Routine preventive care for cats often includes a physical examination, parasite testing and/or prevention, and vaccination.¹ Preventive care may also include diagnostic testing, including retrovirus testing for newly adopted cats and kittens, preoperative blood testing, or senior care testing.^2-4 Lab testing is an important part of preventive care and also plays a major role in diagnosing illness in clinical patients. According to the 2022 AVMA report on the economic state of the veterinary profession, companion animal practice lab revenue was estimated as the highest revenue-generating service at 13.1% of gross revenue.⁵ With an increase in cat-friendly practices, diagnostic testing can also increase, leading to an increase in revenue.

  Learn more with the "Evolving the Feline MDB: Purrfect Balance for Your Patient Assessment" course on IDEXX Learning Center. Earn CE credits.

The Financial Benefits of Cat Friendly Practices

Convincing caregivers to consent to diagnostic testing for their stressed cats is one barrier veterinary teams face in feline medicine. Sample collection can be challenging as protective (negative) emotions such as fear/anxiety, pain, and frustration impact the cat's willingness to cooperate.⁶ Behavioral outcomes of protective emotions can include repulsion—such as hissing, swatting, scratching, or biting—which puts team members at risk of injury.⁶ Cat-friendly interactions and handling can reduce these negative outcomes, including the risk of team injury, with CFPs reporting a lower cat-related injury rate, lower overall cost per workers' compensation claim, and decreased cost of workers' compensation insurance premiums.^7-10

This makes good financial sense for the practice, as does the reduced stress for feline patients, higher caregiver satisfaction, and more positive team dynamics reported by the AAFP.¹¹

Diagnostic Testing in CFPs: Improving the Bottom Line

A recently published study by the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery further confirmed the financial benefits of Cat Friendly Practices, demonstrating increased lab testing and increased diagnosis of common feline conditions.¹²

The purpose of the study was to compare the diagnostic testing behavior of CFPs with non-CFPs. Financial data from 320 CFPs was compared with financial data from 4195 non-CFPs. To control for potential pandemic-associated macroeconomic factors, the investigators looked at data from pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic time points, 2018 and 2021, respectively. Compared to non-CFPs, the average revenue per feline visit at CFPs was 20% higher in 2018 and 17% higher in 2021. Average revenue for clinical visits including any diagnostic testing was also higher at CFPs pre- and post-pandemic. Both CFPs and non-CFPs had a similar proportion of wellness visits, however, CFPs had higher mean visits per year per patient. Diagnostic testing at CFPs was performed at 12% more visits than non-CFPs. Annual revenue per feline patient was higher at CFPs for all visits and for diagnostic visits.

The study investigated clinical findings associated with four testing categories: complete blood count, biochemistry, total T4, and urinalysis. CFPs were found to exhibit unique diagnostic testing behavior. Similar to the financial data, higher visits per cat and higher diagnostic inclusion for CFPs were noted in the clinical findings data. CFPs had higher odds of having patients repeat visits for bloodwork or urinalysis, thus potentially increasing clinic revenue. During each diagnostic visit, CFPs were significantly more likely to include two, three, or all four testing categories, and less likely to include only one testing category. This demonstrates the increased success CFPs experience when making recommendations to caregivers and when obtaining diagnostic samples from their feline patients.

Why CFPs Make a Difference

Diagnostic testing is an important preventive care measure, and screening for disease can help pets live longer, healthier, and happier lives. As a Cat Friendly Practice you can increase diagnostic testing for your patients, as the ability to obtain lab samples from feline patients will be less challenging since CFPs can minimize these protective emotions and promote positive ones.

Implementing cat-friendly principles is a financial win from many perspectives. Veterinary team members experience fewer cat-related injuries, caregivers are more satisfied with their cat's care, and veterinary teams are more successful at performing diagnostic testing and screening leading to increased revenue.^10-13

References:

1. Quimby J, Gowland S, Carney HC, et al. 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines. J Feline Med Surg 2021; 23: 211–233.
2. Little S, Levy J, Hartmann K, et al. 2020 AAFP Feline Retrovirus Testing and Management Guidelines. Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery 2020; 22: 5–30.
3. Robertson SA, Gogolski SM, Pascoe P, et al. AAFP Feline Anesthesia Guidelines. Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery 2018; 20: 602–634.
4. Ray M, Carney HC, Boynton B, et al. 2021 AAFP Feline Senior Care Guidelines. J Feline Med Surg 2021; 23: 613–638.
5. Bain B, Hansen C, Ouedraogo FB, et al. 2022 AVMA report on the economic state of the veterinary profession, https://ebusiness.avma.org/files/ProductDownloads/eco-state-of-profession-report-lr-secured-2022.pdf (October 1, 2022, accessed October 1, 2022).
6. Rodan I, Dowgray N, Carney HC, et al. 2022 AAFP/ISFM Cat Friendly Veterinary Interaction Guidelines: Approach and Handling Techniques. J Feline Med Surg 2022; 24: 1093–1132.
7. Moody CM, Mason GJ, Dewey CE, et al. Getting a grip: cats respond negatively to scruffing and clips. Vet Record 2020; 186: 386–392.
8. Moody CM, Picketts VA, Mason GJ, et al. Can you handle it? Validating negative responses to restraint in cats. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2018; 204: 94–100.
9. Moody CM, Mason GJ, Dewey CE, et al. Testing two behavioural paradigms for measuring post-handling cat aversion behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2019; 210: 73–80.
10. AAFP. Cat Friendly Practice Program reduces the risk of injury. J Feline Med Surg 2022; 24: 676–676.
11. AAFP. 2022 CFP Survey Results.
12. St Denis K, Saffire A, Michael H, et al. Cat Friendly Practice improves feline visits, resulting in increased laboratory testing and increased diagnosis of certain common feline conditions. J Feline Med Surg 2023; 25: 1098612X231204199.
13. Caney SM, Robinson NJ, Gunn-Moore DA, et al. Happy cats: stress in cats and their carers associated with outpatient visits to the clinic. J Feline Med Surg 2022; 24: e551–e557.