TABLE 2.

Clinical examination checklist

Component	Relevance
Oral cavity examination	Dental and oral disease is common in elderly cats and may be associated with a poor or variable appetite
Eye examination	It is important to look for evidence of systemic hypertension such as retinal oedema, detachment and haemorrhage. Systemic hypertension is common in older cats — often in association with renal and/or thyroid disease
	Ocular examination can be helpful in identifying evidence of inflammatory and infectious diseases such as FIP, FIV and FeLV infection, and toxoplasmosis
Neck examination	Palpation for a thyroid nodule. Remember that non-functional nodules and non-thyroidal masses may be palpated so a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism depends on definitive laboratory test results
Cardiac auscultation	Tachycardia, gallop rhythm and systolic heart murmurs are common in hyperthyroid cats. Systolic heart murmurs are also common in cats with systemic hypertension, as a consequence of secondary cardiac remodelling
Blood pressure measurement	Systemic hypertension is common in elderly cats. In addition, several important causes of weight loss (eg, hyperthyroidism, chronic kidney disease) are associated with this complication
Bowel palpation	Focal or diffuse bowel wall thickening and mesenteric lymphadenopathy can be found in association with inflammatory bowel disease and diffuse bowel neoplasia
Renal palpation	Changes in renal size and shape can be helpful in identifying possible renal pathology such as polycystic kidney disease and renal neoplasia
Abdominal palpation	It is important to palpate for possible adrenal and pancreatic masses, hepatomegaly and other changes
Neurological examination	Perform where indicated by the history and clinical examination
Orthopaedic examination	Perform where indicated by the history and clinical examination

FIP = feline infectious peritonitis, FIV = feline immunodeficiency virus, FeLV = feline leukaemia virus