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| picture from: http://cattime.com/cat-facts/kittens |
YOU JUST ADOPTED A KITTEN? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Vaccines
1. Rabies. This will be given around 16 weeks of year and then repeated every year to every 3 years pending on your cat's age, vaccine available at your veterinarian's office and your preference. If you have questions regarding what this vaccine covers, please let me know. 2. Feline Distemper (FVRCP). This vaccine covers the following: Feline Rhinotracheitis Virus - FVR- (upper respiratory virus), Calicivirus - C - (another upper respiratory virus) and Panleukopenia - P - (can cause gastrointestinal, immune system and neurologic problems). This vaccine will be given three times as a kitten (generally at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks) and then boostered every 1-3 years, same as the Rabies. Outdoor Kitten's need the following:1. Rabies - same as above2. Feline Distemper - same as above3. Feline Leukemia (FeLV). This vaccine will be given twice (generally at 12 weeks and 16 weeks) and then repeated yearly. I generally recommend this to all kittens, since you never really know if they will decide to go outside after all. If the cat stays indoors all year, then we can stop this vaccine at that point of time.I recommend running a FeLV/FIV test when your kitten is adopted and at 6 months of age. This test should be repeated yearly if your cat goes outside.
Heartworm and Flea/Tick prevention
I recommend keeping your cat on prevention year round for the remainder of his/her life for heartworm prevention, flea prevention and intestinal parasite prevention. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes, so even an indoor cat is at risk. You can also transfer critters on your clothings, shoes, etc. There is no treatment for heartworm disease in cats, so prevention is the key :) The preventative I recommend for our feline friends is Revolution. This is a topical once a month medication that covers heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, fleas and ear mites. It is a GREAT preventative for indoor and outdoor patients.
Nutrition
I recommend feeding a kitten specific diet until 8 months to 1 year of age. Please feed what is recommended on the back of the bag and adjust accordingly depending if your cat is gaining too much or loosing too much weight. See below for a visual on how to asses your kitten's body condition. Once your kitten is spayed/neutered, then the amount they need per day will decrease because their metabolism will also decrease. I generally recommend feeding 3/4-1/2 the amount recommended on the bag at that time (or at a year of age if already altered). Again this is very variable as all animals have different metabolisms. If you ever have trouble determining the amount to feed, please contact me or your veterinarian for help.
Spay/Neuter
I recommend spaying/neutering your kitten at 6-8 months of age. We will take a blood sample before proceeding with the procedure. This will screen your kitten to make sure he/she is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia and surgery. It will also provide us with a healthy "normal" to compare to if he/she were to ever fall ill. I also recommend inserting a microchip at this time to make sure that if your ever loose your kitten/cat, they can find a way home to you.
Training
I recommend starting training as soon as possible. Start playing with their ears, feet and placing fingers in their mouth to get them used to being handled. I recommend deterring them from scratching on your furniture. You can do this by either using a spray bottle or a loud noise when they are doing the unwanted behavior. Then bring them right over to a scratching toy and give them something delicious, or love as a reward for doing the behavior you like. We try to use declawing as last resort, as this is a very painful procedure and has been linked to aggressive and unwanted behavior.
Insurance
Insurance is always a great idea to start as young as possible. I have seen it save hundreds of lives. The health insurance I am most familiar with is Trupanion, but there are several other choices as well. Things to ask: How much is the deductible? Do they cover genetic predispositions? What percentage of the bill do they cover? Do they cover preventative care? Do they pre-approve charges? Definitely feel free to research them all and do not hesitate letting me know your questions! A helpful website I have found is:
http://www.pet-insurance-university.com/index.html
I hope this information helps you and never hesitate contacting me on here with your questions!
Best,
Dr. Alicia Rueschhoff
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