Monthly checkups

Regular checkups might help you to track health problems in an early stage. Watching your cat and executing a monthly superficial checkup can save you a lot of money and might extend your cat’s length of life. Besides, the extra attention will strengthen the bond between the cat and you! Below you will find a very simple home checkup which you can do yourself. Report possible problems to your veterinarian!!

General appearance:
Watch your cat when he walks. Pat attention to limping, weight loss/increase in weight. Is he watchful? Is his attitude normal? Eyes:
Pay attention to secretion, redness. Pay attention to signs which show an infection. Have you noticed any signs of a visual disturbance, like not seeing toys or bumping to things? Ears:
Secretion from the ears? Have the channels turn red or irritated? This might be an infection or ear mite (you can recognize ear mite as follows: a dark brown, crumbing secretion and a cat which scratches his ears a lot). Smell the ears. Do they have a strong or fermentation smell? The ears should smell clean. Regularly clean the ears with suitable products. Nose:
Pat attention to secretion, stuffed up breathing. If this is the case the cat might have an infection of the upper airways. Mouth and throat:
Lift the lip and check the gums. Does it look infected? Are there teeth which have been broken or which are missing? Is there tartar on the teeth? Do you see swells on the throat? A regular teeth hygiene program can really make a difference. Stomach:
Have your hands touch the cat’s stomach carefully. Does it hurt? Does the stomach look swollen? Do you feel lumps or thickenings? Does your cat regularly use the cat’s box and does it look normal? (it goes without saying that this is much harder to check if the cat answers nature’s call outside). Neck and backbone:
Carefully glide you hands from the neck to the end of the tail. Does it hurt? Do you notice clear restrictions of the locomotor apparatus? Skin and fur:
Does the cat take good car of himself? Long-haired cats must regularly be combed. Do you notice unusual hair lost? Is the skin oily or too dry? Does the cat have external parasites like fleas or ticks? Pay attention to lumps and bumps on the skin.