An Ocicat screen is organized by organ, not by age, because the 4 targets move at different speeds. Retinas can be checked in 10 minutes and show change within 12 months. The heart needs a scan and a number. The kidneys need a urine protein ratio, since amyloidosis shows up there long before a creatinine rises. The knees need hands. Four organs, 4 clocks, 1 calendar.
The 4 targets and their start dates
Each line has a first date and an interval, and the interval is what most owners get wrong. The table is the whole plan in 4 rows; the sections below explain what each test actually reports.
| Organ | First test | Repeat | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eyes | 12 months | 12 months | Fundic exam, pupil reflex |
| Heart | 12 months | 12 months, then 6 | Echo, IVSd and LA/Ao |
| Kidneys | 12 months | 12 months, then 6 | Urine protein ratio, SDMA |
| Knees | 6 months | 6 months | Palpation, grade 1 to 4 |
Eyes: 3 checks, and what each one catches
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) starts in the back of the eye and works forward, so night vision goes before day vision. Check 1 is a fundic exam with a light, looking at the vessels and the optic disc; it takes 10 minutes and costs 50 to 100 USD. Check 2 is the pupil reflex in a dark room, which shows how much retina still answers. Check 3 is an electroretinogram at 200 to 400 USD under sedation, and it can pick up a failing retina 12 to 24 months before the exam looks abnormal. A DNA test exists for several forms in related breeds, but coverage varies by lab, so ask whether the specific Ocicat variant is on the panel before you pay. Screening runs at 12 months, then every 12 months to age 8, and any cat intended for breeding gets an ERG at 24 months. A diagnosis of PRA is made by a veterinary ophthalmologist, not by a home test.
Heart: 4 numbers worth writing down
Echo at 12 months, every 12 months to age 6, then every 6 months to age 10. Four figures belong in the record: diastolic wall thickness (IVSd), the left atrium to aorta ratio (LA/Ao), the fractional shortening, and the presence or absence of a systolic murmur graded 1 to 6. Under 5.0 mm with a ratio under 1.5 and no murmur is a normal screen. A thickness of 5.0 to 5.9 mm, a ratio of 1.5 to 1.7, or a grade 2 murmur means a recheck in 3 months. At 6.0 mm, a ratio above 1.7, or a grade 3 murmur, most cardiologists start treatment and recheck at 3 months. The protocol matches the Maine Coon heart screening, which lays out the same measurements in more imaging detail.
Kidneys: protein first, creatinine last
Renal amyloidosis deposits protein in the kidney and leaks it into urine before the blood values move. That is why the urine protein to creatinine ratio (UPC) leads the screen. Under 0.2 is normal; 0.2 to 0.4 needs a repeat in 4 weeks; above 0.4 is proteinuria and needs a workup, since 1 reading can be caused by inflammation or blood. Pair it with SDMA, where a value above 14 micrograms per deciliter suggests lost filtration, and with urine specific gravity, where 1.035 to 1.060 is concentrated and normal. Measure blood pressure at every visit from age 6; above 160 mmHg on 2 readings is a finding. Run the panel at 12 months, yearly to 6, then every 6 months, and every 3 months once protein appears. The urine numbers are the ones to plot on a trend chart, because a ratio drifting from 0.2 to 0.35 over 18 months says more than any single visit.
Knees: 4 grades, 6 month interval
Patellar luxation is common enough in this build that hands beat imaging. From 6 months old, palpate both knees every 6 months and record 1 to 4. Grade 1 pops out and returns; grade 2 slips out unaided and returns; grade 3 stays out and can be replaced by hand; grade 4 cannot be replaced. Grades 1 and 2 get weight control to condition score 5 and a 5 percent reduction if the cat is above it, plus a rug on the 2 slickest runways. Grade 2 with a skip, or grade 3 and 4, gets a surgical opinion within 4 to 6 weeks. X-rays at 60 to 120 USD show arthritis, not the grade, so they follow the hand rather than replace it.
4 things to watch without a kit
One: night behaviour, where a cat that used to cross a dark room now hugs the wall or stops jumping onto a 90 cm shelf. Two: water and litter volume, measured over 24 hours, where more than 45 ml per kg of water or clumps that double in size point at the kidney. Three: sleeping respiratory rate, counted 30 seconds and doubled 3 times a week, with 30 or below normal and 40 or above a call. Four: gait, where a 2 second hitch before a jump or a skip every 3 or 4 steps is a knee. Weigh monthly on the same scale, since a 5 percent drop in 30 days is a finding, and check the house against the toxic plant list each season, because lily exposure can add acute kidney injury on top of a kidney already losing protein.
From 10 minutes to 24 hours
Five signals, 5 clocks. Breathing and urine block move fastest; a ratio that creeps upward moves in months.
| Sign | Watch period | Hours to act | Typical cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breathing 40+ while asleep | 10 min | 2 hours | HCM, fluid |
| Gasping at rest, mouth open | none | 0 hours | Emergency |
| Straining, no urine for 8 hours | 8 hours | 0 hours | Block |
| Sudden blindness, wide pupils | 24 hours | 24 hours | Retina, pressure |
| Throwing up 3+ times in 12 hours | 12 hours | 4 hours | Kidney, GI |
| No food for 36 hours | 36 hours | 12 hours | Kidney, dental |
Medication for these falls into 4 classes at most, a diuretic, a blood pressure drug, an antiemetic, and a pain reliever, and each is dispensed only on a veterinary prescription after an exam.
Cost lines and a 12 month plan
Exam 40 to 70 USD, fundic exam 50 to 100, ERG 200 to 400, echo 120 to 250, UPC 30 to 60, SDMA 40 to 80, blood pressure 20 to 40, X-rays 60 to 120. Year 1 totals 350 to 650 USD without an ERG, and 550 to 1000 with one. The calendar: month 6 knees, month 12 eyes plus echo plus urine plus weight, month 18 knees, month 24 eyes plus echo plus urine, then yearly with 6 month knee and urine checks after age 6.
5 steps to run this quarter
- Book the 12 month eye exam and the echo on the same day to save a trip.
- Ask the lab in writing whether its panel covers the Ocicat PRA variant.
- Add UPC to every urine sample, not just the dipstick.
- Begin a 3 night a week breathing log, 30 seconds each time.
- Track weight every 30 days; a 5 percent slide earns an appointment.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
Can I skip the eye exam if the cat sees fine?
No, because PRA removes peripheral and night vision first and cats compensate well in a lit house. A fundic exam at 12 months, then every 12 months to age 8, is 10 minutes and 50 to 100 USD. Add an electroretinogram at 24 months for any cat intended for breeding, since it can flag a failing retina 12 to 24 months before the exam looks abnormal.
Why is urine protein checked before creatinine?
Amyloid deposits leak protein into urine long before filtration drops enough to raise creatinine. A ratio under 0.2 is normal, 0.2 to 0.4 gets a repeat in 4 weeks, and above 0.4 needs a workup. Pair it with SDMA above 14 micrograms per deciliter and a blood pressure above 160 mmHg, because the 3 together localize the problem faster than any one alone.
How often does an Ocicat need an echo?
Every 12 months from age 1 to age 6, then every 6 months to age 10. The report should carry wall thickness, the left atrium ratio, fractional shortening, and a murmur grade from 1 to 6. A thickness of 5.0 to 5.9 mm or a ratio of 1.5 to 1.7 moves the recheck to 3 months rather than 12.