Book the first appointment before the cat comes home, for day 1 to day 3, using our first vet visit walkthrough. You are not looking for a diagnosis in that window; you are establishing 8 baselines, collecting 2 fecal samples, and checking that the vaccine dates on paper match a body that is actually protected.
Make the 7-day return window a calendar entry on day 1, because it is a contract clock, not a health clock. Most shelter contracts count 7 calendar days from pickup, and several of the conditions you most want to exclude take longer than that to show.
Why 72 hours, and why not 30 days
Upper respiratory infection shows in 2-10 days. Ringworm shows in 7-21. Panleukopenia shows in 2-14. A retrovirus re-test is only meaningful 30 days after a possible exposure. So 72 hours catches the cat that arrived sick, and misses the cat that was infected on pickup day.
That gap is why the visit is a baseline, not a clearance. Write the 8 numbers into one page, keep the page, and compare at day 30 and day 90. The second visit is where incubation windows close.
The 8 checks, with normal ranges and prices
Ask for these 8 in this order; the total runs 25-40 minutes and 400-1,200 RMB at most clinics.
| Check | Normal or expected | Typical cost (RMB) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Weight and body condition | 3.5-5.5 kg adult; score 5 of 9 | Included in the exam, 100-300 |
| 2. Temperature | 38.1-39.2 C; 39.5 or more is a fever | 0 extra, in the exam fee |
| 3. Mouth and teeth | Tartar 0-1 of 4; no gingivitis line; no resorption | Exam only; cleaning 800-2,500 |
| 4. Ears and eyes | Pupils 2-4 mm and reactive; no discharge; 0 fluorescein uptake | Otoscopy included; stain 30-80 |
| 5. Heart and lungs | No murmur, or grade I-II of VI; 20-30 breaths a minute | 0 extra; echo 600-1,200 if a murmur |
| 6. Abdomen and skin | No mass over 1 cm; bladder small; no flea dirt; no ringworm patch | Wood lamp 50-100; cytology 80-200 |
| 7. FeLV and FIV | Negative on a SNAP test at 6 months or older | 150-300 |
| 8. Feces, round 1 | 0 eggs, 0 cysts, no giardia antigen | Flotation 80-150; antigen 120-250 |
The 3 numbers you can take at home
Weight on a baby scale, resting respiratory rate while asleep, and body condition by hand. A cat at 4.2 kg that weighs 4.2 kg again on day 14 is stable; 3.9 kg on day 14 means the vet needs to know within 48 hours. Respiration at 20-30 per minute is the band; count for 30 seconds and double it, twice, on 2 different days.
Body condition is a 9-point scale where 5 is ideal: ribs felt under a thin fat layer, a waist behind the ribs from above, a small belly tuck from the side. Under 4 or over 7 at the first visit goes in the record with a target date to re-check in 30 days.
Ears, eyes and mouth: the 3 quiet problems
Ear mites show on otoscopy and cost 80-200 RMB to treat. Eye discharge in a newly adopted cat usually tracks with herpesvirus or calicivirus, and a fluorescein stain at 30-80 RMB rules out an ulcer before any steroid drop goes near the eye.
The mouth is where the money hides. Gingivitis in a cat under 2 often resolves after extraction of retained deciduous teeth; in a cat over 5 it usually means periodontal disease and a cleaning at 800-2,500 RMB. Ask the vet to write down which teeth, not just the word dental.
Heart, lungs and the murmur grade
A murmur is graded I to VI. Grade I-II in a young cat is often innocent and needs a recheck in 3-6 months; grade III or louder gets an echocardiogram at 600-1,200 RMB before you plan anesthesia for a dental. Ask for the grade in writing.
Retrovirus testing: when a negative means nothing
A SNAP test at 150-300 RMB is reliable in a cat over 6 months with no recent exposure. In a kitten under 6 months, a positive can be maternal antibody and needs a re-test at 6 months; a negative taken 2 weeks after a bite or a fight needs a re-test at 30 and 90 days.
If the cat is positive for FeLV, that is a management conversation, not an automatic return: many FeLV-positive cats live 2-4 years or longer indoors with 6-monthly checks. Do not let a positive result at day 2 be decided by panic at day 3.
Why 2 fecal tests, 10-14 days apart
One sample misses a lot, because shedding is intermittent: a cat with tapeworm or giardia can be negative today and positive in 10 days. The workable rule is 2 samples 10-14 days apart, or 3 samples collected on 3 consecutive days if the first is negative but the cat has diarrhea.
Cost is 80-150 RMB per flotation plus 120-250 for a giardia antigen. Treat on the result, not on the suspicion, and repeat the test 10-14 days after the last dose, since re-infection from the environment is common in the first month.
4 vaccine facts to verify on paper
Check 4 things: the FVRCP dates (2 doses 3-4 weeks apart in a cat with no history), the rabies date (12-16 weeks of age at first dose, then per local rule at 1-3 years), the date of the last dose against today, and the deworming date within the last 3 months.
If the record says vaccinated but gives no date, treat the cat as unvaccinated and restart: 2 doses 3-4 weeks apart, 200-400 RMB. Cheaper than trusting a stamp.
What the 7-day window can and cannot catch
Seven days is long enough to catch a cat that will not eat, a cat with blood in the urine, or a bite that escalates. It is too short for ringworm at 7-21 days, for a retrovirus re-test at 30 days, and for behavior that only appears once the cat stops hiding, which is usually day 5-14.
So do not use the window as a trial period and do not treat a clean 7 days as a health guarantee. Observe in 3 fixed windows a day (07:00, 18:00, 22:00), log appetite in grams, urine clumps, stool score 1-7, and the hiding distance, and keep the log for 30 days. If a contract offers 14 days, take it; a 14-day window still misses a 21-day ringworm and should be read the same way.
Budget for the first visit
Expect 400-1,200 RMB for the 8 checks including 1 fecal, and 700-1,800 if you add bloodwork and a second fecal. First-month total, including the adoption fee at 0-500, food at 150-400, a box and carrier at 200-600, lands at 1,200-3,500 RMB; our cost tool models 12 months of the same lines.
Your 5 steps this week
- Book the appointment for day 1-3 before pickup, and ask for a 30-minute slot.
- Collect a fresh fecal sample in a clean bag within 6 hours of the visit.
- Bring the paper record and photograph every page before the vet writes on it.
- Get the 8 numbers in writing, including the murmur grade and the BCS score.
- Calendar day 12 for fecal round 2 and day 7 as the last day of the return window.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
Do I really need a vet visit within 72 hours?
Yes if the cat came from a shelter or a rehoming situation, because incubation windows for upper respiratory infection run 2-10 days and a cat can look fine on pickup day. The visit costs 400-1,200 RMB, sets 8 baselines, and gives you a written record to compare against at day 30.
Why two fecal tests instead of one?
Shedding is intermittent, so a single sample can be negative in a cat that carries tapeworm or giardia. The practical rule is 2 samples 10-14 days apart, at 80-150 RMB each, or 3 samples on consecutive days if the first is negative but diarrhea continues.
Does the 7-day return window cover health problems?
Only the fast ones. It covers a cat that will not eat or has blood in the urine, but ringworm needs 7-21 days to appear and a retrovirus re-test is only meaningful at 30 days. Treat the window as a contract term, keep a 30-day observation log, and ask for 14 days if the contract allows it.