Colorado veterinarian and AVMA President Dr. Ted Cohn included in upcoming episode of Innovations with Ed Begley, Jr.

TV program airing on Discovery Channel highlights veterinarians' efforts to improve feline health and welfare

News provided by

American Veterinary Medical Association

Apr 17, 2015, 05:50 ET

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., April 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Monday's episode of Innovations with Ed Begley, Jr. airing on the Discovery Channel will explore feline behavior, the value of veterinary care and efforts made by veterinarians to improve the health and welfare of America's more than 70 million pet cats.

The program airs Monday, April 20, at 7:30 a.m. EST/PST and 6:30 a.m. CST. Click here for a sneak peek.

AVMA President, Dr. Ted Cohn discusses why cats don't go to the vet on Innovations with Ed Begley, Jr. airing on the Discovery Channel Monday, April 20, at 7:30 a.m. EST/PST and 6:30 a.m. CST.

The President of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Lone Tree, Colorado veterinarian, Dr. Ted Cohn, is featured discussing the concern of disease going undetected in cats. According to the most recent edition of the AVMA's U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook, the number of households taking their cat to the veterinarian just once a year dropped 13.5 percent from 2006 to 2011. Overall, cats represented only 29.9 percent of total veterinary visits while dogs represented 58.2 percent of total veterinary visits.

"Cats are frequently seen as independent animals that do not need care the same way that a dog might need it," Dr. Cohn says in the program. "Unfortunately, that is not true. Cats do need to go to the vet as often as a dog does, if not more frequently sometimes."

The April 20 episode of Innovations will discuss the American Association of Feline Practitioners' (AAFP's) Cat Friendly Practice® Program (CFP) designation, which focuses on reducing the stress of veterinary visits for cats and cat owners. It provides tools for veterinarians to improve the treatment, handling and overall health care of cats.

"The AAFP's Cat Friendly Practice Program is a groundbreaking program in veterinary medicine," says AAFP President Dr. Susan Little. "The time is ripe for a program that helps veterinary practices do the best they can with their feline patients. The CFP program is about setting the standards of care, educating veterinary practices about what their feline patients need, about decreasing the stress of the veterinary visit, and it's about making sure that once the cat is at the veterinary clinic they receive the best quality of care that's appropriate to the cat."

For more information about the AAFP and their Cat Friendly Practice program visit http://www.catvets.com/cfp/. For more information about the AVMA, visit www.avma.org.

The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 86,500 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a wide variety of professional activities. Visit www.avma.org for more information.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150417/199483

SOURCE American Veterinary Medical Association