First Cat's First Vet Visit Tomorrow - What to Ask

permanentruby said:

 
I'm bringing my sweet new baby to her new vet tomorrow for the first time, and I'm wondering what to expect! The vet will ask about her habits: bathroom, eating, sleeping, does she groom herself? Is she active/lazy? Is she strictly indoors or does she go outside? The vet will check her all over, including her mouth, nose, eyes and ears. S/he will probably take a stool sample to check for parasites. Expect them to weigh her and to check how she moves. The vet should check her coat for signs of any skin problems.

Should I have her wear her collar, or her leash/harness there? Does she stay in her carrier until I bring her into the exam room? She should be in a secure carrier and remain inside until she is in the exam room. Should I have treats for her? No because she will likely be stressed and you do not want her eating when stressed. BTW: If you can be calm and centered, it will help your cat be the same. A good vet will take time to help the cat relax and not move so fast it frightens her more. 

Also, what should I be asking the vet? So far my concerns are:

- She seems underweight, so what to feed and how much

- She hacks after dinner sometimes Do ask, but this is not uncommon. If there is no medical reason, then consider feeding her smaller amounts throughout the day if possible. Some cats bolt their food and then begin to choke on it. It is rarely anything serious, but it is good to ask.

- She poops multiple times a day sometimes, and almost immediately after eating her wet food for dinner - is that normal? Every cat is different, but some do this. I have 3 indoor cats and they are all different as to when and how often they poop. 

- She breathes pretty rapidly and sounds congested/sneezes at times   Again not uncommon and may be allergies, dry air (if you live in a cold climate this time of year they might be like us - just the dryness alone can cause this) 

- Her records from the shelter indicate that she might need a booster shot

- How her teeth are, and how to keep them in top shape

- Should she be microchipped, and how much does it cost there (the petco clinic near me does it for $15)  I don't have my indoor cats microchipped because they never go outside. I do have the dogs microchipped and believe strongly in the process. However, I've had bad luck with Petco/PetsSmart chips because they often don't register them correctly. But this is probably a regional thing and won't apply everywhere. It's worth asking about. 

Any other advice would be much appreciated! I've never brought a pet to the vet before!  Like human doctors, vets range from very good to awful. Make sure you feel comfortable with the chosen vet and that s/he takes time to listen to all your concerns and answers your questions. Don't allow anyone to make you feel foolish for having concerns! Good luck! 

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LTS3 said:

 
Don't forget to call the microchip company and get all of your contact information associated with your cat's microchip ID number into the databse. An unregistered microchip with no contact info is useless. Many people somehow assume that once the microchip is inserted, all of their contact info is magically put in the company's database.

I would bring a stool sample in just to be sure your cat is tapeworm free or not. Sometimes one deworming treatment doesn't work to kill all of the worms so a second dose is needed.

Parasite preventative is a good idea even for indoor only cats. Your vet will probably recommend one based on the parasites that are common in your area. Revolution is popular as is Advantage and Frontline. Heartgard is for heartworm prevention.

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permanentruby said:

 
Vet visit is over. Poor girl had tapeworms, so she had a deworming pill. They also gave her her first treatment of Paradyne for free. I also had her microchipped right there at the vet - they were shocked she wasn't microchipped already, considering that I got her from a shelter.

In all, she had her distemper booster, a pill, microchipping, her ears thoroughly swabbed (they thought she had ear mites but luckily she did not) and she was an insanely good girl throughout.

My questions leaving the vet's office are:

1. They recommended me bringing a stool sample in a few weeks to make sure the tapeworms are gone and there are no other issues. Should I do this? It's $60 at the vet.

2. What flea/tick/heartworm treatments should I use going forward? She's an indoor cat and the only pet in my house.

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yogakitty said:

 
I personally wouldn't put her on any parasite preventatives if she's an indoor cat, but that's my opinion. I think its just additional chemicals and meds in their body they don't need, and can ultimately interfere with their health and immune system.

It's also winter right now. Why would your vet recommend heartworm treatment? A mosquito needs to have a constant, uninterrupted temperature of 14 degrees celcius or higher to even become infectious...and then of course the mosquito has to bite your cat, and be one of the infected mosquitos to begin with...So many factors. Is heartworm disease common in your area? And unless your area has an abundance of ticks and fleas......even indoors?.... I would definitely not bother. I also refuse the rabies vaccination except for the initial visit when kitty is getting a booster. Then, you can always test if they continue to be immune by requesting a titer test. But again, if you have an indoor cat, the risk is so terribly low...personally, it doesn't even cross my mind.

With my previous pets, I always did a full blood panel every 1-2 years. It gives you information on their kidney function, other organs, hydration, if anything funny is going on.

It looks like your vet should have spent a little more time. I just had my kitten in recently. They made him walk and stand, checked his bone structure, teeth, ears, eyes. Checked the heart, cut his nails, checked the bum, felt him up every way possible lol. I would say your vet definitely rushed you and should have been more thorough. Every time I go, I always have the vet check the teeth and ears, and weigh. Keep a record of the weight for your own personal information, as well as any meds or shots given. You never know when you will transfer vets or clinics, and its good to have a thorough record so you don't have to request it from the old vet and risk paying for copies. Better to have your own.

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permanentruby said:

 
Thanks! I completed her profile as soon as we got home. Her microchip is with Home Again.

I am concerned that my vet didn't really do everything I was expecting him to...the assistant weighed her and checked her ears (cleaned them out), but all the vet really did was then take a look at her ears and listen to her heart. They didn't watch her walk, feel her skin, or anything like that. She even has a little bit of junk under one eye that I noticed while we were there, but they didn't (and I forgot to mention because we were kind of rushed). Is that normal, or cause for concern that she didn't get a complete exam?

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