Routine Recommendations
What should be done routinely? It depends upon the age of the cat, and whether he is indoor exclusive or not. These are some general guidelines to consider for your appointment.
Kittens: Kittens should be started on their upper respiratory vaccine/Panleukopenia vaccine series. Typically, these vaccines are given every four weeks, starting at eight weeks, and ending at about sixteen weeks. Rabies vaccination can be given (in this state) when the kitten is at least three months old. If the kittens could be outside some of the time (as kittens or adults) it is adviseable to start them on Feline Leukemia vaccines. Typically the kitten would be tested first for the virus (and often this has been done by the adoption agency), because there is no advantage to vaccinating a cat who already has the virus in his bloodstream.
New kittens can spread certain conditions to resident cats, such as upper respiratory viruses, intestinal parasites, ear mites, fleas, and dermatophytosis (ringworm, a fungal infection). People can be infected with ringworm also, although the varieties that infect cats are not as infectious (typically) to people. (It's a skin infection, akin to athlete's foot.) Kittens should have stool samples checked for intestinal parasites, and should be dewormed (regardless of the results, I would suggest a standard deworming medication). Some worms are hard to pick up on fecal flotation, and may show up on the cat's fur instead (around the anus); these are tapeworm segments. Cats can get tapeworms from eating prey or eating fleas (during grooming). A small, less than a day old, fecal sample is all that is needed for the laboratory test that I send out, and it can have litter on it.
Cats and Kittens: It's a good idea to start kittens and cats on prophylactic anti-heartworm medication as well; while cats are not primary hosts (as dogs are), they can have an adult worm that eluded their immune system, and can also have lung pathology from immature worms that their immune system DOES clear. New Jersey has a lot of mosquitoes (they are the vectors of heartworms), and they often get indoors. While I have seen very few cats with adult heartworms, I have seen many (including about half of my own cats) who have been exposed to the younger stages of the heartworm. These cats are usually asymptomatic, but in theory can have asthma-like symptoms, or can have increased vomiting.
Young adult Cats: Cats need an initial annual booster of the upper respiratory series (FVRCP), annual Rabies vaccination (I only use the non-adjuvanted Rabies vaccine, which was designed to reduce the risk of vaccine-induced tumors), and Feline Leukemia vaccines if they are continuing to go outside. After the first annual booster of FVRCP, this vaccine can be given every third year. Cats who go outside should have frequent stool samples assessed for parasites (although these are the cats who usually defecate outdoors, making this recommendation useless). The Center for Disease Control (if I remember correctly) recommends four checks a year on stool samples, or frequent deworming. Their chief concern is aberrant parasite migration, which is mostly a problem in very young children (who do not yet think of stool as dirty, and may not wash their hands after handling fecal material). Annual examinations are useful even in young adults, primarily for monitoring their weight (obesity is a health risk), for checking their teeth and gums (even fairly young cats can have severe periodontal disease, although it's more frequently seen in purebred cats), and for ausculting their hearts (the most common type of cardiac disease in cats, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, often starts in young adults).
Older cats: Routine annual bloodwork can be run as well; this will check the cat's kidneys, red and white blood cells, blood glucose, liver values, electrolytes, and (if desired) check for heartworm exposure. Certainly, it may uncover problems early that would not otherwise be detected at that visit. But be aware that bloodwork has its own limitations: Sometimes if an abnormality is detected, the reason is not immediately evident, and additional bloodwork could be advised (either immediately or as a follow-up). Older cats would have the thyroid level checked as well. Picking this problem up early can avoid weight loss problems, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Geriatric cats, or cats with any physical evidence of high blood pressure, should have their blood pressures assessed. (Annually, unless changes during the year cause suspicion of new problems.)
Kittens: Kittens should be started on their upper respiratory vaccine/Panleukopenia vaccine series. Typically, these vaccines are given every four weeks, starting at eight weeks, and ending at about sixteen weeks. Rabies vaccination can be given (in this state) when the kitten is at least three months old. If the kittens could be outside some of the time (as kittens or adults) it is adviseable to start them on Feline Leukemia vaccines. Typically the kitten would be tested first for the virus (and often this has been done by the adoption agency), because there is no advantage to vaccinating a cat who already has the virus in his bloodstream.
New kittens can spread certain conditions to resident cats, such as upper respiratory viruses, intestinal parasites, ear mites, fleas, and dermatophytosis (ringworm, a fungal infection). People can be infected with ringworm also, although the varieties that infect cats are not as infectious (typically) to people. (It's a skin infection, akin to athlete's foot.) Kittens should have stool samples checked for intestinal parasites, and should be dewormed (regardless of the results, I would suggest a standard deworming medication). Some worms are hard to pick up on fecal flotation, and may show up on the cat's fur instead (around the anus); these are tapeworm segments. Cats can get tapeworms from eating prey or eating fleas (during grooming). A small, less than a day old, fecal sample is all that is needed for the laboratory test that I send out, and it can have litter on it.
Cats and Kittens: It's a good idea to start kittens and cats on prophylactic anti-heartworm medication as well; while cats are not primary hosts (as dogs are), they can have an adult worm that eluded their immune system, and can also have lung pathology from immature worms that their immune system DOES clear. New Jersey has a lot of mosquitoes (they are the vectors of heartworms), and they often get indoors. While I have seen very few cats with adult heartworms, I have seen many (including about half of my own cats) who have been exposed to the younger stages of the heartworm. These cats are usually asymptomatic, but in theory can have asthma-like symptoms, or can have increased vomiting.
Young adult Cats: Cats need an initial annual booster of the upper respiratory series (FVRCP), annual Rabies vaccination (I only use the non-adjuvanted Rabies vaccine, which was designed to reduce the risk of vaccine-induced tumors), and Feline Leukemia vaccines if they are continuing to go outside. After the first annual booster of FVRCP, this vaccine can be given every third year. Cats who go outside should have frequent stool samples assessed for parasites (although these are the cats who usually defecate outdoors, making this recommendation useless). The Center for Disease Control (if I remember correctly) recommends four checks a year on stool samples, or frequent deworming. Their chief concern is aberrant parasite migration, which is mostly a problem in very young children (who do not yet think of stool as dirty, and may not wash their hands after handling fecal material). Annual examinations are useful even in young adults, primarily for monitoring their weight (obesity is a health risk), for checking their teeth and gums (even fairly young cats can have severe periodontal disease, although it's more frequently seen in purebred cats), and for ausculting their hearts (the most common type of cardiac disease in cats, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, often starts in young adults).
Older cats: Routine annual bloodwork can be run as well; this will check the cat's kidneys, red and white blood cells, blood glucose, liver values, electrolytes, and (if desired) check for heartworm exposure. Certainly, it may uncover problems early that would not otherwise be detected at that visit. But be aware that bloodwork has its own limitations: Sometimes if an abnormality is detected, the reason is not immediately evident, and additional bloodwork could be advised (either immediately or as a follow-up). Older cats would have the thyroid level checked as well. Picking this problem up early can avoid weight loss problems, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Geriatric cats, or cats with any physical evidence of high blood pressure, should have their blood pressures assessed. (Annually, unless changes during the year cause suspicion of new problems.)