Early Adult – Feline – Age 6months to 2yrs

1. Comprehensive Physical Examination

2. Fecal Centrifugation Examination Ova and Parasite Panel

3. Annual Healthcare planning (Based on Breed, Medical History, or Lifestyle)

Characteristics: Cats in their teenage years are playful and awfully curious. They love to explore indoors but can get into some trouble without guidance. Cats that roam outdoors often do not know their territorial limits yet and can get into some trouble.

Prone to: Accidents and injuries; Escapism; Accidental ingestion; Foreign body ingestion and litter pan issues; Reproductive maturity depending on status; Food sensitivities; Internal parasites can affect all cats if not adequately eliminated during pediatric phase; Heartworm Disease and Retroviral diseases (FIV/FLV) if partially to fully outdoors;

In addition to healthcare: Plan on re-assessing your cat’s enrichment and activity if your cat lives indoors. Your pet cat will grow in both size and learning ability even in year two (consider food puzzles, safe scratching items, and monitor your cat’s collar for the correct size).
Training should emphasize safe zones in the house and perching resources for the cat—particularly in multiple pet households or households with young children. The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends households provide a litter pan per cat plus one. For example, if there are 3 cats in the household, a feline specialist would recommend 4 litter pans. Maintain monthly grooming, and nutritious food appropriate for adult cats, with your pet's lifestyle & energy needs in mind. We can even safely help you get your pet's food ship to your door via Purina ProPlan our Online Pharmacy, or HillstoHome for the best price without sacrificing value. Practice brushing your cat's teeth, and any other lifestyle-related activities--such as car travel, cat carrier training, etc. It's a good year to consider screening for the predisposition to inherited diseases if you haven't already. We've partnered with Orivet Genetic Pet Care for genetic LifePlans.

Unfortunately, fleas do not care whether your cat lives indoors or goes outside. Adequate flea control is very important and planning prevention is worth the health and safety efforts that you can put into place. Revolution Plus or Provecta for Cats are safe and effective options. Revolution Plus helps prevent ear mites as well as ticks and heartworms in cats. Zoetis Petcare Rewards are given in the form of a pre-paid visa card when you purchase certain quantities exclusively from a veterinary clinic in-house or online and can be used to pay for next year’s preventative care plan! Consider the HomeAgain Pet Recovery and TempScan Microchip system for your pet if you haven't already selected a microchip service yet. The new TempScan technology allows us to instantly assess your cat's temperature by simply petting the cat with the microchip scanner!

Preventative Healthcare Plan Services For Cats

Our progressive reputation has led us to where we are today with our Preventative Healthcare Plan Services. Gregg J. Gormley, DVM, our Medical Director was an experienced sole practitioner in 2001 and he partnered with Carol A. Gormley, RN—Our Practice Manager at the time and now our Hospital Administrator--to create the first veterinary “Wellness Program” in the Evansville, Indiana area which bundled discounted screening and rewarded our patients with over 100 medical, surgical and boarding service discounts PLUS free core vaccinations every year! An entire generation of dogs and cats have partners with Highland to prevent heartworms, and monitor wear and tear diseases and have enjoyed a lifetime of prevention against rabies, distemper virus, and more without paying a dime for the vaccine. At the beginning of this program, Molly Welch was their head patient technician, and in 2005 Melissa Gormley was their lead CSR. Molly and Melissa have since gone on to become the Practice Manager (PM) of Finance and Operations, respectively. Each PM can confidently say that today they have learned a lot by evolving these programs and working with Dr. and Mrs. Gormley to continue to customize them and broaden them—always taking advantage of the latest progressive screening techniques, technologies, immunizations, and preventatives to offer a spectrum of customizable and affordable bundles and plans for their patients. We always ask if this were my best friend—what is within reach? What would I want to know and how would I want to improve my pet’s life?