Regular preventive care exams are vital for ensuring your kitty has a long, happy and healthy life. August 22nd is National Bring Your Cat to the Vet Day, and the perfect opportunity to schedule your cats routine preventive care exam. Postponing your cats checkup doesn’t pay off and here’s why.
Five reasons why postponing your cats check-up does not pay off:
1. Cats age much more rapidly than humans – a cat reaches the human age of 15 during its 1st year, and 24 by its 2nd year. Each year after, your cat ages 4 “cat years” for every calendar year. So your 8-year-old cat would be 48 in human years. Annual preventive care is crucial because 
2. Cats are masters of hiding illnesses and pain – Cats are excellent at hiding signs they are sick or in pain. Your cat could be developing a health condition long before you notice anything is wrong. Veterinarians are trained to spot these and may detect a problem before it advances or becomes more difficult and expensive to treat.
3. Your cat may be overweight – over 50% of cats are overweight or obese. Your veterinarian will check your cat’s weight at each visit and provide recommendations to help keep your cat at its ideal weight. Just an extra three pounds can put cats at risk for diabetes, heart, respiratory and kidney disease and more.
4. Let your vet know about any behavior changes – Has anything changed with your cats eating patterns? Weight? Activity level? Make a list of information, concerns, and questions to share at your cats preventive care exam. You may not recognize some behavior changes as being significant because they are subtle or minor, but when your veterinarian takes a thorough patient history, these subtle changes may help uncover hidden issues.
5. Preventive care is better than reactive care – Information discussed, along with a thorough physical exam, allows your veterinarian to create a plan to help your cat remain healthy. Regular exams can help avoid medical emergencies since veterinarians can often detect conditions or diseases that may affect your cat’s health long before they become significant, painful, or more costly to treat.