Answer. Certainly it is advisable for all cats to be vaccinated against certain diseases and, in order for them to maintain a high level of immunity, re-vaccination should be carried out every one or two years. The interval should depend on the type of vaccine used. At the time of each vaccination, the cat will be routinely examined by a vet to ensure that it is clinically healthy. If there is any evidence that the cat is currently combating an infection (e.g. abnormally high temperature), the vaccination is best delayed. Otherwise, the body’s immune response may be engaged in fighting the infection to the extent that they cannot response fully to the stimulus of the vaccine.
It is doubtful whether any other check-up is required, provided the cat remains apparently healthy, unless it is in response to a particular problem. For example, it may be desirable to check cat for evidence 0f FeL V infection if it has been an contact with another cat known to be infected, or to check whether it is carrier of ringworm if a human in a household developed this disease. However, such examination are very specific and would not normally from part of routine check-up.
It has been suggested that there might be merit in a routine examination of blood samples from car’s say every one to two years, the determine the numbers of the different cell types and the levels of certain blood constituents. Such testing might reveal evidence of some developing, and as unsuspected, disorder, but it has also been argued that it would provide a record of the normal values for that individual animal. If the cat subsequently developed sign of disease and the blood was re-examined, knowledge of the previous ‘normal’ values would permit any relatively small change to be detected, thereby assisting diagnosis of the condition.
Unfortunately , testes have shown that the concentration of some cells and substance in the blood can fluctuate considerably from day to day in an individual, thus making it difficult to use information in this way, It is also debatable whether, at least in some cats, the benefits of such routine blood sampling would outweigh the difficulties of collection.
