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Senior cat health?
Hi there!
I just adopted a female kitty from my local shelter. She is about 6 years old, spayed, and front-paw declawed.
I took her to the vet for a check up after I adopted her, and the vet gave me a list of procedures that he thinks would be a good idea for her to have done.
It would cost me almost $600 to do everything he wants to do! A $300 teeth cleaning (he said her teeth are not that bad, but they could be 'perfect' with a cleaning,) and a $250 full body organ check, even though she is healthy.
I feel like a bad cat-mom if I don't have it done, but I can't afford $600 in unnecessary procedures...
Thoughts?
Asked by
Versace
on Aug 30th 2010
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in Senior Pet
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Answers
A good vet won't put your cat through unnecessary procedures/treatments and will work with you when you need to finance the necessary ones! If you feel that this vet may be fishing for fees go to another vet. I had this experience myself - after Joey had his surgery to remove bladder stones - it seemed like every time we went to the vet for any reason after that the estimate was $1,000 in "tests". I finally found another vet and was SHOCKED to learn how different vets can be. A dental on a 6 year old kitty is probably a good idea - but can you tell me what a "full body organ check" is? If I were you, I would ask some friends that you trust who own pets for a recommendation and see another vet for a checkup - I would not be surprised if they wanted to run blood tests during a checkup. You need to be comfortable with the vet just like you would your own doctor. Good for you for taking on a senior kitty as well - bravo!
Joey
answered on 8/31/10.
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First of all, you are not a bad cat mom! You are a great person for adopting this older kitty. By the way, this kitty is not a senior yet until she is 7 years old or so. I get my kitty's teeth cleaned every year because of tartar build-up. Last time there were two extractions which needed to be performed. $300 is about right for dental cleaning and any extractions. I would recommend blood work on this cat before she is sedated for any dental procedure. Once you know she is in good health, then proceed and schedule the dental work to be done. As far as a full body organ check, I don't understand that one. The only way that could be done is if an MRI was done on the cat. Maybe your vet just meant a full body (head to toe) assessment, but didn't he do that when you took the cat for a check-up? I would just stick with the blood work and the dental exam, as those will be costly enough. Once your cat is 7 years old, however, an exam every 6 months is recommended. Good luck!
Member 185886
answered on 8/31/10.
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Joey and Guest give great advice. I've had 2 cats who were 10 when I adopted them. Both did have health problems. It's very important to maintain a relationship with a good vet as your kitty ages. I don't think you've got what we'd call a "good vet". I wonder if you're not going to the vet who has their office inside a pet store? I had experience with this vet also and they are famous for "padding" the vet bill. If this is what you've done, you're much better off to go to a vet in private practice. As guest said, a yearly teeth cleaning is very important. One of my 10 yr. old. (Hope) died of dental disease which she had before I adopted her. But other than vaccinations, you shouldn't need any other maintenance on your kitty.
Izadore (Izzie)
answered on 8/31/10.
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Well would you believe it but I have never had a dental in my life yet and never will now. I'm an old cat of 20 human years of age and sill going. So 6 is very young. I would look at seeing another vet as this one sounds like he/ she just wants to line thier pockets. You can never trust what they say. Find one that has the cats best interests at heart. I think a full body check is cruel as that will problably have blood test, Urine (if they take this from the bladder this can cause an infection). If the teeth need a little clean maybe you could try a tartar control cat food for a while or even a few biscuits at the end of a meal to clean the teeth. The vets have one called hills T/D
You are not a bad kitty mom at all and it's good to ask questions. A at 6 years you are still fairly young. Sometimes (I was lucky) if I had a little bit of build up on my teeth the vets would just knock it off during a routine yearly consult (for my annual vacc). I still to this day have all my teeth.
Baltimore 1-9-1990~20-9-2011
answered on 8/31/10.
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