Took Joni to the vet today... tell me what you think

I've had another vet experience that I'm not sure how I feel and need some perspective on.

Joni is 10 months old and was last seen for her kitten vaccines in August.  She's not due for more vaccines until this August.  My experience with the boys is that once they finished their kitten stuff, they had an interim checkup (about a month and a half ago actually) where they were weighed, examined, dewormed, teeth looked at, organs poked at, etc., and the vet talked with me about the developing they'd done over the last six months and also what to expect in terms of life with junior kittens.  They will then go back 1 year after their kitten stuff (late June) to get updated stuff, then don't need to be seen for a year after that.  So, since Joni is about 6 weeks younger than the boys, I figured it was time for her to have that checkup too.  She goes to a different vet but I figure it should be the same, so I made an appointment earlier this week and took her in this morning.

Well, I take the morning off work, get her in the crate (with a little less trauma than at moving time, but not much), drive her over there, check in, and wait 10 minutes for the doctor.  I get into the room and she's weighed (9 pounds!     Practically petite compared to my big 13-pound boys!), then the vet tech goes to get the vet, and comes back and says she doesn't need to be seen until August so he's not sure what good it will do to examine her, unless she's been having problems.  They want to save me the exam fee and just bring her back in August.

I have a couple problems with this.  My biggest problem - why couldn't you tell me that over the phone?  I would still have been confused as to why you won't see her (see number 2 in a minute), but at least I wouldn't have made the appointment, used paid time from work, gone through the hassle of her fighting the crate and crying the whole way there, wasted my gas and my time... ???  Just tell me before I make the appointment.

Number 2 - why doesn't she need to be seen?  She was three months old the last time you saw her - she will be a YEAR and three months old the next time you see her.  Doesn't that skip her whole development period?  I appreciate them not wanting to take my exam fee if they don't think it's necessary, but I guess I'm wondering why they didn't think it was necessary.  She shouldn't be checked or weighed or anything for that whole first year of life?  There were a lot of changes... she was introduced to her brothers, she was spayed, we moved house, she's more than doubled her weight and size... I don't understand waiting a year, missing her whole development period when there are a lot of changes going on.  I'm not saying that all cats need to be seen every six months for their whole lives, but it seems weird to see a little baby kitten, then forget about her until she's done developing and is way out of kitten stage into junior stage.

So, am I way off base here?  I have no idea what to think.  Maybe the boys' vet was ripping me off and just said they needed to be examined so I'd have to pay.  What's your experience?  Any thoughts?

I think your last paragraph hit the nail on the head. Your last vet was milking you for exam fees.

I have never, in all my years of keeping cats, had a vet that wanted to see my kittens for an exam after their speuter and shots.

None have wanted  them back in until they were a year old and ready for boosters.

Same with all my years with kitties..once a followup post spay was done, to be sure all healed well with incision etc., we wouldn't go back until time for their year old checkup.
 

Arlyn said:

I think your last paragraph hit the nail on the head. Your last vet was milking you for exam fees.

I have never, in all my years of keeping cats, had a vet that wanted to see my kittens for an exam after their speuter and shots.

None have wanted  them back in until they were a year old and ready for boosters.

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I don't necessarily think your other vet is "milking you" for exam fees. . .some people like to have that checkup with discussions about development, etc., like a pediatrician doing a "well child" checkup. I think that's more common with dogs than cats but if it's what you like then I'm sure you can find a vet who does that. Other vets (and owners) don't see a point in having a checkup unless the cat needs to have something done. It is kind of annoying that they didn't tell you that before you brought her in, but sometimes the person on the phone is just taking appointments and doesn't keep track of anything else.

Well, you guys definitely made me feel better about the vet.  Which is good because I really liked them and was so surprised.  But it goes to show you that a single vet can have a lot of power over what we think about our cats & their health... here I was thinking Joni's vet didn't care about her development LOL!  All because the other vet set a certain expectation. 

But you know I was thinking about it more, and the boys are on a "wellness plan" - which in my humble opinion has been a total ripoff from the very beginning - monthly costs plus all costs that aren't covered by the plan, which is a lot.  In the first 3 months of having the boys I think I spent over $1000, $500 per cat - on Joni's kitten care I spent $260-280.  And the only difference between them was the boys had ear mites.  They also got vaccinated for FIV & FeLV, which I now don't think was necessary.  (Joni was tested but not vaccinated.)  So I think with the wellness plan comes a lot of things that aren't necessary - like, apparently, a mid-year checkup.  But since you are paying you want to get your money's worth I guess. 

Needless to say, I decided a LONG time ago to take them off the plan as soon as our 1-year contract is up.  I really like Joni's vet - at her kitten appointment the actual doctor spent 30 minutes in the room with us... at the boys' vet they have been on visits where I don't see the doctor at all period, just the vet techs.  Certainly never more than 15 minutes, even when Garfunkel was sick.  So I'm glad you adjusted my expectations so I can feel good about moving the boys to the new vet in - actually, in only a month!  Yay!

It would have been nice of them to let you know that you really didn't need to come in. They sound like a great vet though.