To celebrate Happy, Healthy Cat Month, the CATalyst Council has released a new downloadable resource designed to help veterinary practices turn kitten visits into opportunities for long-term care.
“The Kitten in the Room: Turning Kitten Season into Lifelong Feline Care,” authored by CATalyst Council Chair Kristen Wuhrman and Executive Director Gina Fortunato, draws on findings from CATalyst Council’s 2026 State of the Cat report, the largest cat household survey conducted to date.
According to the report, 62% of cats enter U.S. households through informal channels, such as being taken in as strays, born into a backyard litter, or rehomed by a neighbor or coworker. Another 25% enter through shelters or rescues, while approximately 12% come from breeders or pet stores.
According to the CATalyst Council, the way a cat is brought into a home can influence whether they establish a veterinary relationship. Cats acquired through breeders visit a veterinarian at an 80% rate, compared with 58% of informally acquired cats. Overall, 8.4% of cats have never visited a veterinarian.
“The kitten series may be the single most important relationship-building period in veterinary medicine with feline clients,” Wuhrman said. “For many of these cats, those early visits are one of the best opportunities to build a relationship that can support a lifetime of care.”
The new resource offers eight actions veterinary teams can implement to help keep cats connected to care after their initial kitten visits. Recommendations include:
- Reframing annual reminders around longevity rather than vaccines
- Considering wellness bundles that make ongoing care more predictable for clients
- Asking new clients whether they have other pets at home to identify cats who may not have an established veterinary relationship
“Cat parents are not indifferent,” noted Fortunato. “Ninety-one percent want what is best for their cat’s health and well-being. The gap isn’t [a lack of] love; it’s that cats are experts at hiding pain, and our care systems haven’t always been built around that. Happy, Healthy Cat Month is our chance to help caregivers recognize this natural feline behavior.”
“The Kitten in the Room: Turning Kitten Season into Lifelong Feline Care” is available as a free download through the CATalyst Council’s website.