I had the privilege of attending the first ever CATalyst Summit for the benefit of cats in Palm Springs, Calif., on Tuesday and Wednesday with 46 of the most influential individuals in the cat community. Officers and veterinarians from the American Association of Feline Practitioners, the American Animal Hospital Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association along with animal welfare representatives and pet journalists attended the event sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health.

Recent trends reveal that even though cats rank as the most popular pet in America with an estimated 82 million in the United States, they are twice as less likely to see a veterinarian than dogs. Plus, studies to benefit canine health far outnumber studies to benefit feline health. We were brought together to come up with a plan to reverse this trend and ensure that all cats receive the health care and public respect they deserve.

As the editor of CAT FANCY and CatChannel, my goal is to celebrate the human-feline bond by showing how wonderful cats are as companions and how extraordinary and compassionate cat people are. I would like that message to spread, but before it can, we need to take inventory and figure out what obstacles keep us from achieving this goal.

Expect to see some improvements in the near future for feline health care as new standards are being written. Also expect to hear a lot of buzz about improving the status of all cats, those who make their homes with us, those relinquished to shelters and those who fend for themselves in feral colonies. We owe it to them to become a catalyst for change and ensure that the lives of all cats improve.

Click on each of the questions below to take a poll about the cats in your life.

1. How many cats do you own?

2. How often do you take your cat(s) to the veterinarian?

3. If you don’t usually take your cat(s) to the veterinarian, why not?

To read more CatChannel coverage of the CATalyst Summit, click here.