Cat Health Checkups: Recommended Age to Start, What's Included, and Estimated Costs (Veterinarian Explains)

Have you ever received a health check-up direct mail from your regular veterinary clinic?

I, myself, am often asked if cats need health check-ups when I am examining them.

Humans undergo health check-ups at various times, such as at school or work. If an abnormality is found during a health check-up, we would likely visit a hospital.

The main purpose of a health check-up is the early detection of diseases. Cats, who are good at hiding physical ailments, should ideally undergo regular health check-ups and receive treatment as early as possible.

This time, we will explain the age at which cats should have health check-ups, the content, and the cost.

Age at which cats should receive health check-ups

There is no specific age to start health check-ups. Many veterinary clinics recommend health check-ups once the cat is over 1 year old.

A cat's life stages are broadly divided into three phases.

Cats up to 1 year old are considered juvenile, cats from 1 to 7 years old are adult, and cats over 7 years old are senior.

During the juvenile stage, cats have many opportunities to visit the vet for events such as vaccinations and spaying/neutering surgeries, as well as due to being more susceptible to illness. However, after 1 year of age, if there are no major health issues, visits to the vet become less frequent, making early detection of diseases more difficult. Therefore, we believe that a health check-up once a year after 1 year of age is desirable.

Furthermore, analysis results show that one out of three cats aged 7 years or older is found to have abnormalities during health check-ups. In the senior stage, not only do tumors become more common, but hormonal diseases also increase. Moreover, most senior cats develop chronic kidney disease. The purpose of a health check-up is to detect abnormalities as early as possible and start treatment. Therefore, we believe that a health check-up twice a year for cats aged 7 years or older is desirable.

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