1. Should my cat be indoor or outdoor? This decision impacts how you and your cat interact. More importantly, it determines to a significant degree how long your cat may live. As a rule, indoor cats live many times longer than outdoor cats.

2. What are the most common diseases and conditions that I should know about? You and your vet should briefly discuss the most common conditions that develop in cats. This discussion can expand to include breed, and may vary based on geography.

3. What are the most common signs of disease that I should look for? In addition to knowing which diseases are common, you should know what to look for. Getting a good idea of the common signs of disease will help you detect trouble early. Some common signs of a number of diseases are excessive thirst and urination, excessive vomiting, weight loss, and lethargy.

4. What do you recommend for cat litter? This can be somewhat controversial, but you should get your vet's opinion. There are many options, probably too many, on brand and type. Using the "wrong" cat litter can have a profound effect on the well being of your cat.

Some cats will refuse to use the litter box if you even change brands. Expand this into a discussion on litter box type, number and placement as well.

5. Is there a particular diet or brand of pet food that you recommend? Why? This again is controversial, but all important. The AAFCO sets certain guidelines on pet food ingredients, but that does not mean that commercial pet foods are all the same. In addition, a number of well meaning cat lovers, including some breeders, are recommending home made cat food, or raw meat diets.

Watch out, as these can be dangerous, especially if not done correctly. Find out what your vet is feeding her own animals, and why.

Again, I'll stress the value of the dialogue that begins based on these questions. If you're a good conversationalist, you'll be able to rewrite these questions in your own words. If you are like most, however, you should write them down as is, and let the conversation flow from there.

Are there more questions to ask your vet than just these? Of course there are. Are there others that are also vital to you and your cat? Absolutely, and some of them only you may know. The above list, however, should get you started on a great dialogue, and give you some solid information that a surprising number of pet owners simply do not have.

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