I hope everyone in the US had a great Labor Day holiday! I know I did! So, now it’s back to work. Today I wanted to summarize the feline preventive healthcare guidelines. They are, in many ways, similar to the canine guidelines, but there are a few important differences. So, here they are:
- All cats should have a veterinary examination at least once a year, but for some cats more frequent examinations may be important.
- The health evaluation should include a thorough history taking to discuss lifestyle, life stage, behavior and diet
- Based on the history and physical examination, each cat should be assessed for medical conditions, infectious and zoonotic diseases, parasite prevention or control, dental care, behavior, nutrition, and genetic, breed and age considerations.
- Every cat should have annual heartworm, internal parasite and retrovirus testing, and other diagnostic testing or screening tests as needed based on the initial assessment.
- Every cat should receive year-round broad spectrum parasite control for heartworm disease, intestinal parasites and fleas. Tick control and recommendations for dental care, diet, environmental enrichment, and behavior as needed based on the initial assessment.
- Every cat should be kept current on the core vaccines, including rabies virus, feline panleukopenia virus, feline herpes virus-1, calicivirus, (and feline leukemia virus for kittens) in accordance with current recommendations and local laws. [I would suggest discussing vaccines carefully with your veterinarian due to the slight risk for vaccine-associated sarcomas in cats]
- Every cat should have appropriate identification, including microchipping.
- Reproductive and genetic counseling for owners and spaying or neutering of any cats not specifically intended for breeding.
- Non-core vaccines are given based on assessed need.
- Other preventive recommendations and counseling on zoonotic diseases [toxoplasmosis is the first one that comes to my mind]
- Follow up visits based on assessed needs and recommendations for future care.
As with the canine guidelines, these make a lot of sense to me, but personally I minimally vaccinate my indoor cats because I worry about them developing vaccine site sarcomas. However you should discuss these issues carefully with your veterinarian. I think these guidelines will help many pet owners open a meaningful dialogue with their veterinarians.
