Start from the shared foundation
A purebred cat needs everything a moggy needs first: kitten vaccinations and boosters, regular flea and worm prevention matched to lifestyle, microchipping, neutering unless she is part of a considered breeding plan, dental checks, and honest weight monitoring. Breed never replaces that foundation. The difference sits on top of it, in screening aimed at problems that breeding has concentrated in particular lines. A mixed-breed cat can still develop heart or kidney disease, but nobody can hand you a short list of likely suspects the way a breed profile can.
Breed screening is the purebred extra
Depending on breed, preventive care may include heart ultrasound screening for cardiomyopathy, blood or urine monitoring for kidney conditions seen in the breed, hip assessment in large, heavy breeds, eye examinations where inherited eye disease is known, and DNA tests for specific inherited disorders that responsible breeders already test for. The practical step is paperwork before panic: obtain the parents' test results from the breeder, note which are one-off genetic results and which need repeating as the cat ages, and build the repeat ones into your vet's reminder system.
Questions to ask the breeder and the vet
Ask the breeder which inherited conditions occur in the breed, which tests the mother and father had, and whether any relatives developed early disease. Ask your vet at the first visit to translate that into a screening calendar for your individual cat, because not every published breed association applies to every line, and over-testing a healthy cat wastes money and causes stress. Revisit the plan at each life stage: a screen that matters at eighteen months may matter again, differently, at eight years when kidney and thyroid monitoring joins the list for any ageing cat.
Registration papers are a health tool
The paperwork that comes with a purebred kitten is more than proof of breeding. Registration details, the breeder's health-test certificates and any breed-club screening results tell your vet which inherited conditions have already been ruled in or out for this family line. Bring them to the first appointment rather than summarising from memory, and ask the vet to note the key results on the clinical record. If papers are missing, ask the breeder for copies before the kitten settles in; chasing documents months later, when a screening question actually arises, is far harder than filing them on day one. Breed clubs publish updated screening advice as research moves, so a plan written for a kitten should be revisited rather than treated as settled for life.
Lifestyle prevention still counts most
Most purebred cats live indoors, which removes road and fight risks but adds the indoor pattern of weight gain, boredom and dental disease. Measured feeding, daily play that uses hunting instincts, scratching provision and litter trays in quiet spots prevent more suffering than any scan. Watch breed-shaped risks too: flat-faced breeds need breathing and eye attention, hairless breeds need skin care, and longhairs need grooming that prevents matted coats and hairballs. Keeping breeder paperwork, DNA results and repeat screening dates together in KinsLe's Pet Passport means a purebred cat's preventive plan survives a change of vet intact.