ArticleJournal of veterinary internal medicine
Value of repeated health screening in 259 apparently healthy mature adult and senior cats followed for 2 years.
Article in Journal of veterinary internal medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- 2026 iCatCare consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease in cats.Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2026Guideline
- A Descriptive Analysis of Morbidity Patterns Among Insured Pet Cats in China Based on Insurance Claims.Veterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Clinically important abnormalities are common in senior cats perceived to be healthy by owners.Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association · 2026Article
- Prevalence of disease in 549 older cats undergoing health screening at two United Kingdom-based veterinary clinics.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2026Article
- Investigating changes in serum metabolome and urinary endocrine disrupting chemicals in cats with hyperthyroidism.Veterinary research communications · 2026Article
- SGLT2 inhibitor therapy in diabetic cats: first clinical experiences with non-ideal candidates.Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2026Article
- Data-driven life-stage classification for companion dogs and cats using age-specific diagnosis patterns in South Korea.Journal of veterinary science · 2026Article
- Patterns of morbidity, multimorbidity, and mortality in aging cats: findings from seven years of the Cat Prospective Ageing and Welfare Study.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Clinical importance of borderline proteinuria in nonazotemic cats and evaluation of other risk factors for the development of chronic kidney disease.Journal of veterinary internal medicineArticle
- Exploring the Importance of Repeated Health Screening in Healthy Older Dogs.Journal of veterinary internal medicineArticle
- Response to letter regarding "Value of repeated health screening in 259 apparently healthy mature adult and senior cats followed for 2 years".Journal of veterinary internal medicineArticle
- Value of repeated health screening in 259 apparently healthy mature adult and senior cats followed for 2 years.Journal of veterinary internal medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAlthough regular health screening is recommended, long-term follow-up data in healthy aged cats are lacking.
objectivesDetermine the most common conditions in a large group of apparently healthy older cats and which diseases are manifested within 2 years in cats confirmed to be healthy based on extensive health screening. ANIMALS: Client-owned cats.
methodsProspective study. Thorough history, physical examination, blood tests, and urinalysis were performed in 259 apparently healthy mature adult (7-10 years) and senior (>10 years) cats. Semi-annual follow-up examinations were performed in 201 confirmed healthy cats.
resultsAt baseline, 21% of apparently healthy cats were not considered healthy but were diagnosed with International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) ≥ stage 2 chronic kidney disease (CKD; 7.7%) or hyperthyroidism (4.6%), among other disorders. Disease occurred significantly more frequently in senior cats compared with mature adult cats. In addition, 40% cats were overweight, 35% had moderate to severe dental disease, and 22% had abnormal cardiac auscultation findings. Within 2 years, 28% of mature adult and 54% of senior cats that were confirmed healthy at inclusion developed new diseases, most commonly IRIS ≥ stage 2 CKD (cumulative incidence, 13.4%), hyperthyroidism (8.5%), chronic enteropathy, hepatopathy or pancreatitis (7.5%), or neoplasia (7%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The high prevalence and 2-year incidence of physical examination abnormalities and systemic diseases in apparently healthy older cats argue for regular health screening in cats ≥7 years of age. Although more common in senior cats, occult disease also occurs in mature adult cats, and owners should be informed accordingly.
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