How often does your vet make your cat come in for checkups?

I tried to get my cats medicine refilled. I was told I could not get a refill without the vet seeing my cat.  With my previous vet I took him in once a year. I told the receptionist it was not a year yet and he was not due for a vet visit until December.

I'm sort of annoyed about this. I may have to get the checkup sooner as I will run out of medicine before then. 

Anyone else have this problem? My cat is perfectly healthy and on the lowest dose he can possible be on his medication without taking him off it completely.  I hate to stress him out by taking him in for a visit, for the vet to examine him and tell me he is "perfectly" healthy. However, it is not like I have a choice when they are holding his medications hostage!  

He gets prednisolone as needed for his allergies. He is never on it for more than 3 or 4 days at a time. I tried telling the receptionist this, but she said there was nothing she could do. 

you said your previous vet only saw him once a year, does that mean you're taking him to a new vet? is this the first time he'd be seeing this vet cause if it is then the vet can't prescribe something for your cat without seeing if he needs it first and to see if he needs a different dosage

This depends on the vet. Medications specifically make this different than just routine checkups. My only pet on medication is one of my lovebirds, but if I didn't bring her in once a month already, they set a reminder for me to come back for a checkup in 6 months - but her script is valid and refillable for more than 6 months which my vet did for my convenience.

Some vets (just like doctors) prefer to see their patients before extending their medication to ensure it's still applicable in that dosage, if it's still required at all. I know when I had a prescription for myself, I couldn't get a refill without a doctor's visit first BUT I believe I had no refills left on the original prescription he wrote me.

If you're seeing a new vet altogether, I wonder if they would need a script from your new vet since they'll be your cat's new primary vet. It also helps to avoid any confusion or mixing of records and medications to stick to one vet handling all of your cat's needs, including prior and existing medications. If your new vet has seen your cat recently, I would try calling first and asking to speak to them to let them know what's going on. I'm assuming you had your cat's records sent to the new vet and that they know about his medication anyway. I don't see why a vet wouldn't be willing to write up a script if you were running low unless they were afraid the dosage was inaccurate, or that there may be a more suitable medication than what he's already receiving.