7 Things a Vet Needs to Know About Your Cat

Owning a cat is a big responsibility because they totally rely on you to make sure they are well looked after. Not only it is up to you to provide them with a loving environment and make sure they are fed a well balanced diet to suit their needs, but you also have to make sure they are taken to the vet when they are unwell.

For a vet to treat a cat as well as they can, it helps if they know as much about your pet as possible. This includes their background, especially if you have offered a rescue cat a second chance at happiness. However, the vet would also need to know about any recent changes in a cat's environment, their diet and anything else that may have changed over recent times.

The more information they have about your cat on record, the easier it is for them when it comes to successfully treating a sickly pet. Below are 7 things vets need to know about your pussy cat so the information is on their records.

1. Cats Boast Many Different Backgrounds

It's important for a vet to know as much as possible about your cat's past. This includes how long you have owned them, whether they are a rescue cat and if so did you find them through a breeder, a rescue centre or did they come from a private home?

More often than not it is impossible to know the history of a rescued cat and it is also quite hard to work out their ages. Cats that boast a chequered past may have been infected with certain cat specific diseases early in their lives which might have a bearing on their health as they get older. You would need to ask the rescue centre about and then pass this information on to your vet.

Kittens that come from breeders may be more at risk of carrying infectious diseases which could affect their respiratory systems and bowels. This is why it's so important to source kittens from reputable breeders who take great care of their cats to avoid this type of health issue from taking hold.

2. Your Cat's Environment

It's also important for the vet to know about the environment your cat lives in and whether they are allowed to explore the great outdoors or whether they are kept as indoor pets. Knowing this really does help a vet when they need to establish why your cat is sick or injured.

3. Is Your Cat Vaccinated?

There is a bit of discussion about whether pets should be regularly vaccinated after a certain age because of the problem of autoimmune diseases. However, if you have just got a young cat or have adopted an older cat, it's important the vet knows whether or not they have been vaccinated against the most common and damaging health disorders that all too often affect our feline friends.

You also need to let the vet know when your cat was last wormed because internal parasites can be responsible for a whole host of diseases that affect both a cat's respiratory and digestive systems. Prevention is always better than cure when it comes to internal parasites but the same can be said of fleas and other blood sucking parasites that live on our four-legged friends.

4. What Do You Normally Feed Your Cat?

Diet plays a crucial role in the overall well-being of your cat so it's important to pass this information on to your vet. Having this type of data to hand helps a vet establish a correct diagnosis when your cat falls ill. Many diseases commonly seen in cats are associated with diet whether it's food they have been fed or other things they have found or caught themselves when they are hunting in the great outdoors.

Indoor cats may chew on a house plant which could make them very ill or they may have accidentally ingested some of toxic liquid which the vet would need to know about should you think they have been poisoned.

Deficiencies in specific vitamins, minerals and other valuable nutrients could also be responsible for a cat developing certain diseases and again your vet would need to know about their diet in order to assess what's missing from it.

Apart from the quality of the food fed to a cat, the vet would also like to know how often they are fed which is especially important if your cat is showing signs of being overweight or obese. Cats that suddenly go off their food need to be seen as quickly as possible so that certain disorders can be ruled out and a correct diagnosis made.

Increased hunger could be the first signs of diabetes or an over active thyroid gland, a condition that all too often affects our feline friends as they get older. It is a common mistake to think that because a cat has a healthier appetite that they are in good health.

5. Your Cat's Drinking Habits

It can be quite hard to establish just how much water your cat drinks on daily basis because all too often they prefer to drink when they are outside. A lot of indoor cats much prefer to drink from a dripping tap rather than a bowl which also makes it that much harder to know how much water they are actually drinking.

If you notice your cat is drinking more than usual, the vet would need to know about it because this is very often the first sign of an illness which includes things like hyperthyroidism, diabetes and even kidney failure. The earlier these conditions are correctly diagnosed, the better the prognosis tends to be and the sooner your cat would be made to feel more comfortable.

6. Has Your Cat Had a Reaction to Any Medicines

It's also important to let the vet know if your cat has ever had a nasty reaction to any medication, drugs or even a wormer and flea treatment because it will help them decide which treatment would be safest to give your cat when they are unwell.

7. When Was Your Cat Neutered or Spayed

It's also very useful for vets to know when a cat was neutered or spayed especially if they suspect they are suffering from certain forms of cancer.

Conclusion

Looking after our feline friends is a massive responsibility but a very pleasant one. Cats give us lots in return for being well cared for. However, when they fall ill vets need to know as much about your cat and their past as possible. This information helps a vet when it comes to understanding why your pet might be ill. It helps them establish a correct diagnosis which in turn means your cat can be treated and made to feel more comfortable.