The Importance of Regular Check-Ups for Your Cat
Cats are strong proponents of staying home. In response to feline resistance toward their carrier, travel, and any time spent at the vet, cat owners may allow regular check-ups to fall to the wayside. Because veterinary support is essential to feline health and vitality, cat owners are encouraged to keep routine wellness exams.
Why It Matters
We understand the logic of only pursuing veterinary care only when it’s absolutely necessary. However, because many health conditions facing today’s pet cats are preventable, routine wellness exams are important to their long term health. Plus, with early detection of certain age-related or other diseases, treatment is not only effective, it’s much more affordable than waiting for symptoms to trigger the need for urgent or emergency care.
Healthy Baseline
The opportunity to examine a healthy cat helps us create a baseline of normal values. If they veer from their healthy baseline at future wellness exams, we can be more proactive at determining the reasons that explain possible changes. For example, sudden weight loss or gain, changes in coat quality, gait differences, and some behaviors can lead us to question various aspects of their health and lifestyle to create a plan that supports feline wellness.
Screening
In addition to a thorough nose-to-tail exam, we discuss at length the importance of vaccinations and parasite prevention (even if a cat is strictly indoor-only). Certain diagnostics, including blood work and urinalysis, can help us understand a cat’s current health.
Once or Twice?
Most cats benefit from annual exams and screenings, but older cats or those with preexisting medical conditions may need to be seen every 6 months. Since common conditions like periodontal disease, arthritis, and kidney disease can be effectively treated and supported, cat preventive care becomes a huge priority as they age.
We examine the teeth and gums at every wellness exam. If your cat is in need of professional cleaning under anesthesia, we are happy to provide an estimate and give you information about cleaning, scaling, polishing, extractions, and digital X-rays.
Cats hide or mask symptoms of illness or injury very well. That means that by the time symptoms are obvious to their owners, cats may be in the advanced stages of disease. Catching problems early means early and effective treatment.
Invest In Cat Wellness
Annual wellness checks are recommended for both indoor-only and indoor-outdoor cats alike. While cats allowed to explore the outdoors are considered at higher risk of fighting with predators or other animals, getting lost, or becoming injured in a car accident, cats that live strictly indoors aren’t 100% protected from contagious disease, infection, and age-related disease.
Our veterinarians at Cherry Creek Veterinary Hospital are always here to help your cat. Please call us at (916) 349-2755 with any questions or to schedule your cat’s next appointment.