Cats are masters at masking signs of illness or pain, which is why regular veterinary exams are so important. A key peace of a successful vet visit is that you share your observations of your cat’s behavior with your vet. After all, as your cat’s parent, you know your cat better than anyone.
A typical scenario
A typical scenario experienced by cat parents is that they make a vet appointment for a specific issue. Maybe your cat has been coughing. Maybe she has been limping periodically. Maybe he has been exhibiting a strange behavior. When you finally get your cat to the vet, you describe the behavior, but you can’t get your cat to show your vet.
This is where video comes in.
Video can make diagnosis easier for your vet
The old adage “a picture paints a thousand words” is definitely true when it comes to sharing your cat’s behavior with your vet via video. This can be especially true when it comes to things like coughing. You may think it’s a hairball, when it’s really asthma. It can also be extremely helpful for arthritic cats who may demonstrate symptoms in the home, but not in the stressful setting of a veterinary clinic.
How to take a good video
Don’t worry too much about the quality of your video as long as the lighting is decent and the sound and images are reasonably clear. You’re not going for perfection, you just want to accurately capture what you want to share with your vet. Try to avoid backlighting, it will make details very difficult to see. If possible, take multiple videos of the behavior.
Have you used video of your cat when you’ve gone to see your vet? Share your experience in a comment.
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