Prevalence of disease in 549 older cats undergoing health screening at two United Kingdom-based veterinary clinics.

Routine health screening detects significant, treatable diseases in nearly one-third of older cats presenting to primary care.

This retrospective observational study analyzed health screening data from 549 cats aged 8 years or older attending two UK primary care veterinary clinics over a 52-month period (October 2018–February 2023). Screening included history, physical examination, plasma biochemistry, systolic blood pressure measurement (Doppler method, 97.1% of cases), plasma total thyroxine (when performed), and urinalysis (41.3% of cases, predominantly via cystocentesis). The median age of screened cats was 13.5 years (IQR: 11.3–15.8). Hyperthyroidism was the most prevalent diagnosis, identified in 19.2% of cats tested (89/464; 95% CI, 15.9%–23.0%), followed by azotemic chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 11.4% (62/542; 95% CI, 9.0%–14.4%), and systemic hypertension in 7.1% (37/524; 95% CI, 5.2%–9.6%). Severe dental disease was noted in 6.1% of cats (32/522), and bacteriuria was detected in 9.7% of urine samples submitted for culture (22/227). Additional diagnoses included suspected neoplasia and diabetes mellitus (8 cats each) and suspected primary gastrointestinal disease (4 cats). The study underscores the high yield of routine geriatric health screening in detecting clinically significant, treatable diseases in older cats—conditions whose early signs may be misattributed to normal aging by caregivers. These prevalence data provide veterinarians with evidence-based support when communicating the importance of regular wellness examinations to clients with older cats.

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