Kittens

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Veterinary Care for My Kitten
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Kittens - Veterinary Care

Comprehensive physical examination, deworming and vaccines

Nothing is more important for the well-being of your kitten that the comprehensive wellness examination by a veterinarian. The veterinarian has the opportunity to thoroughly examine your kitten from its nose to its tail! Your veterinarian is an excellent resource for information about the health risks your kitten may face. They can share with you information on many topics critical to keeping your kitten active and healthy for as long as possible, including nutrition, dental care, parasite control, developmental problems, allergies, and chronic disease problems, such as arthritis, that your pet may face with age.

At Meadow Hills Veterinary Center, we strongly believe that optimum health for your pet can only be achieved when the pet's owner/guardian and veterinarian work in concert to serve the pet's best interests.

Vaccination schedules

Vacinations for kittens might seem straightforward, but they vary in our patients depending on a number of risk factors. One vaccination schedule does not apply to all kittens. We work hard to recommend only the vaccinations your pet really needs and will discuss those they do NOT need. Some of the individual factors considered are:

• Early weaning or a mother that is not fully vaccinated may necessitate earlier vaccinations.
• Kittens raised by a mother who spends time outdoors or kittens raised in a cattery or orphan kittens may have been exposed to viral diseases such as Feline Leukemia and Feline Infectious Peritonitis.
• Kittens first vaccinated at 8 weeks will have a different schedule for boosters than those first vaccinated at 3 or 4 months.

Vaccination schedules are based on our knowledge of immunology, virology, infectious diseases, environmental factors and breed differences. Our best advice is that you set up an appointment for your kitten or kitten as soon as possible after he is adopted. We will develop a schedule customized for your pet. Immunizing your kitten on schedule is an important part of preventative health care.

For information about more diseases that affect cats, visit our online library, the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and www.cfalink.org.

Parasite control

It is very important to give a monthly dewormer to your kitten and on throughout its lifetime. It is also important to submit a stool sample at least annually to check for parasites. This is why:

• Cats clean themselves differently than we do, meaning there is a greater risk of intestinal parasites entering the gastrointestinal tract through the mouth.
• Our cats live within our homes, and often sleep in our bedrooms or even our beds, putting us at risk for exposure to parasites.
• Most intestinal parasites are microscopic and you cannot see them. Only the common roundworms are visible in stool samples at times.

The CDC (human Center for Disease Control) and CAPC (Companion Animal Parasite Council) both provide information on the consequences in humans when they are infected with cat parasites. Most adults have an immune system which will protect them. However, younger children, elderly people, and individuals with chronic diseases or who are on medications that weaken their immune system (even prednisone) are at significant risk.

Read more information for CAPC, and from the CDC.