That scheduled vet visit may be crucial to your cat's health. If you are tempted to skip it entirely, or delay it because it isn't convenient right now, or finances are a little tight, please give some thought to several considerations before picking up the phone and canceling that vet appointment.

Your final decision may vary, depending on the reason for the vet visit, along with available options.

Is The Vet Visit for an Annual Well-Check?

If your cat only sees the vet once a year, don't put it off too long. Instead of canceling the appointment, reschedule at the same time, for no longer than a week later, and make sure to keep the new appointment.

Your cat could have hidden health problems, and delay will only exacerbate the problems and compromise his health.

• Kitten's First Vet Visit
• Adult Cat Annual Well-Check
• Senior Cat Veterinary Plan

Is This Vet Visit a Follow-up for an Urgent Care or E/R Visit?

If your cat is doing well on the prescribed treatment, you might be able to put off this appointment. However, don't make this decision on your own. Instead, ask to speak to the veterinarian who attended him, explain the reason for canceling the appointment, and follow his advice.

Is This Vet Visit a Follow-Up for a Chronic Disease?

If your cat is newly diagnosed, it would be best to make every attempt possible to avoid canceling a follow-up appointment. You are not qualified to judge your cat's physical condition, nor his body's response to the prescribed medications and other treatment.

If his disease is long-standing and apparently stabilized, ask to speak with his primary veterinarian, and let him make the judgment call.

• Managing Chronic Diseases in Cats

Is This Vet Visit for a Spay or Neuter?

I can only think of two valid reasons to delay a spay in a female cat:

• The Cat is Sick
  If you think your cat is too sick to undergo anesthesia, she should be examined by your vet and treated. Call, explain, then keep the appointment for treatment of her illness.
• If She is in Advanced Pregnancy
  Most vets will spay pregnant cats in the first trimester (approximately three weeks along). If your cat is "borderline," your vet is the best judge of that, so keep the appointment. If she is in the last trimester, your vet may decide to wait until she has given birth.

• Spay & Neuter Your Pet Cats
• How Kittens Multiply
• Understanding Anesthesia

Are You Withholding Vet Care to Save Money?

Responsible cat caregivers want to be prepared for the costs of veterinary care, including emergencies, either with veterinary pet insurance, or savings set aside for that purpose. However, vet emergencies often happen when least expected, and job loss, family illness, or other financial crises sometimes come in tandem with those emergencies involving family cats. Although most of the resources listed below are for emergency care only, a couple of them apply to less urgent veterinary care.

It's one thing to be suddenly out of a job, but if finances are just "a little tight," consider other areas where you might cut expenses.

• Financial Help for Cats' Veterinary Care