Congratulations on the impending arrival of your new kitten!

Becoming the proud parent to a sweet little kitty is a wonderfully rewarding experience. However, it all comes with a great deal of responsibility since your furbaby is limited in the number of ways in which she can take care of herself. Fortunately, between you and your veterinarian in Miramar Beach, FL, you can take positive steps to ensure that she lives a life that is as long and healthy as possible.

One of the most effective ways in which you can maintain the wellbeing of your kitty is to take her for regular veterinary care exams.

What Are Veterinary Care Exams?

Many inexperienced pet owners think that the only time that they need to consider taking their kitten to the vet is if they suspect she is sick or injured. However, fixing up your cat is just one of the services that your veterinarian can provide. You'll be pleased to learn that your chosen professional can actually help prevent your pet from becoming sick in the first place. This is where veterinary care exams come in.

Veterinary care exams are regularly scheduled appointments that are performed in order to comprehensively assess the health and wellbeing of your furbaby. They usually include:

• A physical, nose to tail examination of your kitten's body
• An assessment of her eyes, ears, mouth, and teeth
• Check her temperature and weight
• Listen to her heartbeat and chest to check her respiratory rate
• Urinalysis and stool sample testing to check for illness/parasites
• Blood tests
• Any other tests your vet feels may be beneficial for your kitty
• Advice on parasite prevention including administration of medication

Each appointment also involves a consultation period where your vet will ask questions about your kitten's behavior, her diet, and how much exercise she gets. This is an ideal time for you to ask any questions that you have and raise any concerns.

How Often Does My Kitten Need to Attend Routine Veterinary Care Exams?

Exactly how often your kitty will need to attend routine veterinary care exams will depend on her age and how healthy she is. Initially, your vet will probably recommend that your furbaby has a check-up every 12 months and annual wellness appointments tend to be standard for young and adult cats. If your kitten hasn't received her full set of vaccinations, you may also need to attend appointments for these to be carried out. You will also need to schedule a visit to arrange to get your kitty spayed/neutered.

If your furbaby becomes unwell and develops a health condition, your vet will almost certainly increase the recommended frequency of her routine veterinary exams. This will enable your professional to monitor her health more closely so that they can react more quickly should the need for sudden treatment arise. This is also the case for senior cats. Our pet's shortened lifespan means that their bodies age much faster than our own and age-related changes can cause health problems to develop quite quickly once your kitty reaches her senior years.

Routine veterinary care exams form an essential part of your kitten's preventative healthcare program. To schedule an appointment for your feline, or to ask any further questions that you may have, please contact our vets in Miramar Beach, FL at (850) 837-7072.