Care for a cat, including the parts a cat will hide from you
Cats conceal illness better than any other pet we see. Most of what shortens a cat's life is found on a routine visit rather than reported by an owner, which is the whole argument for the yearly check.
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What changes, and when
- 8 weeks to 6 months
Kitten
The F3 course, worming, microchipping, and desexing at five months for both males and females.
- 6 months to 3 years
Young adult
The first dental grade, an FeLV test if the cat goes outside, and the weight baseline that everything later is measured against.
- 3 to 8 years
Adult
A yearly check and boosters. This is the stage where early kidney and thyroid change is found on screening rather than by symptom.
- 8 years and older
Senior
Two checks a year with blood pressure, blood and urine. Kidney disease, hyperthyroidism and arthritis are all common and all manageable when they are caught early.
Services for cats
Health checks
Dogs and cats mask pain and illness well into the middle of it.
Vaccinations
Which vaccines a pet needs depends on where it lives, how old it is and what it does with its day.
Desexing
Timing matters more than it used to.
Dental care
By three years old most dogs and cats have something worth grading.
In-house pathology
Four hospitals run their own analysers, so a sick animal gets its biochemistry, haematology and electrolytes inside twenty minutes.
Nutrition and weight
Carrying an extra fifteen per cent shortens a dog's life and brings arthritis forward by years.
What we see most
A cat that won't eat
Not the same problem as hyperthyroidism, where a cat eats well and still loses weight. A cat that stops eating altogether is an emergency inside 24 to 48 hours - the liver can be damaged by fasting alone. Bring the cat in rather than waiting to see if it comes right.
See 24-hour emergencyA quiet or hiding cat
Cats that are unwell go quiet and find somewhere to hide rather than showing pain outwardly. A cat that has stopped greeting you, is sleeping somewhere new, or has stopped grooming is worth a same-week check even with no other sign.
See Health checksVomiting in a cat
Cats vomit more than dogs, and once a week or less with no other sign is usually nothing. Vomiting that is frequent, has blood in it, or comes with weight loss is worth blood and faecal testing rather than a wait-and-see.
See In-house pathologyOvergrooming or bald patches
A cat that grooms one area raw is usually responding to pain or an allergy underneath, not a coat problem on its own. The itch or the source of pain gets found before the skin is treated.
See Skin and allergyA lump on a cat
Cat lumps are more often something to act on than a dog's - a needle sample the same week is the standard rather than watching. Bring in anything new or changing.
See Soft-tissue surgeryUrinary blockage
A male cat straining in the tray and producing nothing is an emergency measured in hours. Fremantle is open through the night for exactly this.
See 24-hour emergencyChronic kidney disease
Common past ten and slow enough to manage well. Urine concentration moves before the blood values do, which is why both are run.
See In-house pathologyHyperthyroidism
A cat eating well and losing weight. A single blood test names it and treatment is straightforward once it does.
See In-house pathologyDental resorptive lesions
Painful, common, and invisible without a radiograph. This is the reason a cat dental is done with full-mouth films.
See Dental careArthritis nobody notices
Cats do not limp, they stop jumping. A cat that has given up the kitchen bench is usually sore rather than settled.
See Health checksBook for your cat
Six hospitals across Perth, and one of them is open right now.