Routine Health Care for Your Cat
Vet2Cat is passionate about feline health and wellbeing
Routine Health Care for Your Cat
This includes preventative health care, veterinary attention when they are unwell, and providing a healthy and appropriate environment to look after their mental wellbeing.
By doing so, you can rest assured that you have done your duty as a cat owner and ticked all the boxes of the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare.
We believe veterinary care and advice is an important foundation for ensuring your cat lives a long, healthy life.
Vet2Cat uses the framework of the CatCareforLife programme https://www.catcare4life.org as a guide for this.
Cat Care for Life Initiative: Life Stages and Health Recommendations
The Cat Care for Life Initiative is a project established by the International Society of Feline Medicine. It provides a set of recommendations for both cat owners and vets to provide optimal feline healthcare.
These guidelines are important as they consider the different life stages that cats go through, much like humans, and offer focus on different aspects of their health during these distinct stages.
Note: This advice has been developed through years of international collaboration among feline specialists and is not a practice-driven scheme or health plan.
The Life Stages and important aspects of health:
Kitten (0-6 months of age)
- Checking for birth defects
- Appropriate nutrition for growth
- Appropriate vaccination programme
- Neutering from 4 months of age
- Microchipping
- Parasite control
- Environmental and behavioural advice
- Oral care introduction
Junior (7 months to 2 years)
- First booster(can be done from 6 months)
- Lifestyle assessment for optimal parasite control
- Environmental and behavioural advice
- Weight assessment and appropriate nutritional advice
- Dental assessment and oral care advice
Adult (3 years to 6 years)
- Lifestyle assessment for appropriate advice
- Weight assessment and appropriate nutritional advice
- Dental assessment and oral care advice
- Environmental and behavioural advice
Mature (7 years to 10 years)
- Lifestyle assessment
- Weight assessment and appropriate nutritional advice
- Dental assessment and oral care advice
- Annual urine sample and blood pressure measurement
- Examination of the back of the eyes
- Annual blood screen
Senior (11-14 years)
- Lifestyle assessment
- Weight assessment
- Annual to biannual urine test
- Annual to biannual blood screen
- Biannual blood pressure measurement
- Eye examination included in routine clinical examination
Super-senior (15+ years)
- Same aspects as Senior Cats
- Biannual urine and blood testing and blood pressure measurement as minimum
- Careful monitoring of weight and body condition
Cats at any life-stage diagnosed with a manageable condition may require more frequent check-ups and tests such as urine and blood samples.