Why You Should Take Your Cat In For Regular Check-Ups
Posted on: 6 March 2015
Taking cats to the vet can be hard, depending on your cat's temperament and level of skittishness. Because of this, cat owners tend to only take their cats in for vaccines or when there is something wrong. The thing is, intermittent visits to the vet might be too late to catch underlying long-term problems with your cat. Here are four reasons check-ups are a helpful care idea for your cat.
1. Cats are Good at Hiding Illnesses
If your cat is sick or has a long-term illness, you might not even know about it. Cats tend to put on a good front and act healthy, hiding any side effects of illnesses. Cats might not show visible symptoms unless a disease has progressed. An initial check-up can catch things with blood tests, eyes and ears exams, and having a vet feel your cat for lumps.
2. Have a Baseline when Your Cat is Well
Taking your cat in when they are well will give your vet the chance to get all of your cat's information in the system, so that there is a baseline for your cat's normal temperature and weight. This can be helpful because if there is a change, your vet will have something to refer to. Having your cat's information on file can build a history for your cat and any changes can be caught right away and monitored.
3. Get to Know Your Veterinarian
Having a veterinarian and your cat on file in their office will help if there ever is an emergency. If your vet knows you, and your cat is already a patient, you will be much more likely to be able schedule an emergency appointment and get your cat looked at right away. If your cat is familiar with the vet's office and the last visit went smoothly, this will hopefully ease anxiety for your cat during an emergency visit.
4. Preventative Care is Less Expensive
Finding any diseases or illnesses early on will save you money in the long run. Finding a problem once an illness has progressed can lead to expensive options and tough decisions. If problems with your cat's health are found early on, treatment options may be far less expensive and easier on your cat.
Bringing your cat in for a yearly visit is a good preventative measure. If anything is wrong, this can be caught early and treated. Loading up the cat and getting them to a vet, such as Park Animal Hospital, might seem like a pain, but in the long-run is better for your cat's overall health.
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