How Often Do You Take A Cat To The Vet?

When it comes to cat ownership, there can be a lot of questions raised, especially if you’ve never owned a cat before, and simple things such as how often to feed them and how to litter train them can go from being the simplest of tasks to a complicated one!

One of the more popular questions we get asked about caring for our feline friends is how often should I take my cat to the vet? It’s understandable that people want to make sure that their cat is visiting the vet enough, and is being checked regularly to ensure that they are healthy, but the dilemma is often about how often you should visit!

​So, if you’re wondering how often you should take your cat to the vet, then read on through our simple guide in order to learn everything you need to know!

​How Often To Visit The Vet

Cats are quite expressive animals, so you’ll soon know if something is wrong, but even if your cat seems completely fine and healthy, it’s still a good idea to take your cat to the vet at least once a year.

​This will allow your local vet to give your cat a basic health check to ensure that there is nothing minor that might be missed or unnoticed until it develops into a bigger problem. 

​If you allow your cat to roam around outdoors, you might also need to pay a visit to keep them up to date with their core and non-core injections, and they may need additional ones too, as this will help to protect them from the conditions and things they might come across during their adventures outside your home. 

​Your Cat’s Age And The Vet

The age and maturity of your cat also plays an important role in determining how often you should take your cat to the vet as well, so check the guidelines below to see how often your cat visits the vet:

• Kittens: If you have a kitten, aged between 6 to 16 weeks, then you should make sure that your kitten visits the vet at least once a month. This is mainly so that they can receive all of the vaccinations they need, but it’s also a great time for you to discuss things such as spaying or neutering, and microchipping your cat.
• Adults: Once your cat is an adult, between the ages of 1 to 7 years old, then you shouldn't really need to have to take them to the vet too often, as long as they’re healthy that is. So you should just be sure to take them for an annual checkup to ensure that everything is going well and that there are no underlying problems. A typical annual checkup will include things such as a full physical check, some blood tests, as well as some other forms of testing too.
• Seniors: If your cat is getting older, and is into its senior years, which is from 7 years old and beyond, then they would probably benefit more from visiting the vet around twice a year. Cats do have quite long lifespans, but two checkups a year will ensure that any developments with health issues or age-related problems will be caught in enough time which means they can be treated easily before they become problematic.

​How To Know If I Should Take My Cat To The Vet?

If your cat is healthy, then there should be no reason for you to take them to the vet for just a regular checkup more than once a year.

However, if you have any concerns about your cat’s health for whatever reason, then you should absolutely take them to the vet.

Unless it’s an emergency, where your cat has eaten and swallowed something they shouldn’t have, or if it has been hit by a vehicle, then you’ll probably have to book and schedule an appointment with your vet before your cat can be seen.

​There are a few things you should look out for with your cat that might be a sign that they need to visit the vet:

• Coughing and sneezing: This could be a sign of a respiratory infection, such as feline herpes, or even feline calicivirus. These are both highly contagious but can be solved easily if you contact your vet. 
  
• Changes in appetite and drinking: If your cat isn’t eating or drinking enough, or is eating too much, then you should definitely schedule an appointment.
  
• Changes in activity, grooming, or sleep: If your cat is sleeping too much or too little, there could be something wrong. If your cat is less active it could be a result of an injury. And a lack of grooming could be a sign your cat is ill, and has something such as gum disease.
  
• Vomiting and weight loss: If your cat is losing significant amounts of weight or is vomiting, then you should take them to the vet as soon as possible as there is something severely wrong.
  
• Avoiding the litter box: If your cat is avoiding the litter box, is straining to urinate, or isn’t eliminating at all, it could be a sign of an undiagnosed health issue, so you should take your cat to the vet.
  
• Shivering: If your cat is shivering regularly, then it could be a sign of something such as hypothermia, so you should try to schedule an appointment with your vet as soon as possible in order to get them checked out.

​Summary

Overall, taking your cat to the vet is something that you should ensure you do at least annually, this will mean that your cat is kept healthy and happy, so be sure to look after them!