Should I take my cat to the vets for a check up?

[patienceisvirtuous]

My cat is one y/o. I got her from CP - she's neutered/chipped/vaccinated.

Should I be taking her to the vet for an annual check up or vaccinations or anything?

She's an indoor cat and appears to be healthy as a (mini) horse but I don't want to potentially miss out an important element of her care :-)

[Sparklingbrook]

Yes, she should have annual boosters. Check the Vaccination record and see when they are due then get her booked in. Usually they will check teeth and have a good inspection of the cat at the same time.

[DramaAlpaca]

Like Sparklingbrook says, she should get an annual booster.

[patienceisvirtuous]

Great thanks, I'll get that sorted for her...

[Sparklingbrook]

Oh and don't forget the flea and worm treatments.

[cozietoesie]

I always do. Check up and booster shots - and at 1 year old, there's unlikely to be much else she'll need. (Although The Lodger had a tooth problem which the vet noticed when he was only 3.)

When was she last seen by a vet/given her initial round of shots?

[cozietoesie]

Well done.

[patienceisvirtuous]

Sorry, I should have added I got her when she was 12 weeks so she was all sorted then. She hasn't been to vets since (she was one in May).

[patienceisvirtuous]

Will she need flea and worm treatments even though she is indoor, no other pets...

Also re her teeth, she has good quality kibble so I'm hoping they'll be fine. But will obv get them checked :)

[hellymelly]

I wouldn't do booster shots for an indoor cat. My last vet said that boosters could be spaced out anyway, he was against giving to too many. Other than that, I would probably only take such a young cat to the vet if they seemed different or unwell, but I always gave older pets an annual check up at the vet, however well they seemed (over 10).

[Sparklingbrook]

I think ask the Vet's advice. Obviously if god forbid she escaped she would be at risk from not having the boosters, and also should you want to use a cattery they will not accept her with no boosters.

Give the Vets a call and see what they recommend.

[patienceisvirtuous]

Cheers, I will do that Sparkling.

[cozietoesie]

Flea and worm treatments should be given even though she's indoor - your home isn't a sealed environment and who knows what you might bring in on your shoes or clothes. (Sorry.) I've had a housecat who caught a flea before now.

I know that the Lodger's tooth problem was mainly one related to the structure of his teeth, which had grown a bit awry and needed to be sorted before they got nasty. At 1 year old, it will be a quick look by the vet and not much more I would have thought.

I know that there are schools of thought on booster jabs with some vets disliking annual ones. I always get them done - apart from FIV which isn't needed for a housecat as they're not in the risk group.

[Sparklingbrook]

Lovely photo by the way.

[cozietoesie]

Oh she's a honey!

[patienceisvirtuous]

Thanks everyone.

I love the photo of her, she was such a little imp then , not that's she's much calmer now mind you!

[patienceisvirtuous]

Ohh Sparkling, your cat is lovely! :)

[Sparklingbrook]

Thanks patience I think the rule on MN should be that if you own a cat a photo needs to be on profile.

My over the road neighbour has a ten week old kitten at the moment. I have been over there a lot. Squeeeeeee!!!!

[cozietoesie]

By the way, patience. I don't know whether you have a vet plan (I'm guessing from what you said that you don't) but if you take your cat in for a vaccination booster, most vets will, effectively, throw in the check up consultation for free so no extra cost for that.

[patienceisvirtuous]

I concur!

I bloody love kittens. I had an oldie first (took her in when neighbour died) but she died about a year later so I went straight to C P and adopted like kitten (couldn't face the heartbreak of losing another oldie). I had no idea what I was letting myself in for ha ha. But I wouldn't be without her.

DP and I are dotty about her

We have our apartment up for sale. Once we move we are planning on taking on a couple more

[patienceisvirtuous]

No I don't Cozie. That would be good :-)

[ZebraOwl]

That's what my two had done today: jabs topped up (they are now Officially Indoor Cats after the vet advised me to stop trying to get them to go outside as it upsets them so much but I'd hate them to be unprotected if they were ever to find themselves somehow exposed, for the same reason I keep up with their flea&worm-proofing) & a quick check-up done.

All quite speedy - in a good way, not in an I Was Rushed way - and means that vets have a good idea of how cats are when well/can catch any problems early.

Did you get a vaccination record from CP? I managed to forget to take mine (er, my cats', not mine personally, that would be a bit odd) with me today (Mr Nijinsky's refusal to get into his carrier led to their being left on the table) so vet said I'm to just drop them in when passing & he'll update them for me.