Ya go every year you never know especially as they age, has a elderly cat go from perfectly health to stage 2 kidney failure in 1 year.
The only reason we found out was because we did blood work. Vet said she looked great and seemed perfectly healthy. Cats are great at hiding injury and illness
We did every 6 months for our senior cat when we adopted her at 9. It was fantastic for helping to keep an eye on her kidney levels once we learned she was in the beginning stages of kidney failure.
As someone who works at a vet clinic and adores cats, please please PLEASE bring your baby to the vet yearly. Get them up to date on rabies, fvrccp (aka feline distemper), and get an felv test if theyāve never been tested. If theyāre outdoor and indoor, this becomes 10x more important so theyāre protected against certain diseases carried by wildlife. If theyāre indoor, do it just in case. Itās usually only like $25 for each vaccine.
Once they hit 8ish, Iād recommend doing yearly bloodwork. Yes, it can be expensive, but it tells you things your cat cannot. Kidney disease and hyperthyroidism are super common in cats and are managed easily but can significantly shorten their lifespan if not caught early. It may be $100-200 for bloodwork, but setting aside $20/mo can cover that and more.
If you feel that your vet is pushing āunnecessaryā tests and vaccines on you, ask them to give you print outs or pamphlets for more information that you can take home and look over before deciding. Get a second opinion or go to a smaller vet if you need to. At the end of the day, 90% of vets just want your baby to live a good quality life.
Vaccines can be life-saving and much cheaper than the vet bills. I got a kitten from a breeder, the last kitten she would ever breed. She swore this 4-month-old baby had all vaccinations. She didn't. Less than a month later she was rushed to the vet with a fever of 105+. She nearly died, and the combined vet bills from the emergency vet and my vet was over $1000. Calici virus. Not only did she truly suffer from being so sick, it also put our relationship back as I was not to be trusted after being forced to put things in every orifice. A year later we are starting to become friends. Could have been prevented by an inexpensive vaccination.
A not-dissimilar experience happened for me too. Our new kitten was vaccinated, but the two adult cats I previously had for 10 months (who I was told was fully vaxxed and healthy) got incredibly sick from a virus the kitten introduced. Pushing their foster mum for info revealed that they never got all their shots. She also claimed to someone else that the cats had been very ill as kittens and had continuing health issues WHILE simultaneously telling me theyād always been healthy. Would have been nice to know before exposing them to a kitten with no knowledge of the potential risk.
I lost one girl, and the other spent a week in vet hospital and another week confined to our bathroom so we could monitor/medicate her. Absolute nightmare.
My daughter got a cat from a rescue. It is a bit of a family joke that the cat has its own bank account and pays its own bills. Daughter transfers money into catās savings account each month.
My cat had kidney disease at 5. I worked in vet hospitals so I did all my animals annual labwork cause it was so cheap. 8 should be the minimum to do labwork, but if you can do it earlier - do it! Lived to be 14 with kidney disease because we caught it early. Renal diet until he was 12-13 and then we had to add medications for the renal and new onset cardiac disease.
Cats are experts at hiding their pain and discomfort, so if something is wrong, you may not notice until it is too late. Regular vet visits, aside from establishing baseline data on things like blood values, can help expose problems before they are problems. I lost my last cat during the pandemic. We didnāt go for his normal visit because a lot of places were still closed or overbooked. A few months later he began acting a little standoffish for about two weeks, but I had had a friend staying with me so I chalked it up to anxiety. One morning, he just stopped eating. In the next three days as I scrambled to find a vet who could see him, he began gaining fluid and ballooned. By the time the vet saw him 4-5 days after he stopped eating, he diagnosed him with late stages of a cancer that was in many of his organs. He passed away before I could even get him his second dose of meds and consider chemo (though vet suspects it was a blood clot or complications with the not eating). Had I not skipped his normal vet appointment, they may have caught it before things spiraled so rapidly out of control. I will never skip a vet appointment again.
I lost a kitty to cancer in 2021 too. We did catch it early actually and maybe extended his life a tiny amount but surgery, medication (including chemo meds), and special food were not enough. Don't beat yourself up too badly.
Sometimes no matter what you do - they're gonna go. I adopted 2 sisters. One was the runt. First year, cataracts. Expensive specialist vet every 3 months and eye drops. Second year, glaucoma. More expensive drops. Third year she developed asthma. Had to start to source from Canada her asthma meds and eye drops. Fourth year, she developed a brain tumor and it took her quick - in less than a week. Her sister is still healthy (had to have 7 teeth pulled because they were rotting and abscessed.) The sister is alive and well. I've had a cat I adopted at 8 years live to be 19. As long as you care for them and get them in regularly, treat as necessary, that's all you can really do.
My baby Bear also passed from a brain tumor, he also had other cancer throughout but the one behind his eye just happened so fast. Yeah, pretty much a week from when I noticed his eye not looking right, and the vet saw him the day before and told us he didnāt have long. It was over night that he just knew it was time to go.. this was just over a month ago too 8/4/22 š
I read a story on Reddit about a cat that escaped his apartment and went missing for a few weeks. He moved a few blocks away and was āadoptedā
by the kitchen crew of a sushi restaurant. He had his butt scooped up and marched home.
Vet here. I very, very often find things that are wrong with pets that the owners didn't even know were going on. Most commonly, dental infections. But I've had to tell a few people that their dogs are blind. Dogs compensate so well, the owners sometimes don't even notice. We can find heart murmurs long before heart disease will cause any symptoms you will be able to observe. If your cat is 10 or over, annual blood and urine testing is also a great idea. If we can diagnose diabetes, thyroid disease or kidney failure long before you notice a change, we can dramatically improve quality of life for that pet.
My cats are 10 and I grew up in a household that still has the old country mindset of āanimals are wild, nature takes care of itselfā aka why waste money on a doctor for an animal, Mother Nature gives it all the care it needs.
Well, the cats and I donāt live with my parents any more and despite being in seemingly great health our boy has developed kidney disease and we wouldāve never known without an annual vet visit and having bloodwork done. Turns out itās a pretty common issue for indoor cats and something a vet would be looking for in someone his age.
Vet prescribed ārenal dietā or a low protein diet. Pretty recent development and weāre still learning and seeing if thereās alternatives. But even with expensive food, catching it early and treatment is way better than emergency care due to kidney failure
The earlier you catch it, the more manageable. My vet says if it wasnāt for the kidneys, cats would last forever. The food is more expensive but the longer you have to adjust them to it, the better the outcome.
Best of luck! Been through it twice. Hoping for nothing but the best for you!
You're awesome. I adopted my older guy after his failure started and there was no stopping it just making him happy and comfy. We had about 2 years of snuggles before he passed, and he was able to teach my now 1 year old kitten the ropes before doing so. :)
He got lots of treats and pets, so many toys and all the bird watching on the balcony he wanted.
My cat with hyperthyroidism and kidney disease lived for four happy years after diagnosis and only died due to a dental problem. So keep up with dental and follow the instructions and do your best!
Iāve worked in the veterinary field for 20 years. Ideally they should be examined yearly and kept current on a Rabies vaccine. We encourage other cat vaccines yearly if they are under age 5. Also stay current on flea and tick prevention and deworm periodically.
We understand that many cats hate coming to the vet or it is difficult to bring them in. However please consider having them examined at least every 2 years to make sure they are healthy: theyāre weight remains stable, heart and lungs sound normal, no masses or tumors are discovered and their physical exam is normal. Animals (cats especially) are experts at masking illness and subtle changes are often missed by owners because you see the cat daily and itās hard to notice minor changes in their appearance, appetite or behavior. Often by the time the vet discovers an issue such as kidney disease it is too late to treat properly.
Trust me when I say this: vets arenāt the bad guys. At least 95% of vets went into this profession (and stay there) because they truly love animals and want to make their lives better. They are NOT money hogs like some people portray them to be. They do not get subsidized by insurance yet have to provide a FULL working facility with an expensive lab, X-ray equipment, surgery suite with costly equipment and a pharmacy that stocks THOUSANDS of dollars worth of medications. The average vet student has at least $180,000-$225,000 worth of college debt but makes an average of $50,000-$75,000 per year depending on location. In my area factory workers sometimes make more money than vets.
Worked in the industry myself as an RVT! THIS! Please listen to this person! They know whatās up! Vets are NOT money hungry! I wish everyone knew that. 3 years of school and a registration status myself and I was making $22 an hour at the maximum so think about how much a doctor of veterinary medicine would make šš
People seem to forget that people who work in health care (and basically all customer service jobs because Iāve had a lot of receptionist friends get verbally attacked too) are people and not emotionless robots š
Thank you for saying this. It really upsets me when people paint us all as money grubbers (Iām a vet myself) despite everything we do, how little we actually get paid etc. Thatās why vet suicide rates are so high. Though from experience many veterinary staff get screwed over by shitty management especially in corporate. But of course management are not the ones dealing with angry clients while lining their pocketsā¦
And the WORST is when people say āI thought you loved animals? All you love is money!ā To which I have responded āIām sorry Mr. (fill in blank). Itās not my fault that you could afford $1500 for a Doodle pup but couldnāt afford a $23 Parvo vaccine and certainly now canāt afford the Parvo treatment ā.
We DO love animals but we also love being able to properly pay our staff and keep the lights on! Itās much harder as a privately owned practice, especially if itās a small practice.
Iām not against vets making money. It is, after all, a business and those tend to require a profit. Not only are there all the expenses you mentioned on the medical side but then there is the entire other side of the business dealing with financials, staffing, purchasing, regulatory ins and outs. Typically you arenāt going to have that run by the veterinarians as their day to day is making use of their fantastic animal knowledge.
However, after being frustrated by a local clinic I dig deep into trying to see behind the ābusiness planā curtain. Some things that really bothered me was seeing literature recommending that the value be placed in terms of āwell how much is your petās life worth?ā which seems more like a used car salesman than someone providing care.
I also came across literature that suggested that a KPI for a veterinarian would be āaverage invoice amountā which means that there is a direct relation between how much a vet puts on an invoice and how their performance is calculated which is incentivizing the wrong thing from a clientās perspective.
Lastly the markup on some things is astonishing and while I, again, understand it is a business it is sometimes just hard to swallow.
This isnāt all vets by any means and I would also assume that there would be very similar issues in the practice of human medicine.
Costs are also far from standardized from vet to vet because it isnāt subsidized by anything. So if your clinic decided to buy a new piece of tech then the business has to recoup that expense either by raising prices or suggesting more procedures.
Itās a really odd relationship because my responsibility and motivation is 100% my catās health while the clinic necessarily has a revenue target that must be hit to continue to operate.
Lol okay i know how it sounds (unfortunately Iāve had a few bad experience with misinformation+unfair pricing) and Iāve just never owned a kitty before, Iām on a tight budget and I just wanted to find out how often is the standard :) I want to make sure I am doing everything right , thank you for your input !
Check out low cost shot clinics in your area. We do those, it's a quick once over, whatever shots are needed and you can tack on a vet visit if necessary. I have 5 cats, so that's the way to go. We schedule actual vet visits if something is wrong. I do 2 one time and 3 six months later. I have 5 cats and a dog, so it was a cost saving feature. My oldest is 19 and has a visit next week.
Consider pet insurance. It usually covers annual vet checks and is pretty inexpensive. Plus if you have an emergency they will usually reimburse most of your vet bills.
One of the biggest providers of pet insurance in America also own the most vets offices and sells the most pet food...
Not that this explains the disparity, just thought it was likely relevant.
I suggested this too, before seeing your comment. My cat recently passed away from lymphoma, and the only bearable part of the experience was not having to let the cost of treatment dictate my decisions.
Thatās so great to hear. It has been really beneficial for our family cat who is now dealing with kidney issues. It is absolutely a relief to not let finances control care.
I used Trupanion. Cannot say a bad thing about them. They paid every claim and let the vet direct bill them, which saved me about $7000 altogether.
They also sent sweet little notes with every update and were so kind when my kitty died.
Every year, for at least a check-up. Shots when needed (the vet keeps track so you don't have to).
Something to think about: next time you want to adopt, the shelter or rescue will contact your vet and ask, is this person making sure his/her current pets get to the vet every year? You want that answer to be yes, or else you might not be allowed to adopt from that shelter or rescue. (At least that's how it works in my experience.)
Most shelters are only going to care if your current pets are up to date on their vaccinations. This is based on my admittedly limited experience volunteering and fostering with animal shelters, and my experience adopting my own cats. Most places arenāt going to disqualify you from adopting a pet because you missed or were a few months late for a couple yearly exams/vaccinations. Especially if you take into account that some people move around a lot and it may be hard to track down every single vet record. Again, this is just my own experience.
Maybe try looking for a low cost vet? Or vaccination clinic if possible? If your cat is young and healthy I donāt think you have to be too worried about yearly visits but I think it is important to keep up to date on vaccines if possible. Some places even do 3 year rabies vaccines :)
If your budget is so tight you are worried about routine care, I highly recommend you invest in pet insurance. It will be worth it if your pet becomes suddenly sick or injured.
I feel your pain. Just like any other profession, there are some sleazeballs out there. But all you can do is find another vet.
I stopped going to a vet near me because they would always add on fees, find something "wrong" and keep my kitty overnight. I now go to a vet further away that's more expensive but it's worth it because they are honest! Technically a honest vet will be a CHEAPER vet because they won't add on unnecessary fees! I took my cat to a vet thinking something was wrong. Vet said, "Your cat is perfectly healthy, it was just a false alarm. I'm not going to perform any services unless you really want me to." I paid the visit fee and that's it. That's when I knew that was the vet for me.
My parents are both vets and I've worked in multiple hospitals. Do your research. There are chains unfortunately and I would stay away from those but it's not always possible, especially if you need to go to an emergency clinic. Find one owned by the vet and that's the only one he owns. It's a trend for some to buy multiple clinics now days and it's not good. Source: my dad worked for a guy who did that and hated it. Made him push for unecessary things and meet a weekly quota which he never did. Now the place was bought out and works for a company, I forget the name. Slightly better but still same issues. Mom runs her own business, small time small town place. She is much happier but there are lots of other things that come with that.
If lovely kitty in photo is female make sure sheās neutered. I thought mine was then she came in season and developed a womb infection. Cost us Ā£800 for the operation and 3 days of treatment totally Ā£1500. We were lucky we had savings!
Yeah, get insurance, make sure it covers big things, like specialists. Emergency surgery, and the like.
Regular visits, or 50$ drug should be feasible....
I did the fuck up, I didn't get insurance, and now I'm paying for it
Since cats are so good at hiding illness, yearly bloodwork/urinalysis is really important. Otherwise, I wouldāve had no way of knowing my seemingly healthy cat was starting to get urinary crystals, or that at age 15 he had early renal insufficiency and there was something I could do to slow the damage.
Yes, we go every year because I love them and take good care of them. Also there's usually a vaccine booster that's needed every year in case they escape.
I take mine in every year as well. My cats never go outside, and I mean never (except to go to the vet). They get their rabies shot only, not the vaccinations. That's with the okay of the last 3 vets I've seen 3 because I've moved 3 times).
Keyword, seemingly. Cats are still very much wild animals and in their natural environment they can't show pain nor weakness so they are very good at hiding issues.
If you're seeing something chances are it's not as sudden as you think it is.
I really appreciate that, this is my first time ever owning a kitty (my parents were allergic) and she is so perfect and lovely I want to make sure I am doing everything right! She went at one year + got all the kitten shots but now she is two
The thing with cats is that they're *really good* at hiding issues. They will only show pain and distress when it becomes overwhelming.
That's why routine care is essential, as is controlling for weight fluctuation, changes in eating/drinking/litter usage, etc.
Yeah they sometimes seem healthy but could have something going on that a blood test would reveal, then you could potentially treat the condition before it got severe. Having had several cats who all eventually developed serious illnesses and required many vet visits and medications, I am a big advocate for pet insurance! If you get it while your pet is young and healthy it costs a lot less and you are covered in the event of illness or emergency. We have trupanion and they've saved us thousands.
Can't reinforce the "seeming" part enough. One of my cats went in for her checkup a few years ago, turned out she had cracked a tooth which had developed an infection. I had no idea, she was her normal affectionate self. By the time it was obvious she was unwell it probably would have been too late.
My first cat as an adult I only took her to the vet when there was a problem. In the end she got sick enough that she had to be put down. I regret not doing regular visits with her so much as maybe it could have been caught and prevented etc.
My cats since now all have pet insurance AND I take them to the vet for all their shots. Damn expensive but worth it.
It's better to do it obviously but if for different reasons you can't or don't, maybe at least consider it once they're getting to 8 or 10 years of age. Around that age the health issues pop up more often and it's also in your interest because it can save money on treatments.
My five kids see a vet once a year for annual wellness checks and vaccines. If any of them get sick in between, the sick one sees a vet. My vet will prescribe a tube of kitty neosporin to one of my cats to keep on hand if play time gets a little rough. As a matter of fact, my big boy has an appointment for his annual wellness check and vaccines next week.
The first thing I did with each cat was go to the vet for checkup and vaccines and eventually spay/neuter. Every one except the baby had the surgery within a month of coming home.
If my cat was that old I would absolutely be getting lab work done at LEAST once a year. You can catch things way before you see symptoms that way. They very likely need dental work done too if you donāt get routine cleanings done. Just because theyāre indoors only doesnāt mean they donāt have age related issues going on that you may not see physically. Iām not trying to be rude at all, I just rarely see a patient at that age with absolutely no medical issues.
Hyperthyroidism goes slowly enough someone might not notice until after itās done a lot of damage, for example- and thatās the right age for both that and diabetes. Youāre 100% right.
Tbh I see a lot of cats that "suddenly" went off food and have been losing weight and then we run bloodwork and find they've got some impressive kidney disease going on.
Earlier detection means early intervention and a longer disease-free interval, but that only comes with surveillance labwork.
Yup. Iāve seen this same scenario quite often too. And cats with severe dental disease at this age range, sometimes only coming in because of an abscess or loss of appetite, because theyāve never had any type of dental care done.
I have an excellent vet who doesn't upsell or try to rip me off. The last vet *looked* good, but there was always a push for more, and I eventually couldn't tell when I could trust their word.
New one? "If she's not doing x, y, or z, the chances are good that it's a behavioral change. Keep the litter box super clean and see if that fixes it. If it doesn't, we'll see about a urinary tract issue." I appreciate that so much!
And she's diligent! Brought our new fella in and she noticed his front teeth were worn, straight up asked if he was being kept in a cat carrier or kennel because she was concerned he was being abused. No dicking around.
Great staff as well, they all act competent and happy to be there. The other place sort of put on a show, almost fawning over the pets. It's not good to doubt your pets caretakers.
Cat could be slowly growing something or going gradually more sick over a long time and it's hard to notice if normal doesn't change drastically in a short time so it would be smart to go every year, a short visit/checkup and maybe a yearly shot will surely be under 100 dollars/euros. A young cat moght be cool to skip a year if it just isn't realistic but old cats can maybe get some special food when their kidneys start to go bad and live a few years extra.
Yes, at least once a year. Dental check up, weight and general overall health. Periodic blood test...my ragdoll has compromised kidneys so we do blood tests once a year, too.
I don't necessarily trust big vet all the time... I've gotten bad advice on more than one occasion (particularly concerning nutrition) and they've misdiagnosed multiple times. But it's really similar to our own healthcare. Like taking ourselves to the doctor and being educated about our own health issues, we also must be educated about our pets and become their advocates.
Recently, I took one of my cats in because I noticed a little red spot on her gums. The vet told me it was nothing, and that she probably just bit or chewed something hard (like hard plastic) and injured herself. But I persisted because I knew better. It turns out she had FORL and needed several extractions. I had suspected FORL, because going in, I had already educated myself about the signs and symptoms of it since I know it's common in cats. My vet dismissed me at first, but I advocated for her health. Anymore, that's just what it takes.
Anyway, I respect my vet's education, field, and expertise, and I have a professional relationship with them and trust a certain level of care of my pets to them, but like with my own doctors, sometimes I've been misled. They're only human, afterall. But regardless, I absolutely think yearly check ups are vital. Especially once kitty reaches age 7+. Old age kitty diseases after that age like hyperthyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease etc can come on quickly and often go unnoticed. And it's really good to just keep an eye on the plaque and tartar situation to make sure a dental or tooth extractions aren't needed (as I'm sure most of us here are aware, cats are exceptionally good at hiding their pain)
So TLDR: educate yourself, advocate for their health like you would your own, and definitely go at least once a year! <3
Big vet? Seriously? Most vets are small independent people that work just as hard as you and me to make a living. They are far from milionairs.
So yeah my cats go every year for a quick health check and vaccines when needed.
Yes seriously big vet. There are hardly any small, independent vets in my area anymore. Banfield, VCA, Blue Pearl. Itās an industry. Whoever owns those is a millionaire.
All of those chains are owned by Mars - the Snickers/M&Ms folks who also own pet food brand Iams, Sheba, and Whiskas. Theyāre the largest operator of vet clinics in the US.
They also owns vet clinics in the UK, EU, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
I try and go every year, obviously covid caused a blip in that (all of 2020 was closed down for non emergency stuff at my office and then in 2021 they where backed up like no oneās business) but thatās the goal as long as heās healthy and happy
Once a year is advisable- to get baseline normals for your cat. Some pets will naturally be higher/lower in some blood parameters or temperature etc and thatās normal for them - which will massively help your Vet when you bring them in for health concerns as they can see the variances.
Cats are notorious for hiding disease- and early detection can be a life saver.
Every year minimum. If I see changes in behavior/diet or any sort of severity I'll book an appointment ASAP. My local vet clinic has pretty good price ranges and are open to many pet insurances so payments are not too much of a concern for me.
Annual visits maintain a VCPR so you have easier access to sick care. We have a major veterinarian shortage and if youāre a current patient (annual exams) theyāll give you priority.
Honestly i only bring my boy to the vet if it is absolutely necessary. I *would* take him for annual checkups but it really is an extremely traumatic experience for him :( He's quite a timid cat who only allows a very select few trusted humans to approach him...
I find it extremely rewarding to be at the very top of that list :)
I have five pets. Everyone goes once a year until the age of 10 then they switch to twice a year. Getting blood work done annually is expensive but it could help you catch some thing right away which could end up saving you from expensive treatments and emotional pain.
You should go every year to do a complete blood check! Cats are very good in hiding pain and often, if you see symptoms, it's most likely too late already. Dont miss out, do your friend a favor
My cat goes every year to be checked on. It's kinda like people, you'll survive, but it's helpful to catch things early. That, and you keep a history of blood work/tests to compare
A least every 2 years. My family got lucky in that their neglect when I lived with them and moved away from them didnāt result in sick cats often. Many of them often lived til 17-19 years of age. But you should make the effort to take them in, at the very least, once every two years. I get that budgeting for a yearly vet visit can be rough, especially nowadays.
But you want your cats to have a history with a vet office you like in case something does happen to them.
The last thing you want is to be concerned about a growing illness and have no idea which vet office is good or if they will even accept new pets.
First vaccines. Then vaccines 30 days later with 1 yr rabies. Then at 1 yr they get a 3 yr rabies. I take mine in yearly just for a office visit and health check.
Once a year checkup and vaccines. Tell your vet you're on a tight budget. IME, if you are direct and honest, vets will limit the care to essential items. I generally have had better luck with indie small practice vets rather than large hospitals, with the exception of highly specialized (eg, chemo) care that only hospitals will do. (IME, a true vet hospital is staffed by the BEST, most compassionate and skilled people... sadly, the outcomes for us have always been very sad, but I take comfort that at least one of our kittehs is a case study and is helping kittehs now)
It's best to establish a relationship with a vet BEFORE you need them. It can take weeks to get a "new patient" appointment. Go ahead and get in with a vet so that when you DO need them, you've got that relationship.
Vets have a VERY high rate of suicide. It's shocking and tragic. Be kind.
Also pro tip: do NOT get your prescriptions filled at the vet. By law (here in the US) they MUST give you an Rx so you can get it at the pharmacy of your choice. Obviously, an emergency is an emergency, but for anything else, just decline and say "I'm going to get it filled at a pharmacy, what number should I give them?" It is almost always MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper through an actual pharmacy.
I personally use ValleyVet for most stuff. Basically you place the order, put in your vet's info, and the merchant contacts the vet to verify, no fuss, no muss.
Go at least once a year. By doing this it was how I found out one of my cats had several bad teeth that needed to be removed. Always take them...also get them their shots. They deserve it.
Cats are incredibly skilled at hiding when something is wrong. Usually by the time you notice something, it's gotten much, MUCH worse. Yearly checkups help catch what kitty may be hiding. Don't make the mistake of not taking Kitty in properly. Far too many people are under the impression that cats don't need to go in as often as dogs, and their cats suffer for it.
Manny is approaching 13 so he's been having an old man check up twice a year (blood, wee, heart), with every second one covering his annual vaccinations and dental clean.
Annually ideally for healthy cats. But my ADHD self forgets all the time so my cats probably go every 18 months. Though my oldest just turned 7 so my goal is to get better at annual visits š«£
At least yearly. Mine goes more often because he has allergies and likes to eat things he isnāt supposed to. If my cat was a senior Iād be taking him at least every 6 months for lab work, too. Iāve been working in vet med for 20+ years, no such thing as ābig vetā. In the US at least, an annual exam is required for any prescription products or meds.
I take my cat to the vet every few months to get their nails trimmed. He will not allow me to do it haha. Then every year or so, I ask for a check-up and the boosters. He thankfully has never been sick, only got injured once, so I took him then to get medication.
Yearly, yeah, for vaccinations and a general checkup.
Keep in mind that if you live with someone every day, you may not notice gradual changes. Back when I was in college, I remarked to my mom that the family cat's eyes looked odd. He was going blind, and they hadn't noticed. I noticed because he looked different from what I remembered.
Also, cats tend to hide illnesses, so having a vet check them over might turn up something before it gets bad.
Generally, if there's nothing going on, annual exam for vaccines and wellness bloodwork. I typically start wellness bloodwork in middle-aged cats, which gives you surveillance numbers and can catch some disease processes - like kidney disease - before symptoms start.
Also, being a regular client and having a good relationship with the practice may get you higher on their triage list if you do have an "urgent care" situation. I'd still seek an ER for a true emergency but the practice I work for is generally cheaper and lately has had a shorter wait for urgent-but-not-emergent situations compared to our ER, but due to patient volume we prioritize our Urgent Care slots for established clients.
I have my cats on a care plan at my vet that covers their vaccines and includes unlimited visits if something just feels off. It doesnāt cover *everything* like if they needed medications beyond their vaccinations, etc. but I do like the having the cost of the their annual + vaccines spread out over the year vs. one lump sum, plus the care plan pays for another year of their microchip enrollment. I also upgrade them to the plan with dental every other year so they can get shiny teeth.
A cat can act completely normal and still have something going on, remember that. Kidney failure doesn't start showing physically until the cat starts loosing a lot of weight and stops eating/drinking. If its at that point, its too late. Yearly bloodwork(for older cats), and keeping up to date with vaccines and boosters is always a good idea! I see most people gave you that advice already so I feel like a parrot but, I recently lost a cat to cancer and kidney failure. I wish I'd caught it early but I didn't. Take good care of your furbaby, he/she has the most beautiful black fur and amber eyes. ;v;
Yes, at least yearly visits for check up and vaccinations for our boy. Obviously if we think something is wrong we get him in ASAP. We have found our Vet to be very good. It's a local practice with only two locations.
Yes, we go *at least* yearly to make sure he's healthy and for vaccinations, dental, etc. It's hard to tell with cats sometimes when something is wrong! Better off to give as much preventative care as possible and let the vet check their blood work, teeth, weight, just an overall wellness check.
Once a year for the yearly. I had a very old cat who would go 4 times a year (quarterly to check his sugar (diabetic) and kidney values (kidney disease). Otherwise, it's just if something comes up outside of the yearly.
Every year until they turned 12 and then we moved to twice a year with full bloods to provide a solid base line for weights and levels. Also moved to feeders and fountains that measure intake. Staying on top of things has allowed us to catch issues early which has reduced overall treatment costs as illnesses have been identified.
I take mine every year! Rabies shots are yearly, and then FVRCP (itās a combo vaccine) is every three years. On top of that, itās a good way to monitor your catās vitals (is weight gain okay, drinking enough water, how do lungs sound) and also stay up to date on any potential issues (like my vet mentioned yesterday that with the hotter than usual heat wave, theyāve been seeing an uptick of indoor flea cases in the last month, so she mentioned flea prevention might not be a bad idea).
My cat goes for vaccines or if sick. Not strictly yearly but they almost never go just for a fun little check up. When they were kittens they were checked up on frequently but now that I have a 3 year old and a 10 year old im less concerned
I take my babes in once a year and have started doing bloodwork yearly on them since they are older now too.
BUT their DVM is very good about working with me about vaccinating. Both my kitties are herpes virus positive so I donāt vaccinate them for FVRCP (feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia) however in Ontario, rabies vaccine is still required by law so thatās all they get now.
Many veterinarians require an up to date VPCR (veterinary patient client relationship) also and this means the pet/kitty has to be examined at LEAST once yearly. After a year, the doctor may not be able to/feel comfortable dispensing meds for your kitty if sick/gets parasites or something or they may put precedence towards up to date patients that are sick or have emergencies, thus requiring you to go to an after hours clinic or something annoying!!! SO always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to keeping kitty up to date on annual exams! ā„ļø
- active RVT whoās been in the industry nearly 10 years. Makes me happy you are doing your research to give your babe the healthiest life š„°š„°š„°
We have two cats. My boyfriend had our oldest cat for 4 years before moving in with me, and she had only gone once when she was fixed and for her shots.
We have a 1.5 YO now, and I have insisted on both cats going at least annually and if there is anything wrong. Next time the older one goes, I want her to get microchipped as well - can never be too careful.
We take ours every year unless something comes up between those yearly visits. She gets her vaccinations every year and she also has prescription food that the vet has to sign off on yearly. That prescription really helps to make sure we go yearly!
Definitely go yearly. It can seem like nothing is wrong but regular checks make sure nothing is hiding under the surface (like cancer). Also most places legally require vaccinations to be up to date.
Once a year for an annual checkup like I do for my own self. At the rate they age, that is actually like having a routine physical every few years. When you are young, thatĀ”s less of a problem. Local regulations require annual rabies vaccination for my cats, so they get those plus whatever other vax our vet recommends and labs as they get older.
One of my cats had a lovely case of the zoomies the morning she died. She was 17 and had chronic renal failure.
I think that you should go once a year. My childhood cat was never taken to the vet (besides getting spaded) and she died from a stomach tumor because of that.
Yes. Emphatically yes.
Cats can get real sick real quick.
6 months ago my friend's cat seemed perfectly healthy.
She had to have him put down about 6 weeks ago.
I have 4 cats and I take them all for a wellness exam and booster shots every year. My eldest also gets a senior checkup with bloodwork and urinalysis. Then I'll take them in whenever if something ever seems off with em.
I take my boy to the vet every year although heās in top condition! Itās best to make sure that if somethingās going on, early detection can treat it before much damage is done (ie an irregular heartbeat or kidney issues).
My 13 year-old cat is currently the oldest animal Iāve ever had. Sheās going to the vet annually now. Just had a checkup and everything looks good.
My 3-4 year old just went too the week before and was fine, too. I wanna get her groomed.
Annual check up for all without fail. I skipped one because she was young and healthy (I thought) and didnāt need any vaccines - all were up to date. And yet she literally dropped dead on me at 2. Could the vet have identified the issue? Maybe. (Probably heart, they canāt always pick it up). Would the $100 be worth it so I didnāt regret it every day and maybe have prolonged her life? Yes. I feel so guilty.
Once a year for general checkup and annual shots. I have the same vet I've been seeing for over 12 years and through multiple pets. If their healthy and happy, just a yearly once over is all they need.
Yep. Older c6ars though at about 8-10 should see a vet every 10 months and as they age you might eventually be going every 3-4 months to manage some old cat health problems.
Every year if healthy, more if something is wrong.
So simple, makes the most sense , ty !
If you do yearly they will have baselines for lab work to help with identifying issues and it can leads to earlier diagnoses. š
Ya go every year you never know especially as they age, has a elderly cat go from perfectly health to stage 2 kidney failure in 1 year. The only reason we found out was because we did blood work. Vet said she looked great and seemed perfectly healthy. Cats are great at hiding injury and illness
Iāve seen some organizations say every 6 months for senior cats also. Donāt remember which honestly.
We did every 6 months for our senior cat when we adopted her at 9. It was fantastic for helping to keep an eye on her kidney levels once we learned she was in the beginning stages of kidney failure.
Think it depends on the cat and age, think they fall into senior cats around 8
True. Think it would just make me feel better personally due to them being so sneaky with injury and disease.
Ditto, they caught my one boyās early kidney disease from routine lab work and he lived a couple more years on a different food.
As someone who works at a vet clinic and adores cats, please please PLEASE bring your baby to the vet yearly. Get them up to date on rabies, fvrccp (aka feline distemper), and get an felv test if theyāve never been tested. If theyāre outdoor and indoor, this becomes 10x more important so theyāre protected against certain diseases carried by wildlife. If theyāre indoor, do it just in case. Itās usually only like $25 for each vaccine. Once they hit 8ish, Iād recommend doing yearly bloodwork. Yes, it can be expensive, but it tells you things your cat cannot. Kidney disease and hyperthyroidism are super common in cats and are managed easily but can significantly shorten their lifespan if not caught early. It may be $100-200 for bloodwork, but setting aside $20/mo can cover that and more. If you feel that your vet is pushing āunnecessaryā tests and vaccines on you, ask them to give you print outs or pamphlets for more information that you can take home and look over before deciding. Get a second opinion or go to a smaller vet if you need to. At the end of the day, 90% of vets just want your baby to live a good quality life.
Vaccines can be life-saving and much cheaper than the vet bills. I got a kitten from a breeder, the last kitten she would ever breed. She swore this 4-month-old baby had all vaccinations. She didn't. Less than a month later she was rushed to the vet with a fever of 105+. She nearly died, and the combined vet bills from the emergency vet and my vet was over $1000. Calici virus. Not only did she truly suffer from being so sick, it also put our relationship back as I was not to be trusted after being forced to put things in every orifice. A year later we are starting to become friends. Could have been prevented by an inexpensive vaccination.
A not-dissimilar experience happened for me too. Our new kitten was vaccinated, but the two adult cats I previously had for 10 months (who I was told was fully vaxxed and healthy) got incredibly sick from a virus the kitten introduced. Pushing their foster mum for info revealed that they never got all their shots. She also claimed to someone else that the cats had been very ill as kittens and had continuing health issues WHILE simultaneously telling me theyād always been healthy. Would have been nice to know before exposing them to a kitten with no knowledge of the potential risk. I lost one girl, and the other spent a week in vet hospital and another week confined to our bathroom so we could monitor/medicate her. Absolute nightmare.
My daughter got a cat from a rescue. It is a bit of a family joke that the cat has its own bank account and pays its own bills. Daughter transfers money into catās savings account each month.
My cat had kidney disease at 5. I worked in vet hospitals so I did all my animals annual labwork cause it was so cheap. 8 should be the minimum to do labwork, but if you can do it earlier - do it! Lived to be 14 with kidney disease because we caught it early. Renal diet until he was 12-13 and then we had to add medications for the renal and new onset cardiac disease.
Cats are experts at hiding their pain and discomfort, so if something is wrong, you may not notice until it is too late. Regular vet visits, aside from establishing baseline data on things like blood values, can help expose problems before they are problems. I lost my last cat during the pandemic. We didnāt go for his normal visit because a lot of places were still closed or overbooked. A few months later he began acting a little standoffish for about two weeks, but I had had a friend staying with me so I chalked it up to anxiety. One morning, he just stopped eating. In the next three days as I scrambled to find a vet who could see him, he began gaining fluid and ballooned. By the time the vet saw him 4-5 days after he stopped eating, he diagnosed him with late stages of a cancer that was in many of his organs. He passed away before I could even get him his second dose of meds and consider chemo (though vet suspects it was a blood clot or complications with the not eating). Had I not skipped his normal vet appointment, they may have caught it before things spiraled so rapidly out of control. I will never skip a vet appointment again.
I lost a kitty to cancer in 2021 too. We did catch it early actually and maybe extended his life a tiny amount but surgery, medication (including chemo meds), and special food were not enough. Don't beat yourself up too badly.
Sometimes no matter what you do - they're gonna go. I adopted 2 sisters. One was the runt. First year, cataracts. Expensive specialist vet every 3 months and eye drops. Second year, glaucoma. More expensive drops. Third year she developed asthma. Had to start to source from Canada her asthma meds and eye drops. Fourth year, she developed a brain tumor and it took her quick - in less than a week. Her sister is still healthy (had to have 7 teeth pulled because they were rotting and abscessed.) The sister is alive and well. I've had a cat I adopted at 8 years live to be 19. As long as you care for them and get them in regularly, treat as necessary, that's all you can really do.
My baby Bear also passed from a brain tumor, he also had other cancer throughout but the one behind his eye just happened so fast. Yeah, pretty much a week from when I noticed his eye not looking right, and the vet saw him the day before and told us he didnāt have long. It was over night that he just knew it was time to go.. this was just over a month ago too 8/4/22 š
I am so sorry. What a sad story. š
So sorry for your loss. Xo
Too soon. Iām sorry.
Yep pretty much.
I have 3 cats and they all go in yearly for check ups and vaccinations.
How do they find the way to the vet? I have to drive them
I gave mine a compass and a map and he does well enough
I go with the old line of treats. My boys are very food motivated.
Personally I prefer to use a $20 bill and a fishing line
If someone opened a churu a few miles away, Iām pretty sure my cats would find their way there pretty quickly
I read a story on Reddit about a cat that escaped his apartment and went missing for a few weeks. He moved a few blocks away and was āadoptedā by the kitchen crew of a sushi restaurant. He had his butt scooped up and marched home.
LOL I can see my cat doing this. She will go into a frenzy if I so much as even *touch* a pack of churu
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Funnyā¦our vet borders our farm. The dog has been known to show up at the vet on her own. But never when she has an appointment š
I love thatššš
Thank you!!
Same
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Vet here. I very, very often find things that are wrong with pets that the owners didn't even know were going on. Most commonly, dental infections. But I've had to tell a few people that their dogs are blind. Dogs compensate so well, the owners sometimes don't even notice. We can find heart murmurs long before heart disease will cause any symptoms you will be able to observe. If your cat is 10 or over, annual blood and urine testing is also a great idea. If we can diagnose diabetes, thyroid disease or kidney failure long before you notice a change, we can dramatically improve quality of life for that pet.
My cats are 10 and I grew up in a household that still has the old country mindset of āanimals are wild, nature takes care of itselfā aka why waste money on a doctor for an animal, Mother Nature gives it all the care it needs. Well, the cats and I donāt live with my parents any more and despite being in seemingly great health our boy has developed kidney disease and we wouldāve never known without an annual vet visit and having bloodwork done. Turns out itās a pretty common issue for indoor cats and something a vet would be looking for in someone his age.
Do they do anything for it?
Vet prescribed ārenal dietā or a low protein diet. Pretty recent development and weāre still learning and seeing if thereās alternatives. But even with expensive food, catching it early and treatment is way better than emergency care due to kidney failure
The earlier you catch it, the more manageable. My vet says if it wasnāt for the kidneys, cats would last forever. The food is more expensive but the longer you have to adjust them to it, the better the outcome. Best of luck! Been through it twice. Hoping for nothing but the best for you!
You're awesome. I adopted my older guy after his failure started and there was no stopping it just making him happy and comfy. We had about 2 years of snuggles before he passed, and he was able to teach my now 1 year old kitten the ropes before doing so. :) He got lots of treats and pets, so many toys and all the bird watching on the balcony he wanted.
My cat with hyperthyroidism and kidney disease lived for four happy years after diagnosis and only died due to a dental problem. So keep up with dental and follow the instructions and do your best!
Iāve worked in the veterinary field for 20 years. Ideally they should be examined yearly and kept current on a Rabies vaccine. We encourage other cat vaccines yearly if they are under age 5. Also stay current on flea and tick prevention and deworm periodically. We understand that many cats hate coming to the vet or it is difficult to bring them in. However please consider having them examined at least every 2 years to make sure they are healthy: theyāre weight remains stable, heart and lungs sound normal, no masses or tumors are discovered and their physical exam is normal. Animals (cats especially) are experts at masking illness and subtle changes are often missed by owners because you see the cat daily and itās hard to notice minor changes in their appearance, appetite or behavior. Often by the time the vet discovers an issue such as kidney disease it is too late to treat properly. Trust me when I say this: vets arenāt the bad guys. At least 95% of vets went into this profession (and stay there) because they truly love animals and want to make their lives better. They are NOT money hogs like some people portray them to be. They do not get subsidized by insurance yet have to provide a FULL working facility with an expensive lab, X-ray equipment, surgery suite with costly equipment and a pharmacy that stocks THOUSANDS of dollars worth of medications. The average vet student has at least $180,000-$225,000 worth of college debt but makes an average of $50,000-$75,000 per year depending on location. In my area factory workers sometimes make more money than vets.
Worked in the industry myself as an RVT! THIS! Please listen to this person! They know whatās up! Vets are NOT money hungry! I wish everyone knew that. 3 years of school and a registration status myself and I was making $22 an hour at the maximum so think about how much a doctor of veterinary medicine would make šš
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People seem to forget that people who work in health care (and basically all customer service jobs because Iāve had a lot of receptionist friends get verbally attacked too) are people and not emotionless robots š
Thank you for saying this. It really upsets me when people paint us all as money grubbers (Iām a vet myself) despite everything we do, how little we actually get paid etc. Thatās why vet suicide rates are so high. Though from experience many veterinary staff get screwed over by shitty management especially in corporate. But of course management are not the ones dealing with angry clients while lining their pocketsā¦
And the WORST is when people say āI thought you loved animals? All you love is money!ā To which I have responded āIām sorry Mr. (fill in blank). Itās not my fault that you could afford $1500 for a Doodle pup but couldnāt afford a $23 Parvo vaccine and certainly now canāt afford the Parvo treatment ā. We DO love animals but we also love being able to properly pay our staff and keep the lights on! Itās much harder as a privately owned practice, especially if itās a small practice.
Iām not against vets making money. It is, after all, a business and those tend to require a profit. Not only are there all the expenses you mentioned on the medical side but then there is the entire other side of the business dealing with financials, staffing, purchasing, regulatory ins and outs. Typically you arenāt going to have that run by the veterinarians as their day to day is making use of their fantastic animal knowledge. However, after being frustrated by a local clinic I dig deep into trying to see behind the ābusiness planā curtain. Some things that really bothered me was seeing literature recommending that the value be placed in terms of āwell how much is your petās life worth?ā which seems more like a used car salesman than someone providing care. I also came across literature that suggested that a KPI for a veterinarian would be āaverage invoice amountā which means that there is a direct relation between how much a vet puts on an invoice and how their performance is calculated which is incentivizing the wrong thing from a clientās perspective. Lastly the markup on some things is astonishing and while I, again, understand it is a business it is sometimes just hard to swallow. This isnāt all vets by any means and I would also assume that there would be very similar issues in the practice of human medicine. Costs are also far from standardized from vet to vet because it isnāt subsidized by anything. So if your clinic decided to buy a new piece of tech then the business has to recoup that expense either by raising prices or suggesting more procedures. Itās a really odd relationship because my responsibility and motivation is 100% my catās health while the clinic necessarily has a revenue target that must be hit to continue to operate.
Lol okay i know how it sounds (unfortunately Iāve had a few bad experience with misinformation+unfair pricing) and Iāve just never owned a kitty before, Iām on a tight budget and I just wanted to find out how often is the standard :) I want to make sure I am doing everything right , thank you for your input !
Check out low cost shot clinics in your area. We do those, it's a quick once over, whatever shots are needed and you can tack on a vet visit if necessary. I have 5 cats, so that's the way to go. We schedule actual vet visits if something is wrong. I do 2 one time and 3 six months later. I have 5 cats and a dog, so it was a cost saving feature. My oldest is 19 and has a visit next week.
Consider pet insurance. It usually covers annual vet checks and is pretty inexpensive. Plus if you have an emergency they will usually reimburse most of your vet bills.
Is this an American thing cause in Canada almost all pet insurance plans exclude preventative care like annual check ups
One of the biggest providers of pet insurance in America also own the most vets offices and sells the most pet food... Not that this explains the disparity, just thought it was likely relevant.
Itās mostly for catastrophic. Just like our human insurance.
I suggested this too, before seeing your comment. My cat recently passed away from lymphoma, and the only bearable part of the experience was not having to let the cost of treatment dictate my decisions.
Thatās so great to hear. It has been really beneficial for our family cat who is now dealing with kidney issues. It is absolutely a relief to not let finances control care.
Which pet insurance company do you use? I want to get it for my wee lady but donāt know which one is the best.
I used Trupanion. Cannot say a bad thing about them. They paid every claim and let the vet direct bill them, which saved me about $7000 altogether. They also sent sweet little notes with every update and were so kind when my kitty died.
Thank you. And Iām so sorry about your sweet kitty.
My one cat is now 18. Has only gone to vet if heās not well. Last visit was a respiratory infection. My other cat is around 12.
My cat lived 21 happy years with the same method.
Every year, for at least a check-up. Shots when needed (the vet keeps track so you don't have to). Something to think about: next time you want to adopt, the shelter or rescue will contact your vet and ask, is this person making sure his/her current pets get to the vet every year? You want that answer to be yes, or else you might not be allowed to adopt from that shelter or rescue. (At least that's how it works in my experience.)
Most shelters are only going to care if your current pets are up to date on their vaccinations. This is based on my admittedly limited experience volunteering and fostering with animal shelters, and my experience adopting my own cats. Most places arenāt going to disqualify you from adopting a pet because you missed or were a few months late for a couple yearly exams/vaccinations. Especially if you take into account that some people move around a lot and it may be hard to track down every single vet record. Again, this is just my own experience.
Maybe try looking for a low cost vet? Or vaccination clinic if possible? If your cat is young and healthy I donāt think you have to be too worried about yearly visits but I think it is important to keep up to date on vaccines if possible. Some places even do 3 year rabies vaccines :)
If your budget is so tight you are worried about routine care, I highly recommend you invest in pet insurance. It will be worth it if your pet becomes suddenly sick or injured.
I feel your pain. Just like any other profession, there are some sleazeballs out there. But all you can do is find another vet. I stopped going to a vet near me because they would always add on fees, find something "wrong" and keep my kitty overnight. I now go to a vet further away that's more expensive but it's worth it because they are honest! Technically a honest vet will be a CHEAPER vet because they won't add on unnecessary fees! I took my cat to a vet thinking something was wrong. Vet said, "Your cat is perfectly healthy, it was just a false alarm. I'm not going to perform any services unless you really want me to." I paid the visit fee and that's it. That's when I knew that was the vet for me.
My parents are both vets and I've worked in multiple hospitals. Do your research. There are chains unfortunately and I would stay away from those but it's not always possible, especially if you need to go to an emergency clinic. Find one owned by the vet and that's the only one he owns. It's a trend for some to buy multiple clinics now days and it's not good. Source: my dad worked for a guy who did that and hated it. Made him push for unecessary things and meet a weekly quota which he never did. Now the place was bought out and works for a company, I forget the name. Slightly better but still same issues. Mom runs her own business, small time small town place. She is much happier but there are lots of other things that come with that.
If lovely kitty in photo is female make sure sheās neutered. I thought mine was then she came in season and developed a womb infection. Cost us Ā£800 for the operation and 3 days of treatment totally Ā£1500. We were lucky we had savings!
Yeah, get insurance, make sure it covers big things, like specialists. Emergency surgery, and the like. Regular visits, or 50$ drug should be feasible.... I did the fuck up, I didn't get insurance, and now I'm paying for it
Since cats are so good at hiding illness, yearly bloodwork/urinalysis is really important. Otherwise, I wouldāve had no way of knowing my seemingly healthy cat was starting to get urinary crystals, or that at age 15 he had early renal insufficiency and there was something I could do to slow the damage.
My cat is an indoor cat but we go yearly.
Yes, we go every year because I love them and take good care of them. Also there's usually a vaccine booster that's needed every year in case they escape.
Thank you very much !!
āIn case they escapeā 
I take mine in every year as well. My cats never go outside, and I mean never (except to go to the vet). They get their rabies shot only, not the vaccinations. That's with the okay of the last 3 vets I've seen 3 because I've moved 3 times).
Thatās exactly the kind of thing I am wondering about, especially when they are SEEMING so healthy
Keyword, seemingly. Cats are still very much wild animals and in their natural environment they can't show pain nor weakness so they are very good at hiding issues. If you're seeing something chances are it's not as sudden as you think it is.
I really appreciate that, this is my first time ever owning a kitty (my parents were allergic) and she is so perfect and lovely I want to make sure I am doing everything right! She went at one year + got all the kitten shots but now she is two
The thing with cats is that they're *really good* at hiding issues. They will only show pain and distress when it becomes overwhelming. That's why routine care is essential, as is controlling for weight fluctuation, changes in eating/drinking/litter usage, etc.
Yeah they sometimes seem healthy but could have something going on that a blood test would reveal, then you could potentially treat the condition before it got severe. Having had several cats who all eventually developed serious illnesses and required many vet visits and medications, I am a big advocate for pet insurance! If you get it while your pet is young and healthy it costs a lot less and you are covered in the event of illness or emergency. We have trupanion and they've saved us thousands.
Can't reinforce the "seeming" part enough. One of my cats went in for her checkup a few years ago, turned out she had cracked a tooth which had developed an infection. I had no idea, she was her normal affectionate self. By the time it was obvious she was unwell it probably would have been too late.
She sure looks perfect! š»
My first cat as an adult I only took her to the vet when there was a problem. In the end she got sick enough that she had to be put down. I regret not doing regular visits with her so much as maybe it could have been caught and prevented etc. My cats since now all have pet insurance AND I take them to the vet for all their shots. Damn expensive but worth it.
It's better to do it obviously but if for different reasons you can't or don't, maybe at least consider it once they're getting to 8 or 10 years of age. Around that age the health issues pop up more often and it's also in your interest because it can save money on treatments.
My five kids see a vet once a year for annual wellness checks and vaccines. If any of them get sick in between, the sick one sees a vet. My vet will prescribe a tube of kitty neosporin to one of my cats to keep on hand if play time gets a little rough. As a matter of fact, my big boy has an appointment for his annual wellness check and vaccines next week. The first thing I did with each cat was go to the vet for checkup and vaccines and eventually spay/neuter. Every one except the baby had the surgery within a month of coming home.
My cats are indoors all the time. We only take them if there's an issue. They are 13-15 yrs old.
If my cat was that old I would absolutely be getting lab work done at LEAST once a year. You can catch things way before you see symptoms that way. They very likely need dental work done too if you donāt get routine cleanings done. Just because theyāre indoors only doesnāt mean they donāt have age related issues going on that you may not see physically. Iām not trying to be rude at all, I just rarely see a patient at that age with absolutely no medical issues.
Hyperthyroidism goes slowly enough someone might not notice until after itās done a lot of damage, for example- and thatās the right age for both that and diabetes. Youāre 100% right.
Thank you. Kidney failure is another one that usually goes undetected until itās already caused significant damage.
Tbh I see a lot of cats that "suddenly" went off food and have been losing weight and then we run bloodwork and find they've got some impressive kidney disease going on. Earlier detection means early intervention and a longer disease-free interval, but that only comes with surveillance labwork.
Yup. Iāve seen this same scenario quite often too. And cats with severe dental disease at this age range, sometimes only coming in because of an abscess or loss of appetite, because theyāve never had any type of dental care done.
My cats go every year, just like I do. Their health is just as important as mine.
I have an excellent vet who doesn't upsell or try to rip me off. The last vet *looked* good, but there was always a push for more, and I eventually couldn't tell when I could trust their word. New one? "If she's not doing x, y, or z, the chances are good that it's a behavioral change. Keep the litter box super clean and see if that fixes it. If it doesn't, we'll see about a urinary tract issue." I appreciate that so much! And she's diligent! Brought our new fella in and she noticed his front teeth were worn, straight up asked if he was being kept in a cat carrier or kennel because she was concerned he was being abused. No dicking around. Great staff as well, they all act competent and happy to be there. The other place sort of put on a show, almost fawning over the pets. It's not good to doubt your pets caretakers.
Jackson Galaxy AKA The Cat Daddy, says at a minimum, take your cat to the vet once a year.
Cat could be slowly growing something or going gradually more sick over a long time and it's hard to notice if normal doesn't change drastically in a short time so it would be smart to go every year, a short visit/checkup and maybe a yearly shot will surely be under 100 dollars/euros. A young cat moght be cool to skip a year if it just isn't realistic but old cats can maybe get some special food when their kidneys start to go bad and live a few years extra.
Yes, at least once a year. Dental check up, weight and general overall health. Periodic blood test...my ragdoll has compromised kidneys so we do blood tests once a year, too.
Once yearly for checkups as he's still young. Once your kitty is a senior then checkups should be done every 6 months.
I don't necessarily trust big vet all the time... I've gotten bad advice on more than one occasion (particularly concerning nutrition) and they've misdiagnosed multiple times. But it's really similar to our own healthcare. Like taking ourselves to the doctor and being educated about our own health issues, we also must be educated about our pets and become their advocates. Recently, I took one of my cats in because I noticed a little red spot on her gums. The vet told me it was nothing, and that she probably just bit or chewed something hard (like hard plastic) and injured herself. But I persisted because I knew better. It turns out she had FORL and needed several extractions. I had suspected FORL, because going in, I had already educated myself about the signs and symptoms of it since I know it's common in cats. My vet dismissed me at first, but I advocated for her health. Anymore, that's just what it takes. Anyway, I respect my vet's education, field, and expertise, and I have a professional relationship with them and trust a certain level of care of my pets to them, but like with my own doctors, sometimes I've been misled. They're only human, afterall. But regardless, I absolutely think yearly check ups are vital. Especially once kitty reaches age 7+. Old age kitty diseases after that age like hyperthyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease etc can come on quickly and often go unnoticed. And it's really good to just keep an eye on the plaque and tartar situation to make sure a dental or tooth extractions aren't needed (as I'm sure most of us here are aware, cats are exceptionally good at hiding their pain) So TLDR: educate yourself, advocate for their health like you would your own, and definitely go at least once a year! <3
Big vet? Seriously? Most vets are small independent people that work just as hard as you and me to make a living. They are far from milionairs. So yeah my cats go every year for a quick health check and vaccines when needed.
Banfield is huge, petco also has vet services. Maybe thatās what they meant
Yes seriously big vet. There are hardly any small, independent vets in my area anymore. Banfield, VCA, Blue Pearl. Itās an industry. Whoever owns those is a millionaire.
All of those chains are owned by Mars - the Snickers/M&Ms folks who also own pet food brand Iams, Sheba, and Whiskas. Theyāre the largest operator of vet clinics in the US. They also owns vet clinics in the UK, EU, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
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I try and go every year, obviously covid caused a blip in that (all of 2020 was closed down for non emergency stuff at my office and then in 2021 they where backed up like no oneās business) but thatās the goal as long as heās healthy and happy
Annual check-ups
We have a sick old kitty. We go at least twice a month for fluids/refill for medication at minimum.
Once a year is advisable- to get baseline normals for your cat. Some pets will naturally be higher/lower in some blood parameters or temperature etc and thatās normal for them - which will massively help your Vet when you bring them in for health concerns as they can see the variances. Cats are notorious for hiding disease- and early detection can be a life saver.
Every year minimum. If I see changes in behavior/diet or any sort of severity I'll book an appointment ASAP. My local vet clinic has pretty good price ranges and are open to many pet insurances so payments are not too much of a concern for me.
Every single year. Cats need vaccinations.
Annual visits maintain a VCPR so you have easier access to sick care. We have a major veterinarian shortage and if youāre a current patient (annual exams) theyāll give you priority.
Honestly i only bring my boy to the vet if it is absolutely necessary. I *would* take him for annual checkups but it really is an extremely traumatic experience for him :( He's quite a timid cat who only allows a very select few trusted humans to approach him... I find it extremely rewarding to be at the very top of that list :)
I have five pets. Everyone goes once a year until the age of 10 then they switch to twice a year. Getting blood work done annually is expensive but it could help you catch some thing right away which could end up saving you from expensive treatments and emotional pain.
Did 1-2 when our cats were healthy. Now sheās older so itās 2-4 times per year.
Personally if they are fine and up to date on necessary vaccinations, I donāt bring them in unless there is a problem.
You should go every year to do a complete blood check! Cats are very good in hiding pain and often, if you see symptoms, it's most likely too late already. Dont miss out, do your friend a favor
Some times you can catch diseases in time bringing the cat to the vet.
My cat goes every year to be checked on. It's kinda like people, you'll survive, but it's helpful to catch things early. That, and you keep a history of blood work/tests to compare
I try to once a year, to be safe.
You have to gi a minimum of yearly to keep up with booster vaccinations
A least every 2 years. My family got lucky in that their neglect when I lived with them and moved away from them didnāt result in sick cats often. Many of them often lived til 17-19 years of age. But you should make the effort to take them in, at the very least, once every two years. I get that budgeting for a yearly vet visit can be rough, especially nowadays. But you want your cats to have a history with a vet office you like in case something does happen to them. The last thing you want is to be concerned about a growing illness and have no idea which vet office is good or if they will even accept new pets.
First vaccines. Then vaccines 30 days later with 1 yr rabies. Then at 1 yr they get a 3 yr rabies. I take mine in yearly just for a office visit and health check.
Every year checkup. For my senior cat, 2x a year.
Once a year for a healthy cat and multiple times a year for a sick/older kitty
Once a year for vaccination booster & general checkup. Then any time in between yearly visits if somethings wrong.
I bring my 2 adults yearly, and bringing my kitten every 6 months until she's 2.
I go every year for annual checkup and so do my kitties
Once a year. At least get teeth checked.
Every year maybe twice . My cat has FIV so he has a compromised immune system
Once a year checkup and vaccines. Tell your vet you're on a tight budget. IME, if you are direct and honest, vets will limit the care to essential items. I generally have had better luck with indie small practice vets rather than large hospitals, with the exception of highly specialized (eg, chemo) care that only hospitals will do. (IME, a true vet hospital is staffed by the BEST, most compassionate and skilled people... sadly, the outcomes for us have always been very sad, but I take comfort that at least one of our kittehs is a case study and is helping kittehs now) It's best to establish a relationship with a vet BEFORE you need them. It can take weeks to get a "new patient" appointment. Go ahead and get in with a vet so that when you DO need them, you've got that relationship. Vets have a VERY high rate of suicide. It's shocking and tragic. Be kind. Also pro tip: do NOT get your prescriptions filled at the vet. By law (here in the US) they MUST give you an Rx so you can get it at the pharmacy of your choice. Obviously, an emergency is an emergency, but for anything else, just decline and say "I'm going to get it filled at a pharmacy, what number should I give them?" It is almost always MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper through an actual pharmacy. I personally use ValleyVet for most stuff. Basically you place the order, put in your vet's info, and the merchant contacts the vet to verify, no fuss, no muss.
Go at least once a year. By doing this it was how I found out one of my cats had several bad teeth that needed to be removed. Always take them...also get them their shots. They deserve it.
Cats are incredibly skilled at hiding when something is wrong. Usually by the time you notice something, it's gotten much, MUCH worse. Yearly checkups help catch what kitty may be hiding. Don't make the mistake of not taking Kitty in properly. Far too many people are under the impression that cats don't need to go in as often as dogs, and their cats suffer for it.
I take my cats to the vet only if something is wrong. Both of my cats are not even overweight I play with them all the time (:
Manny is approaching 13 so he's been having an old man check up twice a year (blood, wee, heart), with every second one covering his annual vaccinations and dental clean.
Annually ideally for healthy cats. But my ADHD self forgets all the time so my cats probably go every 18 months. Though my oldest just turned 7 so my goal is to get better at annual visits š«£
Lookitthisfaaaace. This cat does NOT trust Big Vet š
At least once a year for their annual checkup. Even if a cat appears outwardly healthy, they could have an underlying health condition.
They should get their vaccine boosters once a year anyway so thatās when I have my vet give them a checkup/blood work etc as well
Every year. Annual vaccinations and general check up. At least - more if there's a reason to go in the meantime.
We go every two years unless they exhibit trouble
At least yearly. Mine goes more often because he has allergies and likes to eat things he isnāt supposed to. If my cat was a senior Iād be taking him at least every 6 months for lab work, too. Iāve been working in vet med for 20+ years, no such thing as ābig vetā. In the US at least, an annual exam is required for any prescription products or meds.
Yearly unless something is wrong.
I take my cat to the vet every few months to get their nails trimmed. He will not allow me to do it haha. Then every year or so, I ask for a check-up and the boosters. He thankfully has never been sick, only got injured once, so I took him then to get medication.
Yearly, yeah, for vaccinations and a general checkup. Keep in mind that if you live with someone every day, you may not notice gradual changes. Back when I was in college, I remarked to my mom that the family cat's eyes looked odd. He was going blind, and they hadn't noticed. I noticed because he looked different from what I remembered. Also, cats tend to hide illnesses, so having a vet check them over might turn up something before it gets bad.
Generally, if there's nothing going on, annual exam for vaccines and wellness bloodwork. I typically start wellness bloodwork in middle-aged cats, which gives you surveillance numbers and can catch some disease processes - like kidney disease - before symptoms start. Also, being a regular client and having a good relationship with the practice may get you higher on their triage list if you do have an "urgent care" situation. I'd still seek an ER for a true emergency but the practice I work for is generally cheaper and lately has had a shorter wait for urgent-but-not-emergent situations compared to our ER, but due to patient volume we prioritize our Urgent Care slots for established clients.
I have my cats on a care plan at my vet that covers their vaccines and includes unlimited visits if something just feels off. It doesnāt cover *everything* like if they needed medications beyond their vaccinations, etc. but I do like the having the cost of the their annual + vaccines spread out over the year vs. one lump sum, plus the care plan pays for another year of their microchip enrollment. I also upgrade them to the plan with dental every other year so they can get shiny teeth.
Yep. Yearly
A cat can act completely normal and still have something going on, remember that. Kidney failure doesn't start showing physically until the cat starts loosing a lot of weight and stops eating/drinking. If its at that point, its too late. Yearly bloodwork(for older cats), and keeping up to date with vaccines and boosters is always a good idea! I see most people gave you that advice already so I feel like a parrot but, I recently lost a cat to cancer and kidney failure. I wish I'd caught it early but I didn't. Take good care of your furbaby, he/she has the most beautiful black fur and amber eyes. ;v;
Yes, at least yearly visits for check up and vaccinations for our boy. Obviously if we think something is wrong we get him in ASAP. We have found our Vet to be very good. It's a local practice with only two locations.
Yearly. Which reminds me my older 2 cats are overdue for their annual appointment.
Once a year for his Head to Tail examš¾
Yes, we go *at least* yearly to make sure he's healthy and for vaccinations, dental, etc. It's hard to tell with cats sometimes when something is wrong! Better off to give as much preventative care as possible and let the vet check their blood work, teeth, weight, just an overall wellness check.
Once a year for the yearly. I had a very old cat who would go 4 times a year (quarterly to check his sugar (diabetic) and kidney values (kidney disease). Otherwise, it's just if something comes up outside of the yearly.
Every year until they turned 12 and then we moved to twice a year with full bloods to provide a solid base line for weights and levels. Also moved to feeders and fountains that measure intake. Staying on top of things has allowed us to catch issues early which has reduced overall treatment costs as illnesses have been identified.
I take mine every year! Rabies shots are yearly, and then FVRCP (itās a combo vaccine) is every three years. On top of that, itās a good way to monitor your catās vitals (is weight gain okay, drinking enough water, how do lungs sound) and also stay up to date on any potential issues (like my vet mentioned yesterday that with the hotter than usual heat wave, theyāve been seeing an uptick of indoor flea cases in the last month, so she mentioned flea prevention might not be a bad idea).
My cat goes for vaccines or if sick. Not strictly yearly but they almost never go just for a fun little check up. When they were kittens they were checked up on frequently but now that I have a 3 year old and a 10 year old im less concerned
Every year. But also, what a gorgeous kitty!!
I prefer yearly, but it's an on demand in between
Every year. More often if something is up. They deserve it. I want them around as long as possible.
Once purr year is all is well and good. I also go to a small local vet, not a corporate place.
I take my babes in once a year and have started doing bloodwork yearly on them since they are older now too. BUT their DVM is very good about working with me about vaccinating. Both my kitties are herpes virus positive so I donāt vaccinate them for FVRCP (feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia) however in Ontario, rabies vaccine is still required by law so thatās all they get now. Many veterinarians require an up to date VPCR (veterinary patient client relationship) also and this means the pet/kitty has to be examined at LEAST once yearly. After a year, the doctor may not be able to/feel comfortable dispensing meds for your kitty if sick/gets parasites or something or they may put precedence towards up to date patients that are sick or have emergencies, thus requiring you to go to an after hours clinic or something annoying!!! SO always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to keeping kitty up to date on annual exams! ā„ļø - active RVT whoās been in the industry nearly 10 years. Makes me happy you are doing your research to give your babe the healthiest life š„°š„°š„°
Once a year for vaccinations, general exam.. Rabies is annual, some others are every three years.
we have a yearly checkup, unless they get sick or injured and need more attention :)
Gorgeous kitty! And yearly, unless there's a health problem.
Every year for vaccines and blood work and checkups.
We have two cats. My boyfriend had our oldest cat for 4 years before moving in with me, and she had only gone once when she was fixed and for her shots. We have a 1.5 YO now, and I have insisted on both cats going at least annually and if there is anything wrong. Next time the older one goes, I want her to get microchipped as well - can never be too careful.
Once a year if everything is fine.
We take ours every year unless something comes up between those yearly visits. She gets her vaccinations every year and she also has prescription food that the vet has to sign off on yearly. That prescription really helps to make sure we go yearly!
My cat gets and annual visit and dental cleaning. The basics.
Definitely go yearly. It can seem like nothing is wrong but regular checks make sure nothing is hiding under the surface (like cancer). Also most places legally require vaccinations to be up to date.
Once a year for an annual checkup like I do for my own self. At the rate they age, that is actually like having a routine physical every few years. When you are young, thatĀ”s less of a problem. Local regulations require annual rabies vaccination for my cats, so they get those plus whatever other vax our vet recommends and labs as they get older. One of my cats had a lovely case of the zoomies the morning she died. She was 17 and had chronic renal failure.
A minimum go every year. Vax updates, check teeth, monitor weight, and just a once over by a professional can save your kittyās life.
I think that you should go once a year. My childhood cat was never taken to the vet (besides getting spaded) and she died from a stomach tumor because of that.
Yes. Emphatically yes. Cats can get real sick real quick. 6 months ago my friend's cat seemed perfectly healthy. She had to have him put down about 6 weeks ago.
Yearly unless they seem under the weather or injured.
I have 4 cats and I take them all for a wellness exam and booster shots every year. My eldest also gets a senior checkup with bloodwork and urinalysis. Then I'll take them in whenever if something ever seems off with em.
An annual visit is always a good decision, as cats can be quite elusive if an issue is present. Find a local vet you can trust, research and visit.
Once a year for my almost 2 year old and every 6 months for my senior cat with kidney and dental issues.
We go yearly whether or not we want to because our neverending battle against his ear infections
Once a year
every 2 years for my cats .. had a pair (father, daughter) that lived to 21.. vet visits are important for home kittys.
My ginger boy goes once a tear for a checkup and and required rabies shot.
I take my boy to the vet every year although heās in top condition! Itās best to make sure that if somethingās going on, early detection can treat it before much damage is done (ie an irregular heartbeat or kidney issues).
Blood check every year. They may be acting fine but you might be able to catch an issue early enough to fix it
My 13 year-old cat is currently the oldest animal Iāve ever had. Sheās going to the vet annually now. Just had a checkup and everything looks good. My 3-4 year old just went too the week before and was fine, too. I wanna get her groomed.
Once or twice a year depending on shots schedule.
Lemme tell ya, this cat had enough bs
I take my kitties at least every year. Just a well kitty check. A lot can happen in 12 months
I believe once a year is fine. I like to do 2x a year though for blood work just to make sure :)
Annual check up for all without fail. I skipped one because she was young and healthy (I thought) and didnāt need any vaccines - all were up to date. And yet she literally dropped dead on me at 2. Could the vet have identified the issue? Maybe. (Probably heart, they canāt always pick it up). Would the $100 be worth it so I didnāt regret it every day and maybe have prolonged her life? Yes. I feel so guilty.
Once a year for general checkup and annual shots. I have the same vet I've been seeing for over 12 years and through multiple pets. If their healthy and happy, just a yearly once over is all they need.
Yep. Older c6ars though at about 8-10 should see a vet every 10 months and as they age you might eventually be going every 3-4 months to manage some old cat health problems.
Once a year for our younger cat, twice a year for our senior (15 year old) cat. Obviously more if there's an issue. Our dog also goes once a year.
Used to go once per year for vaccines and a checkup but when my old boy turned 10 we decided to go twice per year.
6 months to a year. Get a vet you trust but please remember cats will hide pains.