Practical relevance: Good communication skills are at the heart of best practice for veterinarians and behaviourists (be they veterinarians/nurses/technicians with specialist behaviour training and qualifications or clinical animal behaviourists). Hence gaining an understanding of how to engage clients to become involved in their pets' treatment, both medical and behavioural, is relevant to all who work in this field.
Clinical challenges: Poor communication skills can be responsible for owners' lack of compliance regarding both medical treatment and implementation of behavioural protocols.
Evidence base: Much of the evidence-based information on effective communication comes from the fields of human psychology and psychotherapy, human medicine and business, with only a limited amount coming from the veterinary field. Therefore, some opinions expressed in this article are based on the author's experience of treating cases in a cat-specific behaviour referral practice over the past 20 years and her work as a humanistic counsellor.
Audience: Any veterinarians, veterinary nurses or technicians who are involved in the diagnosis or treatment of problem feline behaviour in practice would benefit from knowledge of what promotes and also hinders owner understanding and involvement.
Keywords: Veterinarian–owner relationship; communication skills; compliance; owner–cat relationship.