Yearly Cat Care?

Next year this guy and his purebred, 5 year old, male Siamese are going to be moving in with me. The cat doesn't see the vet as often as I prefer my animals to and I'd like to change that when the cat moves in. I'd like to eventually get him a kitty friend but I don't want to bring home another cat if something is lurking in this cat. Plus this knowledge will be passed on to any future kitties as well.

I'm a dog person and it's been forever since I had a cat so please help re-educate me on kitty care.

Vaccinations, what kind and how often? In the dog world vaccinations are WAY overly done. My dogs do NOT get vaccinations except 2-4 times in their lives (Besides rabies which I do every 3 years) depending on the breed/size and age I get them at. (I'm not a fan of the puppy stage so unless I was forced to, I probably wouldn't have puppies young enough for puppy shots so I don't count those lol Same for kitty cats) Can I do the same for cats? If so what kind of schedule do you prefer?

Bloodwork, how often should it be done? My dogs I do every other year until they become "seniors" (Which depends on the dogs size) and then I do it every year. If the dog has medical problems that need watching then every 6 months. How does this work with cats? At what point are cats considered seniors?

Dentals, my dogs get their teeth brushed several times a week, raw bones to chew and dental treats. How do I keep a cats teeth cleaned? This cat would probably tear me up if I tried to brush his teeth and I'm not sure how big on chewing he is. Would vet cleanings be the best option?

Besides a physical, is there anything else that needs to be done at yearly vet checks? Should I do fecal checks, urinalysis, ect?

I believe that's all my questions for this section, if I think of any others I'll come back and post. If there is anything else you think I should know about then feel free to share as well. Lol!

Oh! Just thought of something else, dogs need like heartworm testing each year, what about cats? Do they need heartworm test or is there any kitty disease test that need to be checked each year/6 months?

I'm a dog person and it's been forever since I had a cat so please help re-educate me on kitty care.

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Hi there!! Welcome to the site - be ready to become a cat person - hehe!! I am in no way shape or form an expert, but I will try to help...

Vaccinations, what kind and how often? In the dog world vaccinations are WAY overly done. My dogs do NOT get vaccinations except 2-4 times in their lives (Besides rabies which I do every 3 years) depending on the breed/size and age I get them at. (I'm not a fan of the puppy stage so unless I was forced to, I probably wouldn't have puppies young enough for puppy shots so I don't count those lol Same for kitty cats) Can I do the same for cats? If so what kind of schedule do you prefer?

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Rabies - depends on your city law - mine is yearly - I give yearly non adjuvanted vaccine for Rabies and FV-RCCP until they are 4, and from there on, I will only give yearly Rabies. I do NOT give Feline Leukemia Vaccine or Feline Aids Vaccine. Feline Aids IMO should NEVER be given, and Feline Leukemia should only be given if the cat roams outside, which it is not a good thing to do... It is better for the cat to be kept inside.

Bloodwork, how often should it be done? My dogs I do every other year until they become "seniors" (Which depends on the dogs size) and then I do it every year. If the dog has medical problems that need watching then every 6 months. How does this work with cats? At what point are cats considered seniors?

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As far as I know, no test is necessary until they become seniors, then they will need a complete Senior panel done, unless of course they are sick. When you bring a new cat home, you should do a quick blood test for Leukemia and Aids in the vets office, but that's pretty much it. Senior I believe are 7 years old +

Dentals, my dogs get their teeth brushed several times a week, raw bones to chew and dental treats. How do I keep a cats teeth cleaned? This cat would probably tear me up if I tried to brush his teeth and I'm not sure how big on chewing he is. Would vet cleanings be the best option?

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If you didn't start brushing from a young age, chances are you are not going to be able to do so. Treats and some chicken necks a couple times a week will do it, vet cleaning as necessary - the vet will tell you when it is needed - it hugely depends on the cat.

Besides a physical, is there anything else that needs to be done at yearly vet checks? Should I do fecal checks, urinalysis, ect?

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It depends - The vet will feel the cats organs, listen to the heart, talk to you, etc. If he feels there is something wrong, he/she will go from there. If you keep your cat inside, your chances of having something go wrong will be much less than if it goes outside...

I believe that's all my questions for this section, if I think of any others I'll come back and post. If there is anything else you think I should know about then feel free to share as well. Lol!

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Again, welcome to the site, and have fun!!!

I am a big fan of getting a bloodwork done before they get older so I have a baseline if any of mine were to get sick but unless I am worried about them do not get a blood panel done yearly. My seniors (my vet classes a senior as 8+) get yearly senior panels.

The quick test at the vet for Aids and leukemia tests for the presence of antibodies, which could be that they have been exposed and do not have it, have had a vaccine or actually have it (with or without clinical symptoms)

I also do not do any non required (by law) vaccines after 6 years of age if I have had them since kittens (Autumn came in as a 3-4 year old Adult and may get them again next year to build up an immunity). They all get a yearly rabies as required by law here.
I took home a feral cat at 4 years old and can now brush her teeth, so its not impossible but does require a slow intro to brushing. Now she actually loves the salmon flavoured tooth paste and its a pain to get her to stop licking and let me brush.

I am in Canada so we do not have the same prevalence of Heartworm as some southern areas, vets up here are starting to recommend heartworm treatment for cats so I would speak to the vet about the risk factor for your area.

I don't know about dogs, but cats are great at hiding problems. Slight changes in behavior can be an indication of a problem. Peeing outside the box is usually a health problem. But because they can (usually) disguise health problems so well, we take our cats to the vet annually and have done so since we rescued them. We may be "overkill" here, but we get annual blood work done. Our thoughts are prevention of problems as they develop.

At the vet check-up, the vet advises us as to whether a dental should be done or not. We have one cat with very bad plaque problems. She gets a dental every six months. The others seem to be on an every-other-year schedule. We brush the teeth of the cat with a problem. A big part of her problem is she does not chew any food (no matter how large the kibble). ...but she loves being brushed, and sees having her teeth brushed as an extension of that, and loves it. We do not brush the other cats' teeth.

They get their rabies at the vet exam.

Feeding a high quality urinary tract-health food can help prevent UTI problems in male cats. This is an issue because the construction of the urethra is such that if they develop crystals or bladder inflammation, their urethras can become blocked, which then causes toxic build-up and can kill them within 24 - 48 hours. A water fountain often also helps increase water intake, which further helps mitigate this problem as well.

Thanks for all the information.

He is an indoor cat at all times.

I'll ask the vet about rabies here, our dogs get a 3 year vaccine. I'll see if it's possible for cats to do the same. Same for heartworms since I know dogs are at a very high risk in our location.

What exactly is FV-RCCP?

I'll look into the water fountain. I'm a nutrition nut for myself and my animals so I do plan to put the cat on a good brand of food. I asked the owner what he's on now and he said he's on Whiskas canned food. I asked about switching the cat to a RAW diet and he was obviously very uncomfortable with the idea so I'm going to try him on EVO when he gets here to make daddy feel a little better. I read somewhere a long time ago that it's bad to give cats fish/too much fish? Can anyone refresh my memory (Or correct it) on what that's about?

FVR Stands For Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis
C Stands For Calicivirus Infection
P Stands For Panleukopenia

The additional C is Chlymidia and not all vets do the FVRCCP, so you have to ask for it but its definitely recommended.

Fish can have too much mercury and unsaturated fats for a cats diet

Fish also tend to be high in magnesium, which is not good for urinary tract health.