Kitten Wellness

A new kitten!  Congratulations!  A kitten is a lot of fun!
 

Kittens are very vulnerable to contagious diseases during their early weeks. Until your kitten has completed his or her series of kitten visits and vaccines, please keep him or her at home as much as possible and do not allow your kitten to go outside if at all possible. And, of course, make sure that any other  pets in your home are up to date on their wellness care!

Exams

Comprehensive Veterinary Exams are the foundation of good health. Your kitten's first exam should take place as soon as possible after adoption.  Your kitten should have exams every three- four weeks until he has completed his kitten wellness series at 16 weeks of age (or older). * Up to four exams may be needed if your kitten is very young at the time of adoption. 

FIV & FeLV Testing

All kittens should be tested for the deadly Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Viruses before or at the time of adoption.   We do this with a simple blood test that gives results in minutes.

 Vaccines

FVRCP Vaccine: FVRCP (Feline Viral  Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia combination) vaccines should be administered every three -four weeks starting as young as 8 weeks. At least two boosters are needed, ending at 16 weeks or older. *Up to four boosters may be needed depending on your kitten's age at adoption.

Feline Leukemia Vaccine: Two FeLV vaccines are needed 3 weeks apart starting at 12 or 13 weeks. The need for annual revaccination will be determined based on risk factors at your cat's annual wellness visits.

Rabies Vaccine: One rabies vaccine is needed at 16 weeks of age.

Fleas & Ticks

Fleas and ticks are a problem in all months but the coldest winter months in Shelby County. We can provide a free dose of flea prevention at your kitten's first visit. Flea protection should begin at 8 weeks of age.

Intestinal Parasites

Dewormings: Virtually all kittens are born with intestinal parasites because of transmission of parasites from mother to kitten during pregnancy and nursing. Every kitten should be dewormed every 2 weeks until 3 months of age, starting as early as possible. Monthly deworming (usually starting at 3 months) is needed after the series of biweekly dewormings. In our heartworm endemic region, we take care of the need to deworm for intestinal parasites monthly by using a Heartworm Preventative (like Revolution ) that also controls common intestinal parasites.  

Fecal Exams: Because many different intestinal parasites infect kittens and no one dewormer controls every parasite, we need to check your kitten's stool for parasites. Since parasites are evident on fecal exam only at certain stages of their lifecycle,  a "negative" fecal does NOT mean that your kitten is clear of parasites but just that  we weren't lucky enough to catch them today. If a fecal is "negative", your kitten will receive a dewormer that is effective against the most common parasites.  A "positive" fecal allows the veterinarian to choose a dewormer that is effective against the parasites we know your kitten has. Your kitten needs at least two fecal exams during the first few months (usually at the first and last kitten visits). After the kitten series,  fecal exams are needed every 12 months. 

Spay or Neuter
 

Every kitten should be spayed or neutered at approximately 6 months of age unless you are planning on breeding your pet. Timely spay or neuter prevents many serious medical (cancers, infections, etc.) and behavioral problems (spraying, etc.) and adds years to your pet's life expectancy.  

Dental Care

It is a good idea to brush your kitten's teeth daily.  Begin by using your finger to simply rub the teeth until the kitten becomes accustomed to your finger in the mouth.  Then use a toothbrush and some "kitty" toothpaste.  The toothpaste we carry is poultry flavored and generally well liked by our patients.  Healthy teeth will be your reward for your hard work!

Microchip 

Permanent identification with a microchip helps ensure that your kitten will be returned to you if he or she is ever lost or stolen. A microchip can be implanted at any time, but we usually do it at the time of spay or neuter. We use the PetLink microchip.  Animal shelters nationwide routinely scan pets they receive.  We've heard of many happy reunions!