Furbabies
Cat Care Site

Visiting The Veterinarian

Choosing A Veterinarian

Ask friends, neighbours or workmates if they could recommend a vet clinic in the area. Talk to members of the local cat club to find out what vet they use.

Choose a vet clinic which specializes in small animals
Choose a vet who you feel comfortable with
Make sure the clinic waiting rooms are clean and tidy
Check that the vet clinic provides a 24 hour emergency service or belongs to an after-hours clinic group
If your cat is afraid of dogs, consider finding a "cats-only" vet

Physical Exam

A healthy cat should see the veterinarian once a year for a check up. On a standard physical exam, your vet should check:

Eyes - for signs of discharge or cloudiness
Ears - for signs of ear mites, wax build-up or yeast problems
Mouth - for tartar build-up on the teeth, swelling and redness of the gums
Skin - for evidence of fleas, flaky dry patches, ringworm
Heart and lung sounds
Respiration rate (breathing)
Heart rate
Temperature
Weight
Body condition score

Your vet may ask you questions about:

Your cats diet
When your cat was last given a worming tablet
When your cat was last treated for fleas, and what treatment product you used
When your cat was last vaccinated
Any problems your cat has had in the past year

Additional tests: In some countries your vet may choose to run additional screening tests. These may include:

Routine blood screen tests
Faecal sample - to check for worms

References

Carlson DG & Giffin JM, Cat Owners Home Veterinary Handbook, New York: Howell Book House, 1995

Page S, The Complete Cat Owners Manual, Australia: Readers Digest, 1997

Taylor D, The Ultimate Cat Book, Great Britain: Dorling Kindersley, 1989

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