Kildare cat lovers urged to seek vet advice on the 'purr-fect' parasite treatment ahead of 'Take your Cat to the Vet Day' tomorrow
(Pictured Oonagh Fitzgibbon, Irish Technical Advisor, MSD Animal Health pictured with Suzan Aktug, Marketing Associate, MSD Animal Health and cat Bowie)
Research commissioned by Irish animal health specialists MSD Animal Health has revealed that many cat owners across Ireland are unaware of the main parasite risks for their pets and are not treating or preventing infestation appropriately.
Ahead of ‘Take your Cat to the Vet Day’ which is taking place tomorrow (22 August), MSD Animal Health is sharing the findings of its all-Ireland research in the hope that cat owners will visit their local veterinary practice and guarantee ‘purr-fect’ protection against fleas, ticks and worms.
Findings in the study, which surveyed 450 cat owners in Ireland north and south, (Biosat, 2018) revealed that 50.4% of cat owners are jeopardising the health of their pets and family members by only starting parasite treatment after seeing their pet scratching, by which time the flea infestation on the pet and in the home is already well established.
Although fleas prefer to feed on cats, they will also bite humans, potentially resulting in unpleasant skin reactions. Homes can easily become infested with flea eggs and larvae, and it can be difficult, time consuming and costly to manage an infestation. Therefore, routine prevention is often recommended.
The survey also found that only half of cat lovers are aware of the risk of roundworm in cats, with 63% not having wormed their feline in the last three months. This suggests many cats are at risk of being infected by these pesky squatters who will make no hesitation in creating a home for themselves in human members of the household too.
These findings gave particular concern to MSD Animal Health given that nearly six in ten cats spend most of their time living indoors.
MSD veterinary advisor, Ms. Oonagh Fitzgibbon, said:“It’s clear from the study that not enough cat owners are aware of the dangers of parasites, not only to their feline friends, but to the wider family. We are keen to communicate the importance of taking a preventative approach to parasite treatment to reduce the risks and costs associated with unwanted guests, keeping cats healthy and happy and transmission levels low.
“We encourage all cat owners to seek expert guidance from their local veterinary practice on the best ways to protect their pet, so everyone can enjoy good health without the fear of these common pests.”
MSD Animal Health provides services and technologies to prevent, treat and control diseases across all pet species and farm animals.
Main findings of research commissioned by MSD Animal Health:
Only 18% of cat owners have used flea treatment 3 times in the last year
52.7% of cat owners surveyed bought their last flea treatment in a vet practice
Only 10% of cat owners surveyed treated their animal for worms 3 times in the last year
72.3% of cat owners seek flea and tick advice from their vet
50.4% of cat owners seek to start flea treatment after seeing the cat scratching
58.9% of cats live mainly indoors and go out occasionally
Only 49% of cat owners were aware of roundworms and this was reflected in the worrying lack of worming treatment with 63% not having treated for works in the last three months and 17% not using a worm treatment at all.
15% of those surveyed were not aware of ticks as a potential parasite and 23% were unconcerned about the potential health risks posed by this parasite.
Over half of those surveyed only used a flea treatment when they saw their cat scratching or saw actual fleas.
The research also looked at awareness of common health issues facing felines and found that cat owners are most concerned about ticks (34%) with 27% having found a tick on their cat. Despite almost two-thirds of those researched (62%) claiming to be very aware of fleas as an issue for cats, 70% had only treated their pet twice or less in the last year with 46% not having treated for fleas within the last three months.
For more information visit http://www.msd-animal-health.ie/