If you're a cat owner, you want your kitty to live a long and healthy life. In this post, our Killen vets discuss how often you should bring your cat to the vet and why this preventive care is vital to their health.
How often do you take a cat to the vet?
Ensuring the health and happiness of your cat relies on preventing and detecting serious illnesses in their early stages when treatment is most effective.
By taking your cat to the vet, you provide an opportunity for your veterinarian to assess their general health, identify early signs of developing diseases, and suggest suitable preventive care products for your furry friend.
What is a cat checkup?
Bringing your cat in to see us for a routine wellness exam is like bringing them to the doctor for a physical checkup. As with people, how often your cat should have a physical examination depends on their age, lifestyle, and overall health.
We generally recommend that you bring your healthy adult cat in to see us once each year for an annual wellness exam. However, when it comes to kittens, senior cats or cats with underlying health conditions, you should bring them in to see us much more frequently.
How often should kittens see a vet?
For kittens under 1 year old, we suggest bringing them to our office once a month. Their initial veterinary visit should occur around 8 weeks or 2 months of age.
During their first year, kittens require multiple rounds of vaccinations to protect them from common infectious diseases. They should receive the Feline Leukemia vaccine and the FVRCP vaccine, which safeguards against three highly contagious and life-threatening feline diseases: Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FHV-1), Feline Calicivirus (FCV), and Feline Panleukopenia (FPL).
Your adorable kitten will receive these necessary vaccinations over approximately 16 weeks, promoting long-term health. The specific timing of the vaccinations may vary based on your location and your kitten's overall health.
Our veterinarians recommend spaying or neutering your kitten when they reach 5 to 6 months of age. This helps prevent various diseases, unwanted behaviors, and unwanted litters of kittens.
How often should middle-aged cats see a vet?
If you have an adult cat that is perfectly healthy and between 1 and 10 years old, we recommend that you bring them in to see us at least once per year. The exams we provide at these routine checkups are meant to make sure that you cat is indeed as healthy as they seem.
Throughout your adult cat's routine exam your vet will implement a head-to-tail examination to look for early signs of diseases or other issues, such as parasites, joint pain, or tooth decay.
Your veterinarian will be able to provide your cat with any required vaccines and booster shots as well as have a conversation with you about your cat's diet and nutritional requirements. We will also recommend appropriate parasite preventive products and treatments.
If your vet detects any signs of an arising health issue they will explain their findings to you and recommend the next steps.
How often should senior cats see a vet?
Cats are typically considered to be senior when they reach 11 years of age.
Since many cat injuries and disease will tend to be more common in older pets, we advise that you bring your feline friend in to see our Killen vets every 6 months or so. Twice-yearly wellness check-ups for your geriatric cat will include all of the checks and advice listed above, but with a few additional diagnostic tests to obtain extra insights into your furry friend's overall health.
Some of the diagnostic tests that we recommend for our senior cat patients include blood tests and urinalysis in order to check for the early signs of issues like kidney disease or diabetes.
Geriatric care for cats also includes a more proactive approach to keeping your feline companion comfortable as age-related issues such as joint pain become more common. If you have a senior cat, ask your vet how often you should bring your pet in for a routine exam.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.