Premier Veterinary Care tailors cat annual wellness visits to the both the lifestyle and life stage of your cat. Asking pet parents about life style enables us to make immunization recommendations specific to one particular cat based on risk assessment for given infectious diseases that cats they may be exposed to.
For every vaccine that is recommended, Premier Veterinary Care follows protocols set by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), two essential veterinary medical governing bodies that collectively conduct ongoing research into optimizing the efficacy and safety of cat vaccines.
For life stage, the immunization frequency and recommended health screening will evolve from kitten to adult cat to senior cat. While life stage provides us base guidelines, overall health condition at any life stage may prompt your veterinarian to make recommendations that differ from the status quo. This is why a THOROUGH PHYSICAL EXAMINATION by a licensed veterinarian is INTEGRAL to wellness care at all life stages.
For more in depth information on vaccines, please visit our Pet Vaccinations page.
Table of Contents
Make an Appointment
Kitten Wellness
Kitten wellness visits generally begin at 8 weeks of age, since kitten litters ideally should not be separated from their mom until this time. The first kitten wellness visit is one of the most important visits of the new kitten’s life. Your admitting technician will begin by taking a medical history by asking you a series of questions and then weigh your kitten. Your veterinarian will conduct a thorough physical examination to determine if there are concerning health issues, such as hernias, as well as evidence any congenital diseases present such as heart murmurs.
Kittens commonly have GI worms, so your kitten will likely receive a dose of deworming medication. But, don’t forget to bring us some kitten poop for his/her first visit for screening because not all GI parasites are worms! Your kitten will receive his/her first immunizations per the guidelines and protocols set by the American Veterinary Medical Veterinary Association (AVMA) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). We will also start your kitten on heartworm, flea and tick preventative medication, usually offering a complementary first dose (depending on weight and availability)
There will be a total of three kitten visits generally at 8, 11, and 14 weeks of age. Vaccines and vaccine boosters will be spread out among the three visits, and your veterinarian will perform an examination each time to make certain there are no developmental or health issues during this delicate life stage. Since kittens commonly re-infect with GI parasites, we will ask you to bring us some more poop at the last visit for a second – and hopefully final – screening.
Spay and neuter for kittens are generally recommended any time after 3 months of age, as cats do not have the same hormonally dependent orthopedic development as dogs.
Adult Cat Wellness
A cat is considered an adult between years 1-7. During these years, unless there are mitigating health circumstances, we recommend a yearly annual wellness visit. We cannot stress enough the importance of annual adult wellness visits! Our doctors do not just plug your cat with a bunch of shots and send you on your way!
Your admitting technician will begin by taking a medical history and weighing your cat. Your veterinarian will perform a thorough nose to tail physical examination. Vaccines are not a one size fits all standard. Your veterinarian will make vaccine recommendations based on the lifestyle of your cat, medical history, and results of physical examination.
During the adult years, at some point, your veterinarian may determine that it is time for your cat’s first dental cleaning. In that case, he/she may recommend some general blood work in preparation for the general anesthesia necessary to have the dental procedure performed.
Don’t forget to bring us poop for your cat’s wellness visit! GI parasites commonly do not present with symptoms, yet they still gradually gnaw away at an infected cat’s health over time. They can also present a health risk to the human family.
Senior Cat Wellness
At 8 years of age or older, your cat is technically a senior. The senior cat wellness visit is similar to the adult dog wellness visit. During these years, unless there are mitigating health circumstances, we recommend a yearly annual wellness visit. Senior cat wellness visits are even more important than the adult cat wellness visit, as veterinarians more commonly begin to discover the emergence of chronic disease during these years! Just as in our kitten and adult cat wellness visit, our doctors do not just plug your senior cat with a bunch of shots and send you on your way!
Your admitting technician will begin by taking a medical history and weigh your cat. Our technicians may recommend drawing some blood in case you opt in for sending out general blood work for your cat. Yearly blood work is recommended at least yearly for senior aged cats for early detection of disease. For example, by 8 years of age, your cat may already have indications evident in the blood work that he/she is predisposed to the development of chronic kidney failure, the number 1 cause of death in cats. Early nutritional intervention can add years to the lives of these cats, all accomplished by early detection of disease.
Your veterinarian will perform a thorough nose to tail physical examination. Vaccines are not a one size fits all standard. Your veterinarian will make vaccine recommendations based on the lifestyle of your cat, medical history, and results of physical examination.
Don’t forget to bring us poop for your cat’s wellness visit! GI parasites commonly do not present with symptoms, yet they still gradually gnaw away at an infected cat’s health over time. They can also present a health risk to the human family.