How ‘speaking cat’ changes care:

Feline preventative medicine has advanced significantly in recent years. However, despite improved clinical understanding and innovation, many owners still find treating their cats emotionally difficult. In fact, research showed that 43% of cat owners feel guilty, stressed, or worried about administering medication to their cats, and 1 in 2 find having to administer more than one product confusing[1]. For a species that values control, predictability and safety, the experience of treatment can feel anything but benign. For owners, treatment can become a moment of stress, avoidance or compromise and can create a gap between clinical intent and real-world compliance for veterinarians.

If we want prevention to work for cats, for owners and for clinics, we must look beyond functional performance alone. Calmer and kinder feline care starts with seeing the world through a cat’s eyes. Parasite protection should respect their experience and should not feel forced, so the human-animal bond is preserved, not compromised.

The emotional reality:

Compared to dogs, cats rarely tolerate coercion. They do not respond well to restraint, rushed handling, or unpredictable experiences. Yet preventative conversations can often focus on the treatment given, rather than how it fits into a cat’s life.

For owners, this disconnection matters. This doesn’t stem from an unwillingness to treat their cat, but from feeling they are breaking trust. Prevention that causes a struggle or relies on force can result in cats associating care with fear, eroding owner trust and compliance, and could lead to the avoidance of treatment and veterinary visits. The fact that the majority of cat owners said they would prefer to treat against parasites every three months1 suggests that treatment frequency and experience may influence owner comfort and emotional burden, rather than indifference towards their cat’s care.

Speaking cat: a shared responsibility:

Feline care works best when it’s collaborative. Vets, vet nurses, and owners each play a role in shaping experiences that feel safe, respectful, and predictable for cats. Séverine Tasker, Veterinary Strategic Lead, from global cat welfare charity International Cat Care (iCatCare) states “Cats experience stress differently from other species and recognising this is fundamental to protecting their welfare and the human-animal bond”. This principle is central to cat-friendly principles developed by iCatCare and is just as critical to parasite prevention as it is to routine clinical examinations.

These principles are embedded within the Cat Friendly Clinic Programme, an initiative from International Cat Care that recognises veterinary practices committed to delivering a feline-centred clinical environment. For practices looking to strengthen their feline care protocols or benchmark their approach, further information and resources are available through the International Cat Care website: www. https://icatcare.org/cat-friendly-clinic.

When veterinary teams take time to “speak cat”, they help owners understand what cats need to feel safe during care. By explaining how cats rely on familiarity, gentle handling, predictable routines and how subtle changes in behaviour can signal stress, prevention can be positioned in a way that respects a cat’s true nature. This can empower owners to deliver care that fits their cat’s world, building compliance through reassurance and trust instead of pressure or force.

Protection that fits a cat’s world:

Effective parasite protection is non-negotiable, as parasites present a real risk to feline health. However, protection that unsettles a cat or compromises their sense of safety can be difficult to sustain, particularly when it creates tension for cats and their owners. This is where shifting mindset matters. Rather than expecting cats to tolerate treatment, we can choose protection that accommodates the needs of the cat.

Felpreva® was developed especially for cats. Not simply as a broad-spectrum parasiticide in one application, but a solution designed to align with feline behaviour, lifestyle and tolerance. Because when protection fits a cat’s world, the bond between cats and the people who love them stays strong.

Beyond treatment – calmer prevention in practice:

Topical prevention is often discussed in terms of technique; where to apply, how to part the fur and how to prevent licking. Whilst these details matter, they are not the whole picture. Predictability, minimal handling, reduced frequency and clear routines are equally important. When treatment is less frequent, easy to integrate, and facilitates reduced stressful interactions, cats can remain calmer and owners remain confident.

This presents an opportunity for veterinary professionals to reframe conversations about parasite prevention beyond coverage and towards how it is experienced by cats. Through discussing calm handling, preparation and the value of predictable routines, veterinary teams can help owners deliver protection in a way that respects feline behaviour and reduces stress. As a result, prevention becomes easier to maintain, supporting feline welfare and owner confidence.

Preserving the human-animal bond:

The human-animal bond is delicate, particularly during moments of stress. Cats remember negative experiences, as do owners. When parasite protection becomes a source of anxiety, it can influence wider engagement with care, contributing to delayed check-ups, reluctance to treat, and erosion of trust between the owner and the practice. Conversely, when prevention feels manageable, predictable and kind, it reinforces the idea that veterinary care is carried out in conjunction with the cat, not to them. Felpreva® shares this same belief, not only protecting feline health, but also the relationship between cats and the people who care for them.

A shared language to enhance care:

Calmer and kinder feline care is a collaborative effort:

Veterinarians provide the clinical evidence behind what’s needed. Vet nurses help translate that evidence into compassionate advice, supporting owners with handling, routines and environment. Whilst owners bring intimate knowledge of their cat’s behaviour, preferences and boundaries.

When all three speak the same language, grounded in a shared respect for the cat’s world, protection moves from a struggle and becomes part of everyday life.

Speaking Cat:

Felpreva® is more than a product. It embodies the belief that cats are not small dogs and have their own unique needs. That understanding shapes everything from formulation to frequency and education to conversations. By aligning protection with feline behaviour, Felpreva® supports a future where prevention feels less like an obligation and more like an act of care. Care that owners can give without guilt, and cats can accept without fear. In a profession increasingly focused on the wellbeing of animals, clients and veterinary teams, this matters. Because when we truly understand cats and speak their language, care becomes calmer. And when care is calmer, protection works for all involved.

Felpreva® – We Speak Cat.

 [1]Vetoquinol UK Felpreva® research report, 4Media, 062021. 2 MBC2104 – Cat Owners Research, SAPIO2021

Felpreva® contains tigolaner, emodepside and praziquantel, POM-V. Further information from the datasheet at www.noahcompendium.co.uk or contact Vetoquinol on 01280 814500, uk_office@vetoquinol.com. Advice should be sought from the medicine prescriber. Prescription decisions are for the person issuing the prescription alone. Use medicines responsibly.