Indoor cat - never been to the vet . does he need to?

[Corygal]

My beloved tabby, since his arrival from Battersea and first night on the bed, has refused to leave Palais Corygal. He is FIV and needs to live inside. Tried gentle walks, little trips, hopeless.

He arrived from Batt with his shots - 3 years ago. If he ever seems ill, I call the vet, but he always recovers before the time comes to 'bring him in'. I worm him at home.

I really don't want to stress him out, but do I need to take him for yearly injections? He seems healthy and happy. The only worry is his teeth - I can't get a decent look, but he always chews on the right side and one of the left teeth is brown. Occasionally he has bad breath (poss from thieving food). He is 9.

My mum has an indoor cat and he still has some injections ( some he's allergic to) . Sounds like your cat needs his teeth looking at though.

Cozieseniorboy has been a happily indoor boy all of his life and yet he still goes to the vet once a year minimum for his MOT and jabs. He gets the range apart from feline leukaemia where he's not in the risk group. Yes he gets a bit stressed by it (doesn't like going outside the house) but last year the vet picked up a lump on his tummy which turned out to be a benign fatty growth .....but who could have told until it was investigated ... and he had really appalling teeth when he came to me which worsened and required a full GA procedure.

He's also vulnerable to fleas so he gets flea spot on regularly. Just because a cat is inside a house doesn't mean that you can't track in an egg or two from somewhere outside which will start off a plague of the blighters. He had a flea in fact in our last house.

If I were you, I'd have him to the vet on a regular basis even though he's a house cat. The teeth alone are worth the vet looking at. (Bad teeth can be quite dangerous to a cat, can seriously affect quality of life - and don't improve with age.) Your vet will advise on his needs having regard to his FIV status. You could always phone them beforehand and explain the situation, see what they say.

PS - if it's any consolation, he doesn't seem to blame me for the vet trip. We get terrible squawks and moans, but the minute his vet prodding and jabbing is over and he's put back in his carrier everything quiets down and as soon as he's back in the house, he's pretty well back to normal. I think he blames the vet. (Who can tell what goes on in a cat's mind sometimes.)

Fiv positive cats need regular examination and vaccination. As they may have poor immune function they need vaccinating more than non fiv cats. Dental/oral disease is common in fiv cats so he needs to go. A small stress (find a cat friendly vet- look on FAB website) is worth it. Cats are masters of hiding disease no matter how observant the owners. Plus the earlier illness is identified the easier to treat. Make an appointment today. Your vets may suggest 2 vaccinations as he is overdue but I would suggest as he had a previous course at rescue centre one lot is fine. As indoor lone cat no need for feline leukemia vacc so decline that but cat flu vacc important. See FAB (feline advisory bureau) website for info on caring for an fiv positive cat. Regular vet checks vital. Every 6 months I would advise.

Thanks for that Samvet. I've never had an FIV positive cat so didn't know that checks were in fact required more frequently than other cats.

Samvet - thanks so so so much. The little lad is grumpy as I am typing to you, not stroking him, but we are both dead grateful.

Am getting on the phone after his morning Dreamies, GXX