Many cats suffer from anxiety and fear related to travel and veterinary visits, with 59% and 66% of cats reported to exhibit signs of distress during car travel and during veterinary visits, respectively. Now, a new FDA approved flavored oral medication called Bonqat can change all that making it much easy to take cats for checkups and treatment when ill.
Common signs of acute anxiety and fear can range from subtle to severe and include freezing, hiding, vocalizing, tail flicking, increased breathing and panting, restlessness, hissing, scratching and biting.
If untreated, acute anxiety and fear may worsen with additional experiences, compounding the distress of being placed into a carrier and being transported to and from the clinic and reducing the chance of receiving a comprehensive physical exam, which can impact a cat’s lifelong wellbeing.
“Feline anxiety doesn’t just impact cats – in fact, more than half (57%) of cat owners reported feeling anxious when preparing for veterinary visits and associated travel because of their cat’s stress,” said Margaret E. Gruen, DVM, MVPH, PhD, DACVB, Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine at North Carolina State University. “Removing these barriers can help cultivate a more positive and productive veterinary experience for both cats and their owners by focusing on cats’ general well-being rather than the anxiety of the visit itself, which can also help maintain the unique human-animal bond.”
Bonqat is a targeted solution formulated to meet the unique needs of cats with small dosing, slow elimination time and easy administration by simply mixing the medicine with food, a liquid treat, or, administering directly into the cat’s mouth.
According to a spokesperson for Zoetis to make it palatable, is contains Ethyl maltol, a flavoring agent that on its own has “a sweet sugary, caramelized, jammy, strawberry-like odor and taste reminiscent of cotton candy. However, because pregabalin tastes bitter, and the amount of ethyl maltol in Bonqat likely provides only some odour and taste, it doesn’t actually make the solution taste sweet but reduces the bitterness of pregabalin so that the flavour becomes more acceptable to the cat”. In the pivotal field study, the majority of the cat owners assessed administration of Bonqat as either very easy or easy.
Also, Bonqat is not a sedative. It directly impacts the neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) involved in feline acute anxiety and fear associated with transportation and veterinary visits, helping to create the proper emotional balance needed to support the visit. Bonqat is administered approximately 1.5 hours before transport and is slowly eliminated, allowing flexible timing for transport, a thorough exam, and the ability to extend a cat’s stay if diagnostic tests or further evaluations are needed.
To learn more about Bonqat, visit BonqatVetTeam.com. Pet owners should speak to their veterinarian too.
This is a game changer for feline health.
