Norman hates the vets. Not only is the place full of loud scary dogs, but also the vet insists on keeping him on a tiny table and touching him in places everyone knows a cat should never be touched! Not to talk of the needles, nail clips and … you know … the thermometer. Norman can smell anxiety and fear from miles away, while feeling sick in the dreadful car journey, inside a cage he does everything to prevent his mum putting him in! The entire thing is so stressful sometimes he can’t help it and ends up having one (or multiple) accidents.
Why would his mum (who otherwise seems to love him) subject him to such an experience? That, he is yet to know, and he can only hope the next vet visit is as far away as possible, maybe never?
Table of contents
If this episode sounds familiar, you are not alone. Most cats hate their pet carriers, are petrified of car journeys, feel anxious in the waiting room and detest being the centre of attention when examined by the vets. In addition to pet-related constraints, your own circumstances also affect how many times you take your cat to the vets.
Maybe you don’t drive or are disabled, and taking your pet requires you to arrange a pet taxi or rely on the availability and kindness of a friend. Or maybe you have financial constraints and need to limit how much you spend on your cat’s health; some people have incredibly busy schedules and it is extremely challenging to find a time slot for a vet appointment. These are just some of the multiple reasons a lot of pet owners avoid vet visits at all costs. But we all know sometimes our pet’s health does need to be assessed, but how often, or when?
Once a year
This is the minimum every cat should visit the vets. A yearly check-up is useful to monitor your cat’s weight and body condition, assess their teeth and gum health, auscultate their chest and listen to their heart. It’s also a chance to answer any questions you may have regarding diet options, behavioural changes or that minor health abnormality you’re not sure warrants a visit on its own, like occasional diarrhoea or vomiting episode, for example. Some vets advise a blood and/or urine sample per year on geriatric cats. This is to screen for common chronic conditions and improve the chances of early, successful treatment. Couple this with their annual vaccines and you have the perfect “healthy pet MOT”.
If you use prescription-only antiparasitic medications, your pet needs to be examined by a veterinary surgeon regularly for it to be legally prescribed – and most vets would say that once a year is what they need to be able to certify that the cat is genuinely under their care.
Every six months
Every six months is the perfect interval for most patients with chronic, well-controlled and stable conditions. This means pets that have had a medical condition and have been on the same dose of the same medications for a relatively long time. Examples of these conditions are diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, cardiomyopathies, allergies, osteoarthritis or asthma.
It is not a coincidence that prescriptions for ongoing medications are legally limited to six months’ duration!
Every month
Most pets with newly-diagnosed chronic conditions will need monthly vet visits before reaching a stage where a six-monthly visit is enough. This is necessary to monitor response to treatment. For example, when a cat is diagnosed with diabetes, the starting dose of insulin is too low for most cats. For that reason, small adjustments and frequent monitoring are necessary until the optimal dose for that individual is found.
There are once-monthly injections available for management of certain conditions like osteoarthritis or allergies, especially when cats do not take medication orally at home. These cases need monthly vet visits even when they are stable and on the same dose of medication for a long time.
Another good reason for monthly vet visits is management of obesity. Weight clinics are available in most veterinary practices, usually run by nurses. One month is often the ideal period to assess response and make changes to a new diet if necessary.
Once a week
Weekly visits are very common in acute, treatable conditions. Examples of these are infections (ear or urinary tract infections, for example), small superficial wounds, cystitis, conjunctivitis or lameness. These problems are usually reassessed every week until they are completely resolved, or the vet is confident they are progressing in the right direction.
Pets on palliative care usually need to be seen by a vet between once a week to once a month. These patients often have rapidly-progressing conditions. And need frequent adjustments to their treatment plan, as well as conversations about quality of life. This is to make sure they spend the last moments of their life as comfortably and pain-free as possible.
Chemotherapy is usually performed once to twice a week. Athough there are protocols that can be administered orally at home, many drugs have to be administered intravenously by qualified staff. The patient’s health and response to medication has to be checked frequently to ensure treatment safety.
Every day
Life-threatening and many rapidly evolving conditions require daily care. Cats can be hospitalised when they require injectable therapy and/or constant monitoring or treated as outpatients, coming in daily for assessment and/or treatment. For example in certain eye ulcers, wound dressings or when the owners can’t administer medication at home.
You can try to identify which group your pet falls into for guidance on how often your cat needs a vet visit but remember, these are just rough examples. In medicine there isn’t “one size fits all”. Your own vet is the best person to guide you on how many visits your cat needs, based on their behaviour, health condition and your personal circumstances.
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