Advanced Veterinary Care’s

Optimal Best Care Guidelines for Cats

In compliance with current AAHA Standards

(American Animal Hospital Association)

Frequency of Visits:

·  Every cat should have an annual wellness examination, with semi-annual examinations
for senior and geriatric patients, and those with chronic diseases.

·  Examinations are recommended for any illness, or whenever growths are discovered.

·  Emergency examinations whenever necessary.

Diagnostic Plan:

·  All cats should have initial heartworm, feline AIDs and leukemia testing, and take monthly heartworm preventative.

·  Outdoor cats should have an annual intestinal (fecal) parasite test.

·  Annual blood work is recommended for all senior and geriatric cats.

·  Semi-annual blood work is recommended for patients on chronic medication or those
with chronic illnesses.

·  Every cat should have growths evaluated when discovered, and excised if necessary.

·  Every cat should have a dental cleaning or oral surgery to treat dental disease.

Prevention Plan:

·  All cats should be on year round heartworm preventative. Even indoor cats.

·  Outdoor cats should be on monthly flea and tick preventive year round.

·  Every cat should be current on recommended vaccines, including:

·  Rabies: Annually for all cats, even indoor only cats: it’s a CT State law!

·  FVRCP (Distemper): Every three years for indoor cats and annually for outdoor cats.

·  Leukemia: All Kittens through 1-yr of age and then annually for outdoor cats.

·  All cats should have annual preventive blood work.

·  Some cats should be screened for breed-related conditions or diseases. Your doctor or technician will inform you if this applies to your pet.

·  We recommend a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, grain-free canned diet to optimize nutrition and prevent obesity. Ask us for a list of recommended foods and amounts.

·  Encourage water consumption by feeding canned diets, providing several water dishes
that are refreshed daily, or by providing a free-flowing water fountain. For geriatric cats,
add 1 tablespoon of water to their canned diet at every meal.

·  Every cat should have its teeth brushed daily to prevent dental disease.

·  Every cat should be spayed or neutered at six months.

·  Strive for 30 minutes of exercise daily: fetch, laser tag, etc.

·  Provide scratching posts, climbing posts, high platforms to rest on, and areas for privacy.

·  Semi-weekly grooming: brush or comb the coat of medium and longhaired cats.

·  Administer hairball preparation semi-weekly to at-risk cats.

·  Provide one litter box per cat and remove waste daily. Clean the box and replace the
litter weekly. In multi-cat households, provide 1 litter box per cat plus one additional.
For example: in a 2-cat household, provide two litter boxes plus one additional for a total
of three litter boxes.