Laboratory Testing

Unfortunately, no. While many tests have been developed in humans to detect specific cancers, these are not commonly available as screening tests for cats. Blood tests in cats typically indicate overall health or pinpoint a problem to a specific organ, such as the kidney or liver.

Some tests require special preparation, such as fasting or specific timing (e.g., phenobarbitone or thyroxine hormone levels). If such preparation is needed, we will inform you. If you’re unsure, feel free to ask us.

The timing depends on the type of test and your cat’s needs. Some samples can be collected immediately, but in some cases, a sedative may be used to help reduce your cat’s anxiety, which can take 1-2 hours. For tests like hormone testing, multiple samples may need to be taken a few hours apart. If such tests are required, your cat will stay in the hospital in a comfortable kennel with bedding, fresh water and possibly food, depending on the test.

• Some cats get anxious on the way into the hospital or when we try to keep them still to obtain a blood sample. We may recommend that your cat has a little sedation prior to blood sampling. This is not because it hurts, but to keep them calm.
• Sometimes, this is a capsule that you give them at home before travelling, or it can be given as an injection once they have arrived at the hospital. These sedatives only last a few hours and your cat should return to normal by the time they are ready to go home.
• Elderly cats can sometimes take a little longer to recover and may be just a little bit wobbly when walking.
• We recommend that any cat that has been sedated stay indoors for 24 hours afterwards, as their reaction times may be a little slow!

• Usually, the blood is taken from a vein in the leg or neck.
• A small amount of fur is clipped, and we apply some local anaesthetic cream to numb the area. This takes about 20 minutes to take effect, but we find it very helpful for the cats, and they react much less.
• The cat is gently held, and a needle is inserted into their vein. This is rarely painful, and with the local anaesthetic cream, most cats don’t even notice.
• Sometimes, we even feed cats while obtaining a sample, as this distracts them from what we are doing!
• A small amount of blood is collected and put into one or more tubes for analysis.
• After the needle is removed, we sometimes place a small bandage to keep pressure on the site, but if we have not already done so, this can be removed when you take your cat home.

No. If they have been sedated, they may still be a little wobbly, but they are not from the blood sample itself.

No, for most cats, it doesn’t hurt, and the most common side effect is a little bit of bruising at the site. This is often more obvious in elderly cats with blood pressure problems.

There are many different types of blood tests. Your veterinarian may order more than one test at a time but we will discuss with you which tests we suggest and why.

Some common blood tests include:

• Blood glucose test – helps identify diabetes
• Full blood count – assess red and white cell numbers. This helps identify anaemia or signs of infection.
• Kidney function tests (e.g. urea, creatinine, SDMA)
• Liver function tests (e.g. ALT, ALKP, AST, GGT, TBil)
• Thyroid function tests (e.g. Total T4, TSH)
• Blood tests to check blood clotting (e.g. ACT, APTT, PT)
• Blood tests to check the levels of certain elements and vitamins
  • Ionized calcium
  • Vitamin B12

• It depends on the test. Tests we assess in the hospital are received on the same day. Most tests submitted to the external lab are received within 36 hours. However, more specialised tests can take 10-14 days – particularly if sent interstate or overseas.
• We will let you know when you can expect your test results and will call you when we receive them.