Senior Wellness Screening: Why Blood Pressure, Blood Panels, Thyroid Testing, and Imaging Matter for Your Aging Cat
You’ve probably noticed the little changes. Maybe your cat takes a moment to consider the jump onto the bed before committing, or spends more time in that sunny spot by the window than chasing dust particles. Perhaps the midnight zoomies have become more of a gentle stroll to the food bowl. These shifts are subtle, but when you’ve spent years learning exactly how your cat moves through the world, you notice.
Growing older is a privilege, and watching your cat settle into their senior years comes with its own kind of sweetness- the deep purrs, the slower blinks, the way they’ve trained you to know exactly where they want to be scratched. But aging also brings changes happening inside that you can’t see, and conditions like thyroid disease, kidney issues, or high blood pressure can quietly affect how your cat feels long before obvious signs appear.
That’s where senior screening comes in. It’s not about looking for problems- it’s about understanding what’s happening in your cat’s body so you can help them stay comfortable, active, and content for as long as possible.
At Just Cats Clinic in Reston, VA, we’re a feline-only practice, which means everything we do is designed around cats and the people who love them. Our AAHA-accredited, Cat Friendly team uses gentle handling and quiet spaces because we know that a calm cat gives us better information (and goes home less stressed). Our approach aligns with evidence-based senior pet care recommendations, and we tailor every screening plan to your individual cat. If you’re noticing those subtle shifts in your senior’s routines, schedule an appointment so we can help you understand what’s happening and what comes next.
Do Senior Cats Really Need Specialized Screening?
The short answer is yes- and here’s why it matters so much.
Cats are masters at hiding discomfort. It’s an evolutionary skill that served them well as both predator and prey, but it means that by the time you notice something’s wrong, a condition may have been developing for months. Twice-yearly exams with targeted testing let us catch small shifts before they affect your cat’s comfort, appetite, or daily routines.
Preventive testing does something really valuable: it builds a personal baseline for your cat. Lab values that fall within “normal range” might still represent a significant change for your individual cat. When we compare results over time, we can spot trends that generic reference ranges would miss entirely.
Common age-related conditions that benefit from early detection:
- Kidney disease (incredibly common in senior cats, and very manageable when caught early)
- Hyperthyroidism (that overactive thyroid that makes some seniors suddenly ravenous)
- Hypertension (silent but damaging to eyes, kidneys, and heart)
- Diabetes and liver changes
- Dental disease that affects whole-body health
The other truth about early detection? It usually means easier, less invasive treatment. A cat with early kidney changes might just need a diet adjustment and some extra hydration support. A cat with advanced disease needs much more intensive care.
For healthy seniors, we typically recommend a preventive exam every six months with annual labs, then adjust based on what we find and how your cat is doing at home. You can set up ongoing preventive exams and care to keep screenings on schedule, and we’ll always tailor diagnostics to what makes sense for your cat.
What Does Comprehensive Senior Blood Work Actually Tell Us?
Blood work is the foundation of senior screening because it gives us a window into how your cat’s organs are functioning- often before any outward signs appear. Think of it as a detailed status report on kidneys, liver, blood sugar, and overall metabolic health.
What We’re Looking For
A typical senior panel includes a complete blood count (which tells us about red cells, white cells, and platelets), a biochemistry profile (evaluating kidneys, liver, blood sugar, and proteins), and electrolytes (which affect energy and muscle function).
What do we commonly find? Mild anemia that hints at chronic disease or nutritional issues. Subtle kidney value changes before your cat shows any appetite or weight shifts. Liver enzyme elevations that tell us imaging might be helpful. Elevated glucose that could signal diabetes developing.
The key is that we’re not just looking at whether values fall within normal range- we’re comparing to your cat’s previous results to see what’s actually changing for them. These veterinary diagnostic tests help us make decisions that are truly personalized. Our surgery and diagnostics services allow us to run most tests in-house, which means faster answers for you.
Why Is Thyroid Testing So Important for Senior Cats?
If there’s one condition that’s almost synonymous with aging cats, it’s hyperthyroidism. It’s remarkably common in seniors, and the good news is that it’s very treatable once we know it’s there.
Understanding Thyroid Disease in Cats
Hyperthyroidism means your cat’s thyroid gland is producing too much hormone, which essentially puts their metabolism into overdrive. You might notice weight loss despite a hearty (sometimes ravenous) appetite, restlessness or increased vocalization, occasional vomiting, softer stools, or a heart that seems to be beating faster than it should.
Some cats with hyperthyroidism seem to get a second wind- suddenly more active and demanding than they’ve been in years. It can almost look like a good thing at first, until you realize they’re losing weight and their heart is working too hard.
We diagnose hyperthyroidism with blood tests and often add blood pressure checks and sometimes imaging to look for related effects on the heart. Treatment options for feline hyperthyroidism include daily medication, therapeutic diets, and referral for radioactive iodine therapy (which is often curative). We’ll help you figure out what fits your cat’s temperament and your home routine- because the best treatment is one you can actually give consistently.
Once we start treatment, regular monitoring through our preventive exams and care program helps us keep thyroid levels in a healthy range without putting stress on the kidneys. It’s a balance, and we’ll guide you through it.
Why Should We Monitor Blood Pressure in Senior Cats?
Here’s something that surprises many cat owners: high blood pressure is common in senior cats, and it usually causes no obvious symptoms until it’s already done damage. That’s what makes screening so valuable- we can catch it before it hurts your cat.
What Hypertension Can Do
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can affect your cat’s eyes (sometimes causing sudden vision loss from retinal damage), accelerate kidney disease, make the heart work harder than it should, and even affect the brain. None of these have warning signs until the damage is done.
How We Check Blood Pressure
The process is gentle and noninvasive. We place a small cuff on your cat’s leg or tail and measure blood flow while they relax in a quiet room with calming pheromones. Most cats tolerate it well, especially in our feline-only environment where there are no barking dogs in the waiting room adding to the stress.
If a reading is elevated, we confirm with repeat measurements (because “white coat syndrome” happens in cats too) and check for related issues like kidney disease or hyperthyroidism that often travel together. Treatment typically includes medication, nutrition adjustments, and regular rechecks to make sure we’re hitting the right targets.
If you ever notice sudden changes in your cat’s vision or behavior, our urgent cat care services are available.
Why Does Urinalysis Matter for Senior Cats?
Blood work tells us a lot, but urinalysis fills in important gaps- especially when it comes to kidney health and diabetes screening.
What We Learn From Urine
We evaluate how well the kidneys concentrate urine (one of the first things to change in early kidney disease), check pH and protein levels, screen for glucose and ketones that might indicate diabetes, and look for blood cells, bacteria, or crystals that signal urinary tract problems.
This matters enormously for senior cats because chronic kidney disease is one of the most common conditions we see- and it’s often completely silent in early stages. Pairing urinalysis with blood tests gives us the fullest picture and helps us intervene early with diets, hydration strategies, and medications that can genuinely slow progression.
Finding kidney disease early means we can make small, manageable changes that preserve your cat’s energy, appetite, and daily routines rather than playing catch-up with advanced disease. Our surgery and diagnostics capabilities support this comprehensive evaluation.
How Do We Check Heart Health in Older Cats?
Heart disease in cats can be sneaky. Some cats have significant changes happening inside their hearts while showing almost no outward signs. That’s why careful listening during exams matters- we may identify murmurs or rhythm changes that warrant a closer look.
When We Recommend Further Testing
New murmurs, breathing changes, or certain lab findings may lead us to recommend chest X-rays, an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart), or cardiac biomarkers like NT-proBNP testing that help us decide if imaging is needed.
Why does early detection matter? Because catching heart disease early means we can start medication, adjust diet, and monitor closely- helping many cats stay comfortable and active for years longer than they would without intervention.
When advanced cardiac imaging is needed, we coordinate diagnostics and referrals to cardiology specialists through our surgery and diagnostics services.
When Are X-Rays and Other Imaging Recommended?
Imaging lets us see what blood tests can’t show us- the actual structure of organs, the size and shape of the heart, what’s happening in the lungs, and whether joints show signs of arthritis.
Situations Where Imaging Helps
We might recommend X-ray imaging for a persistent cough or breathing changes, unexplained vomiting, weight loss, or abdominal discomfort, mobility changes that might reflect arthritis or spinal issues, or when we detect masses or unexplained pain during an exam.
When we need more organ detail than X-rays provide, ultrasound imaging offers a noninvasive way to view the liver, spleen, kidneys, bladder, and intestines in real time.
Our feline-only environment makes a real difference during imaging. Quiet rooms, feline pheromones, and gentle handling by people who work exclusively with cats means less stress and better images. It’s all coordinated through our surgery and diagnostics team.
What Conditions Do Senior Screenings Often Catch Early?
Early discovery creates more options and usually means less invasive care. Our goal is always to spot changes before they affect your cat’s daily life, then choose the gentlest path forward.
Finding Cancer Sooner
Nobody wants to think about cancer, but routine hands-on exams and imaging do help us detect masses, enlarged lymph nodes, and organ changes at earlier, more treatable stages. Light-colored senior cats face higher risk for squamous cell carcinoma, and cats who were spayed later in life have increased risk for aggressive mammary tumors. Catching these early can genuinely be life-saving.
When abnormalities are found, we help you understand options that match your goals and your cat’s comfort. Please contact the hospital with any concerns.
Liver Health
Blood work sometimes shows enzyme changes that prompt additional testing. Imaging and targeted labs help us sort out common causes of liver and gall bladder disease so we can match treatment to the actual problem and monitor response over time.
Arthritis and Mobility
This is a big one that often goes unrecognized. Cats are so good at adapting that arthritis can be well-established before owners realize something’s wrong. Maybe your cat hesitates before jumping, or doesn’t groom their lower back as well, or has stopped using a favorite high perch.
Exams, movement assessments, and X-rays help us identify osteoarthritis and spinal changes. The good news is that we have more pain management options than ever, including monthly injections like Solensia that many cats tolerate beautifully, joint supplements, gentle environmental modifications, and modalities like laser therapy and acupuncture.
We’ll create a plan that fits your cat’s personality and your home setup. You can find our favorite feline joint supplements in our online pharmacy, and our urgent cat care services are available if mobility issues worsen suddenly.
Don’t Forget About Dental Health
Oral health is genuinely connected to whole-body health, and many senior cats have dental disease that’s causing more discomfort than they let on. Periodontal disease creates chronic inflammation and bacterial exposure that can affect kidneys, heart, and liver over time.
Signs to watch for at home:
- Bad breath or drooling
- Chewing on one side, dropping food, or avoiding hard kibble
- Pawing at the mouth or decreased grooming (especially around the face)
Our dentistry procedures include full-mouth radiographs to find problems hidden below the gumline- because what you can see on the surface is often just the tip of the iceberg. We do thorough pre-anesthetic blood work to check organ function, and targeted pain control ensures a smooth recovery. Many cats bounce back quickly and seem noticeably more comfortable once painful teeth are addressed. Good dental care really does make a difference in quality of life.
Building a Senior Care Plan That Fits Your Cat
Every cat ages on their own timeline, and cookie-cutter approaches don’t serve them well. Your cat’s screening results, exam findings, and the patterns you notice at home all guide a plan designed specifically for them.
How we make this work:
- Set a rhythm. Most senior cats do best with exams every six months, with annual core labs and more frequent checks if we’re monitoring a condition.
- Prioritize smartly. We start with the most informative diagnostics for your cat’s specific situation and risk factors, then add more if needed.
- Adjust as we learn. We refine diet, medications, and home care based on results and your observations.
- Listen to you. You know your cat better than anyone. Your notes on appetite, activity, litter box habits, and those subtle “something seems different” feelings genuinely shape our decisions.
Our AAHA accreditation reflects rigorous standards for patient care, anesthesia, and diagnostics. Our Cat Friendly practice certification means we’ve invested in making every visit as low-stress as possible. You can meet our team to learn how each of us approaches senior care.
Give Your Senior Cat Every Advantage
Those quiet afternoons together, the familiar weight of your cat on your lap, the slow blinks that say “I trust you completely”- these are the moments that make sharing life with a senior cat so special. Proactive screening helps protect those moments by catching small changes before they become big problems.
Our feline-only practice exists because cats deserve care designed around their unique needs, delivered by people who understand them. From blood pressure checks to imaging to tailored treatment plans, everything we do is aimed at helping your cat feel like themselves for as long as possible.
If you’re noticing new behaviors- hesitating before jumps, drinking more water, weight changes, or just a sense that something’s shifted- trust your instincts and reach out. Schedule an appointment and we’ll partner with you to plan thoughtful, low-stress senior screening that honors the bond you share with your cat.
