Taking your cat to the vet can be a stressful experience—for both you and your furry friend. In this blog, we’ll guide you through four essential steps: when you should consider taking your cat to the vet, how to prepare for the visit, what to expect upon arrival, and how to handle minor health issues at home. By following these tips, you’ll feel more confident in ensuring your cat gets the best care possible while reducing stress for both of you.
1. Some Situation Where You Should Consider to Take Your Cat to Vet
Regularly Scheduled Checkups for Cats
| Kittens | Adult Cats | Senior Cats | |
| Age | 0-1 year | 1-7 years | 7+ years |
| Frequency of Vet Visiting | 1~2 Visit Per Year | once a year | every 6 months |
Cats can not tell where they feel bad. Even, they are good at hiding lots of illnesses at the initial stage. Till the owners find the obvious signs of discomfort disease, the problem may already be more advanced. So regular checkups for cats are very helpful to catch the illness early to avoid missing the optimal treatment period.
By the way, if there is limited budget for regular checkups, we could prior to the necessary checkups program as follows.
- Cat’s weight, temperature, heart rate, coat, skin, eyes, teeth, and overall demeanor.
- Regular deworming and flea/tick treatments
- Dental health check
- Blood tests and urinalysis for senior cats or unhealthy cats
Kitten Vaccinations
Besides regular checkups, vaccinations should be included. Similar to regular checkups, some vaccinations are core but the others are not. Commonly speaking, three doses and booster of FVRCP vaccinations should be given to cats at the age of 7 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks and the following every 2 years. And rabies vaccine should be given at 12-16 weeks of age, followed by the booster each 2 years later.
As for non-core vaccines like FeLV, FIV, Chlamydia Psittaci and Bordetella, we should give them based on a kitten’s risk of exposure to certain diseases.
Cat Vomiting When to Take to Vet
Sometimes, even though we strictly followed the regular checkups plan and vaccination plan, our cat may still get ill. For example, Chips, a member of our furry family, got vomiting. Since we attached much importance and took it to the vet in time, it recovered well.
Cat Limping When to Take to Vet
Limping can be classified into various levels. However, if the cats suffer
- persistent limping more than 24-48 hours,
- severe pain leading to guarding a limb,
- noticeable swelling, bruising or a deformity in the leg,
- difficult moving,
- multiple symptoms like fever, weak appetite or lethargy,
we highly recommend taking cats to the vet.
Cat Sneezing When to Take to Vet
Sneezing can be caused by upper respiratory infections, allergies and dental health. If a Siberian cat is sneezing occasionally, it might not be a big concern, as cats can sneeze due to minor irritants like dust, strong odors, or changes in the weather. However, if sneezing becomes frequent, accompanied by other symptoms like nasal discharge, coughing, loss of appetite, lethargy, or difficulty breathing, please take it to the vet for further therapy.
Cat Not Eating When to Take to Vet
Cats can stop eating for various reasons—stress, pain, infections, dental problems, or even nausea—so it’s best to get a professional opinion to pinpoint the cause.
Cat Diarrhea When to Take to Vet
If the diarrhea persists for more than 24-48 hours, or if it’s accompanied by any of the following symptoms, a vet visit is necessary:
- Blood in stool: This can be a sign of infection, inflammation, or more serious conditions.
- Severe lethargy: If the cat is unusually tired or not engaging in normal activities.
- Vomiting: If the cat is throwing up frequently, it could indicate a gastrointestinal issue or more serious illness.
- Dehydration: Diarrhea can lead to dehydration quickly. If the cat’s gums are dry, it’s drinking less water, or you notice sunken eyes, it’s important to get help immediately.
- Weight loss: Significant weight loss or a decrease in appetite while having diarrhea is a red flag.
- Change in behavior: If the cat seems unusually irritable or in pain when touched, it could indicate an underlying problem.
- Fever: Our Dollar, also a member of the furry family, was confirmed as feline infectious peritonitis from the combination symptoms of fever, not eating and diarrhea. At that time, we immediately determined to consult the vet.
2. Preparing
To begin, we precisely checked Dollar temperature-39˚C. It is very close to the fever level of cat, 39.2˚C, so we call ahead the nearby pet clinic to make an initial inquiry and appointment, telling the temperature and symptoms of Dollar. Very luckily, we got an intraday appointment through the phone calling.
Although it is a little urgent, we keep calm during preparing a carrier to ensure safe transport. Dollar looks calm, too. Many people said their stressed cat doesn’t want to go inside the carrier. I think two things we did were very proper at that moment to calm Dollar. First, we keep smooth tone when talking in spite of urgent preparation, so Dollar may be affected by our relaxing atmosphere. Second, we put its favourite feather wand in the carrier. This carries the familiar smelling, so Dollar showed less stressful when it came into and stayed in the carrier. Or, some people put small cloth items that smell like home. And this idea can also work.
In addition to the carrier, we carried the medical record of Dollar, which contains the previous prescription.
3. Arriving at the Clinic
On the way to the clinic, Dollar just meowed several times. It seemed that it is not very adaptable to the car trip. So for each meowed, we gave responses in soft tone. To our surprise, Dollar went through its first car trip successfully. No crying and no anger. What a good kitten!
After check-in in the reception, we headed to the vet.
“Dollar, come in.”
“Yes,” we carry the carrier to the vet room, “ Hello, our Dollar got fever at 39˚C and Diarrhea….”
We described the time, symptoms and the vaccination of Dollar.
Confirmed the Diagnosis
“ Hum…may be it is virus infection, but first let me make a physical exam for it.”
“OK”
Though we said OK, we are not OK in our minds. We are worried about the exam results. At the same time, Dollar started feeling a little nervous. Thanks to the sophisticated vet team, they are very skillful and professional. From taking Dollars out of the carrier, they smoothly did the temperature check, face check, blood work and X-rays checkups.
“OK, we finished checkups. You had mentioned that Dollars had not received all doses of vaccinations, so we have to wait for the blood report for diagnosis. Just sit outside the room and wait for a while.”
When holding Dollar for pacifying, we thought a lot of possible results. Until hearing the calling from the vet room.
“ Dollar, come and see your report”
“ Yes,” we vexedly rushed into the room, “ so how are the results?”
“ We are sorry to find FIP in Dollar.” Said the vet, with frown on his forehead.
“…..” We say nothing with sadness because FIP is not an easy illness for cats. None of us want to losed Dollar.
“ It is not an easy job, but just keep optimistic and patient. We plan to give antiviral drugs as the primary treatment to Dollars. Also, anti-inflammatory drugs would be given as supportive care. And it is not a cheap and short treatment. Besides, ….”
The vet kept saying lots of nutritional tips and caring tips later, but we are in such a bad mood that just the key treatment plan was remembered.
After paying the bill, we and Dollar started a long-run fighting with FIP.
We Defeated FIP
In the following months, we took Dollar to the vet for therapy every day. Finally, we completely defeated FIP within 3 months. And now, Dollar still lived a happy and healthy life with us.
This is the real story of taking Dollar to the vet for the first time. We shared this story here to not only clarify the vet consulting steps, but also to encourage every cat’s parent to be optimistic about every bad situation.
4. How to Treat a Sick Cat Without Going to the Vet
Before talking how to treat a sick cat without going to the vet, it should be noted that if your cat’s condition doesn’t improve after 24-48 hours of home care, it’s time to visit a vet.
Here are some approaches to handling minor sickness.
- Assess the Symptoms
- Hydration and Diet: Encourage your cat to drink water, offer easily digestible food like boiled chicken or rice, or a high-quality canned cat food. Useful devices, like cat water fountain without pump and cat food dispenser, are good at encouraging drinking and eating.
- Create a Comfortable Environment: Provide a quiet warm space for taking rest.
- Monitor symptoms: track the fever, monitor for worsening symptoms.
Takeaway
Taking your cat to the vet doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By recognizing the signs that warrant a visit, preparing ahead of time, knowing what to expect at the clinic, and understanding how to manage minor health issues at home, you can make vet trips less stressful and more effective. Your cat’s health is important, and a little planning can go a long way in providing them with the care they need.
