older kitty

[alnomars]

I have a 13-year-old indoor cat who occasionally has diarrhea but otherwise seems to be in good health. He NEVER goes outside and has a playmate here, a 12-year-old female who also never goes outside. How often do you take your cats to the vet? Only when they're sick? Do they need to have check-ups?

Thanks so much.

[Barbara]

I take them in every year -every 1,5 year. If they go never outside, they may not need the full shot program but I want to have the teeth checked anyway and some other things.

Of course I take them in if there is something. Although they are inside all the time Filou managed to get coccidia one time, he also had some eye infections and Tigris had an UTD.

[Shady]

Mine are indoor cats as well, I take them to the vet's annually for shots and examination, then any time in between when necessary.

With an older cat I would absolutely make sure I took them at least once a year, you may find that they will want to do a more rigorous workup of an older cat, perhaps some blood tests and a few other things that are not obvious. It's always good to have base levels to refer to in case something does go wrong.

[kittykay]

Yes, dental checkup and blood scans on a yearly basis. Also, diarrhea is not a good thing, even if it's only occasionally. Have your vet assess him for possible food allergies. Prescription food can fix that problem pronto.

[IRescue452]

I'd take him to the vet for a problem like that. Sonny hasn't been to the vet in years. He used to go occasionally while we were trying out different fixes for his sensitive stomach/intestines. He's never had any other health problems and I'd be at the vet in a minute if he had diarrhea.