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In the past two decades, you’ve come a long way, kitties. Your future looks bright. This is because feline lives in the next decade are expected to be welcoming, adorable and innovative on many fronts.
cat Connect with the leading cat experts in the pet industry to ask them to describe what life will be like for cats over the coming decades. Check out their educated predictions:
The focus of changing shelters
Find animal shelters across the country to exercise for new purposes and identities. The days of shelters seen as pounds where homeless pets were often killed due to the pet overpopulation are fading away.
That’s the belief of two animal shelter leaders: Dr. Gary Weitzman, president of the San Diego Humane Society, and Rich Anderson, CEO of the Peggy Adams Rescue Association in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“I definitely see a new focus on shelters to find ways to allow people to keep their pets indoors by providing affordable veterinary services,” says Dr. Weitzman. “I’m talking about wellness, vaccinations, deworming and microcharging being done as well as more mobile units in the community to deliver food and supplies to those in need so they can keep their pets and not hand them over due to financial hardship. Why, I even see microchip scanners ( identification) at every fire station so that people can bring lost pets to one of the friendliest places on Earth to be quickly scanned for identification, and hopefully, reunite the pets with their pet parents.”
Rich Anderson hopes animal shelters will turn from places for abandoned or lost animals into major community leaders in animal welfare. A great place for pets to gather. His shelter recently opened a cat cafe where adoptable felines mingle with coffee drinkers.
“Adoption and foster care programs have become so successful that more attention and resources have been able to shift toward programs aimed at preventing animals from entering shelters in the first place,” Rich says. “Our safety net programs offering free, affordable veterinary care and a free pet food pantry continue to expand.”
Communication check
Your cat’s vet will see you now – any time of the day or night. But you may not both be in the same exam room or even in the same city or state. Welcome to the rapidly expanding sector of veterinary medicine – telehealth. Live vet chats and video consultations give pet parents instant access to vets ready to answer pet health questions and concerns.
“Telehealth is definitely here to stay and it will change the way we practice veterinary medicine in a major way,” says Dr. Kelly Dale, MD, an internal medicine veterinarian and senior director of science and communications at Morris Animal Foundation. “Look for more behavioral counseling, health follow-ups, and more to be done via telehealth rather than a phone call or an in-person appointment.”
Leading the way in this new movement is telehealth companies IrvitAnd the Dutch And the fuzzy.
Telemedicine is not without its risks, as is any type of medicine that is practiced. There could be adverse drug reactions or missed diagnoses due to poor imaging transfer. Telemedicine laws vary by state. Some states allow veterinarians to form remote pet care relationships in what is known as a VCPR (vet-client-patient relationship) and others do not.
To find out the legal status of telemedicine in your state, visit the Virtual Veterinary Care Association website at vvca.org. The site features a tele-veterinary regulatory map of current VCPR laws in each state.
Go robotic
Not every cat lover has a personal cat. Some may feel unable to adopt a real cat due to work obligations, allergies, or other issues. This does not diminish their love or need for feline friendship.
For some, the solution may be in battery-powered robotic cats. A new study based on research by Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lane College of Nursing confirms that the healing power of pets isn’t limited to real animals. These fake cats can improve mood, behavior, and cognition in people with dementia and those who live alone, stay in hospice care facilities, or are hospitalized.
“Handling with pets increases your endorphins and helps reduce your risk of cognitive decline,” says Lisa Kirk Wiese, Ph.D., RN, and assistant professor at FAU. “These robotic cats help some go back to a time when they had pets and evoke feelings of joy and happiness. They definitely help lift the spirits of an individual.”
Detecting genetic testing at home
In recent years, thousands of people have turned to ancestral DNA sources such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com To discover their family tree of relatives dating back generations.
This prompted Anna Skaya to get creative Baseboa company that offers at-home test kits to identify the breeds and health conditions that an individual cat may have.
Says Anya Ryan, Basepaws’ chief “meowketing” officer. “Basepaws has evolved into the largest genetic testing company for cats and now has a wide range of in-house testing kits for everything from breeds to oral health screening.”
And Basepaws don’t stop there.
“Over the next five to 10 years, Basepaws will launch a variety of health-focused tests for cats,” she adds. “In addition, we have developed a veterinary-focused breed and health test for cats that has just been launched and will be offered in veterinary offices during the cat health examination.”
Eat alternate meals
Cats have and always will be obliged carnivores whose bodies depend on high-quality protein to survive and thrive. Make way for a new revolution of clean pet foods that provide new protein sources to keep cats of all ages healthy. More cats in the next decade will be eating alternative proteins from plants, fungi, cell-based meat products, and yes, insects. Also look for more ready-made meals fresh from the fridge and food packed with probiotics, prebiotics, and supplements.
Veterinarians have recognized a growing trend in commercial pet foods creating diets that may help treat a wide range of ailments. And more than that, it will be environmentally friendly.
Dr. Ernie Ward, founder of the Association for the Prevention of Pet Obesity, wrote in his wonderful book The Clean Pet Food Revolution.
Explore the outdoors safely
Find more confident indoor cats to join their folks in kayaking, in safe backpacking while outings and even be a part of family Airbnb vacations. Welcome to the era of adventurous cats.
Emily Hall, Creator KittyCatGo She set this cat action and adventure ablaze and took her crew of hikers and paddlers on road trips and more.
“As adventure with cats becomes more and more popular, more people will realize that cats love to venture safely outside, and indeed do love it, and will start raising their cats differently,” Emily says. “Harness and leash training will be the norm, and the cats’ lifestyles will include spending time outdoors in a controlled manner. Cats will be included on family trips and vacations rather than being left at home.”
Unleashed! (well, not really)
Kitty can now safely explore the outdoors by your side with a harness made specifically for cats. Here are three favorites to check out.
Martingale belt for cats; $32.99. sleepypod.com
Come with me Kitty Cat Harness and a bungee leash; $16.95. store.petsafe.net
Kitty Holster Cat Harness Royal Blue Cherry Blossom; $49.99 USD. crazy-k-farm.myshopify.com
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