Seven is old??? Awww! I thought it was 12 or so. Geezer purrs for Xoxo
to stay healthy in spite of being 'officially' old.

Actually that's pretty reasonable for a senior panel work-up.  My "Just
Cats" vet wanted $225!

Purrs for Xoxo to have a loooooooong, comfortable old age!

Rusty has a geriatric blood panel earlier this year. I don't recall he had a
regular annual blood
test before he becamed a senior cat. I read somewehre an old cat should have
a checkup
twice a year. But Rusty typically has to see the vet more than once a year
anyway for
various ailments. Afterall, he is older than me now.

Winnie

If they are doing all the usual geriatric tests, I don't think that is a bad
price! And he is not old, he is "mature".

Purrs to Xoxo for long and happy geezerhood.  My Anna passed into
geezerhood earlier this year also and Daisy is up for it in about
6 months.  My other two are only 4 so we have a few more years
before I have to start saving for all their tests :-).  

Debbie
dberry@mitre.org

That seems a lot of money, just for an examination. I still think our
clowders are worth every penny they cost.

It's amazing, isn't it?  I remember when I took my little Mimi to the
vet when she was 8-- and still a little bouncing-off-the-walls
rocket-- and being told by the vet that she was now "geriatric."
Stinky's been geriatric for almost seven years, practically half his
life!  He's only just starting to show little signs of age.  

Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Make Levees, Not War

Do vets really consider 7 years old as senior? My vet never called Jazz a
senior and he was 12 when he passed away and still on adult cat food. Tell
Xoxo he's not getting older, he's just getting better. :)
Lily & her mama

Aww.  Seven is old only in the same way 45 or so is old.  The prime of life
for many.  But also time to get a few things checked out as it's when things
can start to go awry.  The kind of things that can be dealt with and lead to
a full and happy life.

Jake must be getting close to seven as well.  Need to look up his birthday.

Jo

Please... "Mature and distinguished" perhaps, but I'm with Marina. I
don't consider a cat "old" until his or her age is in the double
digits.  Purrs to Xoxo for many more healthy years, yet.  However, I
suppose a thorough checkup is never a bad idea, as any potential
problems can be caught early and taken care of for less than you would
pay later on.  But I  think your Vet is trying to play the "fear card"
in the interests of more money.

Melissa

I remember when my vet said the same thing about Smudge. This was early,
actually, as Smudge was only 6, but the vet's opinion was that it was
never too soon. The Senior Workup cost $165 USD here! (Everything's
more expensive where I live, but this vet hospital is pricey even for
here, and they're always trying to get you to spend a little more. So
why do I go there? Because they give good care.)

Anyway, at the time, I remember thinking, "Senior? *Senior*?? She's
still a KITTEN!!"

Now, at 9, Smudge is showing her age. It's funny, I can see bags under
her eyes. :) Even Roxy, at 8, is starting to look a little more middle-
aged, although she doesn't act it. Every night, she and Licky chase each
other around the apartment like lunatics. He's only 3, a playful boy
who really needs stimulation, and stuck living with 3 old ladies. :)

I wouldn't consider Xoxo geriatric at his age. Maybe early middle age.
Time to buy a sports car and an electric guitar. :)

Joyce

That isn't too bad. I judy found Rusty's recent vet bills.
A  feline geriatric profile, full urine analysis, health exam and blood draw
came to $200 Cdn.
which is roughly  $180 U.S before tax.
That doesn't include any vaccination, which is around $30 Cdn plus tax.

Winnie

I wish!  Smokey's senior physical with lab work was about $280 (but we
*love* the vet so we're staying with him).

Seven ... even eight and nine ... that doesn't sound old to me, for a
cat.  I certainly can't imagine Oscar as approaching middle age
already ...

Ouch!  Gee, TED, thanks for calling Xoxo a "senior" ;-)  Hmmph!  Why,
when Cosmo was his age, he was still leaping like a kitten.  So there!
pttthhhhttt.

Ginger-lyn
who has 3 little ones and the other 6 are pretty much geezers by this
definition!

Home Pages:
 http://www.moonsummer.com
 http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats)
 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy)
 http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against
                        Animals in Movies Website)

I, too, think that geezerhood is a couple years off for Xoxo.
Unless a cat seems a bit frail, I wouldn't worry about those
senior tests until at least the age of ten.  I've just begun
more frequent checkups and a few geriatric tests for Will, who
is probably somewhere between 10 and 12.

Soncek will be 7 yo in June and I just can't imagine calling him a
senior. We'll have to wait for that for a few more years.
Lots of purrs and best wishes for Xoxo to prove to TED that he is still
a youngster,
Polonca and Soncek