Visiting a doctor is not pleasant for anyone, especially it isn’t for our cats. Cat lovers don’t really like this part either, but regular vet check-ups are essential for keeping a cat healthy. It is not rare that people wonder how often do you take a cat to the vet. What to do to determine this and what is recommended?
Normally, you should take your cat to the vet when something is wrong with her. This can happen if your cat doesn’t eat, is losing hair, or showing other signs of being sick. Other reasons for a vet visit would be spaying or neutering, vaccinations, and parasites cleaning.
In order to determine the frequency of regular vet check-ups, it’s important to take your cat’s age into consideration.
How often do you take your kitten to the vet?
Similar to babies, cats need to be seen by a vet more often when they are young, i.e. kittens. Therefore, until they are one year old, cats need to be taken to the vet once every three to four weeks. This is when the vet will give the proper vaccines against infections to your kitten and do the initial health checks. At this time, the vet will prepare the vaccine schedule based on their lifestyle.
Cleaning your cat from parasites is very important at this stage because when they are young cats need to be dewormed more often. The vet will also do a complete physical examination of your cat and give you guidance on how to take care of your feline better.
Furthermore, this is the period when spaying and neutering are recommended – usually at 6 to 12 months of age. Your veterinarian will be able to determine the exact time when it would be ideal for this procedure to be performed.
How often do you take an adult cat to the vet?
After your cat is one year old she needs fewer visits to the vet. Most of the crucial health examinations should have been performed by this age, and your cat becomes an adult.
At this point, your cat should see the vet only once a year for stool checks for parasites and for regular vaccinations. Other important examinations that should take place at this age are weight and oral checks. Usually, there is a greater risk of overweight cats having health problems. Also, after the age of six, cats are prone to getting periodontal disease.
Older cats who are over 10 years old need to go to the vet twice a year. This of course is due to the fact that senior cats have greater risks of getting various diseases.
Finally, don’t forget that you should closely observe your cat’s behavior to detect if they are struggling with some condition. Cats aren’t able to speak so they use a different type of non-verbal communication to express their mood and feelings. You should be able to understand it and read it better. And most importantly, never miss a vet appointment.