”, something that 28% of cat owners argued, compared to the 24% who cited this reason in the 2022 report.
“An increased demand for veterinary services puts pressure on veterinary practices, and many of the surveyed owners have begun to notice the effects of the rising cost of living,” the report states, which also mentions that 61% of cats go to the vet annually for a routine check-up.
Among other data related to veterinary visits for felines is that 10% of owned cats are not registered with a veterinarian, approximately 1.1 million cats, while 49% of owners have their cat insured and 72% of owners claim that their cat is up to date on vaccinations.
In addition to this, other data on the economy and what it entails for the wallet to have a cat is also revealed, as 13% of people who previously had a cat indicate that they no longer have it because they say they cannot afford it.
Furthermore, 3% of cat owners have had to rely on food banks to feed their cat, and between January and May 2023, cat surrenders due to economic reasons increased by 48% compared to the same period in 2022.
