What is the cat wellness exam?
The cat wellness exam is performed whenever your cat comes in for vaccines or just for their annual wellness exam. Essentially, we're looking for common health conditions and checking the overall health of your pet.
Dr. Meagan Darby
Hebron Animal Hospital
What will a veterinarian be looking for during my cat's wellness exam?
We're going to be looking for any abnormal findings. So a lot of the time the common things we're looking for are dental tartar, gingivitis. The other thing we're looking for is your pet's weight or their body condition score is another thing that we call it.
Will my cat's wellness exam require any specific lab work or procedures?
Depending on the age of your pet, we may recommend blood work, especially as your cats start to age, we may recommend blood work or we may recommend different procedures depending on if there's any concerns going on at home.
How does wellness impact the longevity and health of my cat?
Your wellness exam is going to help us identify any health conditions sooner than if you wait until your pet is sick when they come in. Then we can't catch everything, but we can catch some really common things that we can help prevent further disease as your pet ages.
When should I bring my cat in for a veterinary wellness exam?
Your cat should come in at least once a year for a veterinary wellness exam. This is important as well to make sure that we are still an up-to-date client and we can still help you out anytime you need it. And then we'll also recommend it whenever we're doing vaccines on your cat.
What are some signs and symptoms that indicate that my cat's not feeling well?
A lot of times with cats, they have a tendency to hide when they're not feeling well. You may notice vomiting, diarrhea, the normal things, or just a decreased appetite.
What are some possible environmental factors that can be affecting my cat's wellness?
A lot of things in your environment can impact your pet's wellness. New people in the environment have a tendency to stress them out, especially children that are new to the household. New pets or new layouts of the furniture. Any of those things can kind of change your cat's perception of their environment.
Why is early detection so important for the well-being of my cat?
Sometimes if we can detect a disease early enough, we can help prevent it from either getting worse or we can cure that disease. So that way it's not something you have to worry about in the future.
How do cat wellness exams influence subsequent treatments?
Cat wellness exams give us the opportunity to chart what your normal is for your pet. So we can see what your cat's gums normally look like. We can see what your pet's weight normally is. That will allow us to know what normal is for your cat because it can be different for every pet.
What are some things I can do to maximize my cat's wellness at home?
At home, make sure that you have plenty of engaging activities for your cats. They like to hunt and they like to play, that's something that they'll do lifelong as long as you continue to encourage them and then just make sure that they have a safe space too, especially if you have a lot of other pets or small children in the home.
What can I do to provide my cat with the best nutrition possible?
You can always ask your veterinarian for a good recommendation, and depending on your pet's condition, they may have different things they recommend. Always make sure that you're looking for a good manufacturer of the food, somebody who does quality control and does testing and has good plans for the formula that's in the food.
How can I keep my cat from becoming overweight?
It's really easy for cats to become overweight. They're very good at making fat. One of the things that you can do is to make sure to play with them really frequently, even 15 minutes of playtime a day really helps get their metabolism up, and to not overfeed them. A lot of times with cats, calories are going to be the more important way to keep them from gaining too much weight.
How do I keep my indoor cat healthy?
By making sure they're on a good diet, they have plenty of exercise and lots of things to stimulate their brain, you should have a nice healthy cat.
How do I keep my outdoor cat healthy?
With outdoor cats, make sure they're up to date on their vaccines because they're really high risk for catching diseases. I also recommend that if you can keep them within your yard somehow, that's highly recommended. The number one reason that we see pets pass away early from being outdoor cats is from car trauma or from being attacked by other animals.
How often should my cat get a wellness exam?
Your cat should get a wellness exam once a year.
My cat seems healthy. Do they really need a wellness exam?
They still need a wellness exam once a year. Like we talked about, it's great to have those normals to compare to. Usually, you will have a few questions that you've noticed over the past year, and that is a great time to bring it up with your veterinarian.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (859) 689-4700, or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram
Cat Vaccine Demonstration by Doctor Darby
When administering a cat vaccine, we sometimes offer treats to distract your pet during the process, making it a bit less painful for them. However, sometimes they don't fall for our tricks. Another technique we commonly use is called a cat press. A technician or assistant will apply pressure on the shoulders and back, causing the cat to lie down, making it easier to administer vaccines.
Next, we will administer vaccines under the skin. The rabies vaccine goes here, and we'll gently flip her over. Now, we'll administer a vaccine on the other side, and we're all done.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (859) 689-4700, or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram