Why might my kitten need lab work done?

A couple of reasons. Most commonly, we do kitten lab work in preparation for their spay and neuter. So we always want to check lab work before they go under anesthesia to make sure it's safe for them. Otherwise, we’d do lab work if there are any signs of illness— vomiting, weight loss, if their appetite is down, and also there's some viral testing we like to do on kittens as well.

One of the tests we've talked about is screening for the viral diseases, feline leukemia and FIV. Another lab test might be a stool check. So, we want to make sure your kitten doesn't have parasites that can be contagious to you, me, or other cats in the household. We want to ensure that the cat or kitten is as healthy as they can be.

Kittens may need lab work if they are sick and should have a blood test called a leukemia FIV test performed at the time of adoption and then 60 days later. Young cats should have blood work run anytime they are sick, and we recommend annual preventative lab work. Senior cats should have blood work run at least annually, and depending on their health status, we may recommend semi-annual exams that might include blood work. Any time that your pet is sick, depending on the case, we may recommend blood work.

Kittens might need lab work for various reasons. One common reason is when kittens are rescued or found on the street and there's concern about their feline leukemia and feline AIDS status. These diseases are common and can impact your cat's long-term health. If the kitten shows signs of illness, lab work is done to determine the cause.