Cats over 10 years old have significantly elevated disease risk. Proactive 6-monthly health checks, baseline blood and urine testing and owner education dramatically improve welfare by catching disease at treatable stages.
Senior cat wellness monitoring is the single most impactful welfare investment available to cat owners as their pets age. Disease caught early responds to treatment; disease caught late often does not. A CKD cat diagnosed at IRIS stage 1 has a treatment trajectory that may extend good quality life by 3-4 years; one diagnosed at IRIS stage 4 faces a crisis without treatment options. Owners who bring cats in only when obviously unwell are presenting their cats to the vet weeks or months after welfare has been significantly compromised. Proactive 6-monthly checks with baseline blood work are not overcautious - they are the welfare-appropriate standard of care for animals whose lives can be significantly extended by early intervention.