Are we supposed to take our cat to the vet once a year?

[QueenStromba]

We got her from Battersea last March and other than taking her in because she'd been throwing up lots in April she hasn't been seen by a vet since. She's 16 now - should she be having some blood tests or whatever?

[JBrd]

Uhm, yes, they need their booster vaccinations once a year...

[Fluffycloudland77]

Don't they check her heart/eyes/teeth/weight when she has her jabs? I think that would cover it.

[feelinlucky]

Vet tells me once a year. I'm hoping they'll send me reminders.

[cozietoesie]

Once a year, QS. Boosters and MOT - which latter is really important for a girl of her age. (That may not require bloods etc - it depends what sort of health she's in.)

How's she doing?

[QueenStromba]

She's doing really well, thanks Cozie. She's no longer fur and bones and her fur is so much silkier. She also runs around like a crazy cat at least once a day - she really doesn't act her age :)

I'd forgotten about her boosters since she's an indoor cat - I'll make an appointment on Monday.

[cozietoesie]

Good for her. Glad she's a happy puss.

[QueenStromba]

She went to the vet today. She's put on half a kilo since we got her so the vet is now happy with her weight and he says her fur is in good condition now. He thinks that one of her teeth might need to come out though so she has to go back in a couple of weeks to have a GA so he can have a proper look. She hated having her blood taken but enjoyed the chicken we bribed her with when she got home.

[thecatneuterer]

I was just thinking about Rice today QS. I'm so glad she's doing well.

[cozietoesie]

She had dodgy teeth which were sorted before she came to you didn't she? Best to get them looked over again properly while she's still only a stripling I think.

Good luck to her.

(And good news about her weight.)

[QueenStromba]

Yeah, Battersea took out a load of her teeth. It probably doesn't help that we've stopped feeding her dry food since it didn't seem to agree with her tummy. She doesn't seem to be in any pain - she still happily rubs her face all over my nose and isn't off her food so it looks like the vet has caught it before it became too much of a problem.

She's doing well though if the only thing wrong with her at 16 is some missing teeth.

[cozietoesie]

Yes. She's doing exceeding well.

[QueenStromba]

And hi catneuterer. How's your clowder (apparently the correct term for a group of cats) doing?

[QueenStromba]

The vet called back with her blood results - slightly raised liver enzymes and urea but not enough to worry about or to prevent her having a GA. She's booked in for the 18th.

I'm really not looking forward to having to take her food away at 10pm - she's a grazer so will have us up at 5am crying for food! I'm tempted to give her a whole chicken leg at 9.30 because at least then she'll have a full tummy before bed.

I'm also pretty apprehensive about having to give her antibiotics afterwards. I'm hoping we'll get away with hiding tablets in a bit of pate or something. She did once eat a chicken kneecap and the other day she threw up about two thirds of an intact fishy stick so she does have form for swallowing big hunks of food intact!

[cozietoesie]

Actually, QS, I don't want to be negative but it sounds rather as if she has form for throwing them up!



Good luck to her on the 18th.

[QueenStromba]

The chicken knee came out the other end actually!

[thecatneuterer]

Chicken kneecap = how gross:)

My clowder are mostly fine thanks QS. I think I've added another 8 to their numbers since this time last year (when you got Rice of course), but six of them are only temporary. The latest addition is a tiny ancient old black and white lady cat who staggered into my house one day when I opened the door, on the brink of death from starvation. She's doing really well now.

[cozietoesie]

Are they making good use of the heat pads etc that that nice poster donated to the cause?

[thecatneuterer]

Cozie = yes they certainly are. There are three heat pads in various lovely donated beds and it's a bit like musical chairs. There's always a cat lurking around hoping for one with a heated bed to go for something to eat or to have a wee or something, and then jump in and claim the bed for themselves. You can almost see the consternation on the face of the returning cat when they realise that their bed has been taken. I like to imagine that they lie there crossing their legs for ages rather than get up and risk leaving the bed vacant:)

[cozietoesie]

[QueenStromba]

Rice had four of her teeth out yesterday and is recovering well. I managed to get her to take her antibiotics this morning by putting the capsule in some tuna mashed up with a tiny bit of philadelphia to make it sticky and she's eaten some food that I put her metacam on.

[cozietoesie]

By GA ? Well done her.

(She can't have many left now?)

[QueenStromba]

Yeah, GA. She might still have half her teeth - I'll have to ask the vet. They were quite impressed that she woke up and ate nearly a whole small tin of food. I was more impressed that she'd let us sleep til 8 when she'd had no food since 10pm!

[cozietoesie]

I suppose I'm judging by Seniorboy who was down to 5 by her age - but still has those 5 left! (The vet does good work.) It's good to get it over with when she's not yet elderly. In really late years, I suspect that there's a tricky balance between ill enough to need a GA procedure but well enough to undergo it.

Now you all can relax for a year or two on the tooth front.

[QueenStromba]

Hopefully - it was only a year ago that Battersea took out a load of her teeth though!

She's just taken her second tuna covered capsule and is nomming the leftovers - I'm so glad that it's turned out to be relatively easy to get meds into her. She even comes running when I get the tuna out :)

She seems to be fully recovered now, she chased some receipts for a bit last night and woke us up this morning for a fuss.

[cozietoesie]

Good for her. (Although I hope she didn't wake you too early.)