Normally you should take your cat to the vet once per year for an annual wellness check, but abnormal behavior or health issues in your cat might also require a visit. Deciding when to take your cat to the vet will vary based on the situation.
How Often Should You Take Your Cat To the Vet?
Without any concerning behavior or signs of illness, you should take your cat to the vet at least once per year. Kittens should go every month while older cats should have a wellness visit every 6 months. During this visit your vet will conduct a general wellness exam and give your cat any routine vaccines.
Is It Necessary To Visit the Vet So Often?
While it may be tempting to save some money and skip a visit to the vet every other year, it’s not recommended. This is because a cats age at a faster rate than people; one human year equals seven cat years. So while it might seem like taking your cat to the vet yearly is a lot, it’s the same as you visiting the doctor once every seven years.
Skipping wellness exams can result in you not catching disease or problems early, sometimes catching them too late. Also, keeping your cat up to date on vaccines protects other people and pets from disease.
In 2016, only about 54% of cat-owning households visited the vet at least once, compared to about 83% of dog-owning households, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Cat Wellness Examination
A wellness examination is a routine medical examination of a cat who appears healthy, as opposed to an examination of a cat who who is ill. A wellness examination may also be called a ‘check-up’ or a ‘physical examination’. The focus of a wellness examination is the maintenance of optimal health.
During a wellness check a vet will typically:
- Observe the cat’s behavior and general body condition
- Conduct checks on your cat’s skin, eyes, ears, mouth and teeth
- Listen to the heart and lungs
- Administer vaccines
- Feel lymph nodes, stomach, throat, etc.
Signs You Should Take Your Cat to the Vet – Soon
Aside from the typical annual exam, there are instances when you’ll need to take your cat to the vet to address a problem. Here are a few signs you need to seek out a vet right away:
- Signs of obvious distress
- Litter box problems such as peeing outside the litter box
- Repeated vomiting
- Extreme fatigue
- A lump or unusual growth
- Dragging the back legs
- Drastic changes in appetite
- Coughing or trouble breathing
- Discharge from the eyes or nose
- Bodily injury/bleeding
How Should I Prepare My Cat To Visit the Vet?
Taking your cat to the vet can be a stressful experience for your feline friend. An unfamiliar environment can cause your cat stress and make her associate the cat carrier with anxiety. Training your cat to be comfortable and used to a carrier will help with this a lot.
Carry your cat carrier from the bottom instead of the handle so it doesn’t sway. Also consider using a pheromone spray or playing music in the car on the way to the vet to help ease anxiety.
If your cat is extremely anxious when going to the vet, consider asking your vet for anti-anxiety medications to help with this.
You should strongly consider getting pet health insurance to make the cost of vet visits, especially emergency ones, less expensive. You never know what could happen, and a small monthly fee is worth guaranteeing you can take care of your cat when she needs it.
