Care That Starts Before There’s a Problem
The best veterinary care doesn’t begin when something’s wrong — it begins long before, with regular wellness exams that help us catch issues early, when they’re easier (and often less expensive) to treat. Cats are especially good at masking illness, which means small, subtle changes can be the only clue that something is shifting beneath the surface. Regular wellness exams give our team the chance to spot those clues — often well before you would.
At Rialto Cat Hospital, a great wellness visit is about more than checking boxes. It’s about knowing your cat, listening to your observations, and partnering with you on a care plan built around their individual life.
What to Expect at Your Cat’s Wellness Exam
Every wellness exam is tailored to your cat’s age, lifestyle, and individual health needs. During your visit, our team will:
- Perform a thorough nose-to-tail physical examination
- Review your cat’s medical history and any changes you’ve noticed
- Discuss diet, nutrition, weight, and activity level
- Discuss the benefits of routine wellness bloodwork, which can help detect disease before symptoms appear and establish important health baselines
- Update vaccines based on your cat’s lifestyle and risk factors
- Recommend parasite prevention tailored to your cat
- Evaluate dental health and check for early signs of oral disease
- Talk through behavior, mobility, hydration, litter box habits, and any concerns about aging
- Answer your questions — every single one of them
We move at your cat’s pace, not ours. Visits here are unhurried by design, because rushed exams rarely lead to the kind of thoughtful, accurate care that cats deserve.
Vaccines That Match Your Cat’s Lifestyle
Vaccinations are one of the most effective ways to protect your cat from serious, preventable diseases. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all vaccine schedules — instead, we recommend the right vaccines for your cat’s lifestyle, exposure risk, and overall health.
At Rialto Animal Hospital and Rialto Cat Hospital, we proudly use the PUREVAX® feline vaccine line whenever possible because it is adjuvant-free. Unlike traditional vaccines that contain additives linked to inflammation and a rare cancer called Feline Injection-Site Sarcoma (FISS), PUREVAX® uses advanced recombinant technology to provide effective protection with less inflammation, fewer injection-site reactions, and a lower risk of vaccine-associated sarcomas.
Common feline vaccines include protection against:
- Feline distemper (panleukopenia) — a serious, often fatal viral disease
- Upper respiratory viruses (feline herpesvirus and calicivirus) — common causes of feline respiratory infections
- Rabies — required by law in California
- Feline leukemia (FeLV) — recommended based on lifestyle and risk
If you’re not sure what your cat needs, we’ll walk you through your options and help you decide what makes the most sense — including the recommendations that apply to indoor-only cats, who still benefit from core vaccine protection.
Dental Health Is Part of Wellness
Dental disease is one of the most common — and most underdiagnosed — health problems in cats. By age three, the majority of cats show some signs of dental disease, and because cats hide oral pain so effectively, most owners never notice until the disease is well advanced.
That’s why every wellness exam at Rialto Cat Hospital includes a careful evaluation of your cat’s mouth, teeth, and gums. Depending on what we find, we may recommend:
- Home dental care — brushing, dental treats, water additives, oral gels, or prescription dental diets
- Professional dental cleaning under anesthesia, which allows us to take dental X-rays, clean beneath the gumline, and treat painful conditions properly
- Ongoing monitoring for cats prone to chronic dental conditions like stomatitis or tooth resorption
Healthy teeth mean a more comfortable cat, a happier mealtime, and fewer downstream effects on the heart, liver, and kidneys. We’ll help you build a dental care plan that works for both you and your cat.
Wellness Care Through Every Life Stage
Cats age differently than we do — and their wellness needs change significantly over time. Our team tailors every wellness visit to your cat’s current stage of life.
Kittens need a foundation of vaccines, parasite prevention, and early conversations about nutrition, behavior, and litter box habits. Visit our Kitten Care page for more.
Adult cats benefit from yearly wellness exams to maintain preventive care, monitor weight and body condition, and catch subtle changes before they become bigger problems.
Senior cats — typically those 10 years and older — need more frequent attention. Cats are considered seniors much earlier than many owners realize, and many age-related conditions develop quietly. For senior cats, we recommend:
- Wellness exams every six months instead of annually
- Annual or semiannual senior bloodwork to screen for kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and other common conditions
- Closer monitoring of weight, appetite, hydration, mobility, and litter box habits — small changes are often the earliest signs of illness
- Tailored care plans that address chronic conditions, comfort, and quality of life
Senior cats are some of our favorite patients, and we believe their golden years deserve every bit as much attention and care as their younger ones — often more.
Signs to Watch for Between Visits
Cats are subtle. The clearest signals that something is changing usually aren’t dramatic — they’re small shifts in behavior or habit. Between visits, give us a call if you notice:
- Changes in appetite, thirst, or weight
- Changes in litter box habits — frequency, amount, location, or straining
- Hiding, withdrawal, or changes in personality
- Decreased grooming, or sudden over-grooming
- Vomiting more often than usual
- Difficulty jumping, climbing, or getting comfortable
- Bad breath, drooling, or reluctance to eat hard food
- Any change that just feels off
When in doubt, we’d rather hear from you than have you wonder.
Schedule Your Cat’s Wellness Visit
Whether your cat is due for their annual exam, transitioning into their senior years, or it’s been a while since their last visit, we’d love to see them. Call us at (909) 546-3321 or request an appointment online.