Keeping Up With Feline Health; The Importance Of Routine Feline Wellness Visits

Kitten sitting on counter at vet’s office.

Just like dogs, it is important for cats to have annual, and in some cases bi-annual, veterinary wellness exams to keep up with the health and well-being of your feline friend. Prevention is key when it comes to protecting our pets. Although cats often live on the more relaxed-side of life, it is important to maintain a wellness plan with your veterinarian to ensure no surprises arise in your cats health.

There are many other reasons why you should take your cat in for yearly exams besides from the usual reason of keeping up to date on vaccines. The top five non-vaccine related reasons to give your cats regular check ups include socialization, pain and disease reduction, emergency prevention, prevention of behavioral problems, and parasite prevention.

Regular veterinary exams can help with your cats socialization. By exposing your cat to new situations, you can help decrease their overall stress and anxiety, especially when it comes to new people coming into your home. By meeting new people and seeing new places to experiencing new sounds and smells, your cat can better adapt to your world in a more relaxed manner. In turn, this will help improve their life with you, your family, and your friends. Kittens in particular need more socialization early on because it can often set the tone for how anxious or stressed they may get during periods of change.

Visiting your veterinarian on a more scheduled time frame can help reveal hidden medical conditions that may be painful, distressing, or even potentially fatal for your cat that you may otherwise be unaware of. Cats are masters at hiding a multitude of problems including pain, high blood pressure, declining kidney function, and teeth problems. Early detection and diagnosis often translate to more treatment options, better prognosis, and lower costs. Along with early detection, your veterinarian can also help prevent emergencies from developing, giving you greater peace of mind that your cat is happy and healthy.

Did you know that behavioral problems are one of the most common reasons why cats are surrendered although these problems are often treatable? With regular examinations, it creates the perfect time to discuss behavioral and personality changes. Having these conversations with your veterinarian can help not only catch any possible underlying medical reason but also present you with the best treatment plans or management options.

Don’t forget to also discuss flea, tick and other parasite prevention plans during your regular visits. Even if your cat is indoors only, they should still be on regular parasite preventatives, including flea and tick prevention, on top of being up-to-date on all vaccines. You never know what you or your other animals may bring home.

There really is no way to overstate the importance of yearly veterinary wellness exams. If your cat hasn’t seen a vet in the past 12 months it is important to call and make an appointment today. Your furry friend will be happy and so will you!