Cat Vet Checkup - What To Expect

Your vet is your ally in providing the best possible care for your cat. Your vet is there for more than emergencies though. Regular checkups are the cornerstone of good preventive medicine, and that is just as important for cats as it is for us humans.

So, what should you expect when you bring a (hopefully) healthy cat in for a checkup?

Annual Checkup for Cats

Even if you believe your cat to be in perfect health, an annual veterinary checkup is just part of good cat care. Depending on your vaccination routine and schedule, this checkup may be combined with giving those annual booster shots.

Your vet is likely to discuss the cat's condition with you, and this is the time for you to bring up any issues, health-related or behavioral, that may indicate a change in the cat's overall condition.

The vet will feel your cat all over, looking for suspicious lumps and any changes to the cat's physique. He or she will check the cat's eyes, ears and teeth as well as look for external parasites. The vet will also listen to the heart and lungs using a stethoscope.v

The results of the initial checkup may lead your vet to suggest further tests, including a blood panel, a fecal examination and urinalysis.

Annual Checkups for the Senior Cat

Once your cat reaches his or her golden years, you should double the frequency of regular checkups. A full veterinary checkup twice a year is necessary to keep full tabs on your cat's medical condition.

The exam is likely to be more thorough. Senior blood panels are likely to be performed at least once a year, as well as fecal and urine tests. The results of these tests can provide your vet with the necessary warning signs of internal health issues, long before any actual symptoms show up. Hopefully, this can help prevent disease through pre-emptive medicine and dietary changes.

First Time Checkup for a New Cat

So far, I have discussed routine checkups for average age or senior cats. Special attention is needed when the checkup involves a new cat. If you have other cats at home, do not introduce the new cat before he or she has the all-clear from your vet. Your vet will perform the basic checkup as described above and look into some other issues as well.

If at all possible, try and obtain the cat's previous medical records, indicating existing medical issues, past procedures and vaccination status. If you have no valid medical history of the cat, the initial checkup is likely to include tests for FeLV and FIV. The vet will probably check more thoroughly for external parasites, and a fecal sample should be taken to test for internal parasites such as worms.

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