While a human can pick up a phone and book a doctor’s appointment to have their medical concerns taken care of, our feline companions lack the ability to easily access healthcare this way. By taking your cat to the vet every year for a check-up from nose to tail, you can help them live a long and healthy life purring beside you. Here are some things that make this trip important:

Teeth
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Wild cats take care of their teeth by eating meat from carcasses, the bones of their prey acting like a toothbrush and removing debris and plaque from their mouths. However, domestic cats’ diets of biscuits, wet food and treats often forget to take care of their teeth. Providing cats with dental treats and brushing their teeth regularly can prevent your cat from developing dental problems, but it is always best for a professional who sees kitty teeth every day to check them and make sure your friend’s teeth are ready for more food.

Vaccinations

Keeping your cat’s vaccinations up-to-date is vital to ensuring preventable diseases don’t stop your cat from chasing their favourite toy. Top-ups of cats’ vaccinations are needed to keep them effective. Whether your cat spends their time inside your home (as we recommend) or outside, vaccinations can save your cat’s life and your bank account from the expensive vet bills associated with treating diseases. Furthermore, most boarding facilities require up-to-date vaccination records of your cat before you go on your holiday. So if you plan to take a trip this year and send your cat on a vacation of their own, make sure they’ve had their shots. 

Weight
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Keeping a cat on the scales in the vet’s examination room long enough to weigh them often proves a challenge, but the task is just as important as everything else in the check-up. Most cats love food and find it easy to overeat and become overweight, however if too much weight is gained they can find it difficult to move and have issues breathing. Underweight cats often have an underlying health issue that is decreasing their appetite, and a visit to the vet can ensure that nothing sinister is going on under your cat’s fur. 

Coat 

Almost every breed of cat is covered in a coat of fur. This seemingly mundane part of your cat’s body can actually hold a great deal of insight into your cat’s wellbeing. A coat that is dirty, full of loose hair and hasn’t been cleaned in a while by your cat can indicate that your cat is feeling down, while anxiety and boredom can lead to an overgroomed coat with bald spots. Having a vet check over your cat’s coat can show them what’s going on in your cat’s mind and can help you discover how you can improve their happiness just by paying a little more attention to their coat. 

While everyone loves warm and sunny weather, extreme heat is not a welcome feature of the Australian summer. So how can you keep your furry friends cool and comfortable?

Splish splash – it’s easy to dehydrate in heatwaves. Make sure your cat has access to fresh water at all times, and provide extra bowls in case. Ice cubes in the water bowls will help cool them down. Many cats like drinking running water – consider investing in a water fountain or leave a tap dripping slowly for them to drink from. Freezing canned cat food or tuna into ice cubes will also provide a delicious summer treat.

Grooming – matted hair can trap body heat. Make sure you brush your cat frequently in summer to help them shed that extra hair. Brushing with a moist washcloth or paper towel will help cool them down too. If your cat has long hair they may benefit from trimming their belly fur.

Limit activity – Exercise will raise your cat’s core temperature. Play with your cat in the early morning or late afternoon, when its cooler. 

Make a cool room – use a cardboard box to create a dark cool spot for your furbabies to hide in. Line the box with dry towels that have been in the freezer overnight. Include bottles of frozen water in the box. They will act like an evaporative cooler and reduce the air temperature.

Airconditioning – if you have air conditioning you may want to leave it running – both for you and your furry friends! If you want to limit the expense, use thermal-lined curtains to keep the heat out, and fans to increase air circulation. ​

​Symptoms of heat stress
As cats aren’t very good at cooling themselves down, heatstroke can rapidly become an emergency condition. Look for these symptoms to tell if your pet is overheating:
Distressed and restless; excessive drooling and panting; unsteady on their feet; lethargy; vomiting and fever. Act fast to cool them down if you see any of these symptoms, and take them to your vet if they don’t improve.