Kitten Info 

Vaccinations

Several diseases that cats get are almost always fatal. These include feline leukemia, feline infectious peritonitis and rabies. Other diseases can kill kittens or cause chronic recurring clinical signs in adult cats. Fortunately for your pet, vaccinations are available to prevent many cat diseases. Vaccines protect pets against common viruses and bacteria that cause disease. Because many kittens may not develop immunity against diseases for several weeks and may actually be incubating a disease themselves, new kittens should not be exposed to other cats until their vaccination schedule is complete. Below is a summary of the vaccination schedule we recommend.

• FVRCP/CHLAMYDIA is given every 3 weeks until the kitten is at least 15-16 weeks old, then repeated every 12 months after that.
• (FVR) FELINE VIRAL RHINOTRACHEITIS is an upper respitatory disease that is easily passed from one cat to another by droplets in the air from coughing or sneezing. Kittens can die from the disease, especially if they get pneumonia.
• (C) CALICIVIRUS is another upper respiratory disease. Cats with respiratory disease have watery or sticky discharge from the nose and eyes, nose and mouth sores, inflamed eyes and sometimes a fever.
• (P) PANLEUKOPENIA is sometimes called feline distemper. This is a common virus of cats that can affect many parts of a cat’s body, causing fever, appetite loss, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, weakness, tremors and incoordination. Death can occur within a week.
• CHLAMYDIA is yet another upper respiratory disease that primarily causes inflammation of the eyes and nose.
• FELINE LEUKEMIA is a virus that suppresses that cat’s immune system, leaving it unable to fight off other infections, such as pneumonia. Feline Leukemia can also cause cancer in a small proportion of cats. Two initial doses are given three weeks apart, followed by a yearly booster.
• FELINE INFECTIOUS PERITONITIS can cause a variety of clinical signs. Some cats develop a fluid build up in their abdomen while others develop a fever and begin to show a weight loss. The risk of getting this disease is relatively low but cats that do get this disease usually die. There is a vaccine for this disease but the efficacy is still beign debated. We usually only recommend vaccinating cats that are at a high risk (i.e. outdoor cats). Two doses are given three to four weeks apart, followed by a yearly booster dose. Please let us know if your cat will be spending time outdoors.
• RABIES is the only virus that can affect humans as well as cats and other species. It affects the nervous system and is usually fatal. It is especially important to vaccinate cats against rabies, because most rabies in domestic (non-wild) animals occurs in cats. The first booster, by law, must be given by the age of 12 weeks and is required once yearly for life.
• BORDETELLA is a bacterium that causes an upper respiratory infection in both cats and dogs. A recent study showed 85% of cats tested had been exposed to bordetella. If your cats came from a shelter, wandered up to your house, will be allowed outside, taken to the groomer, boarded while you are on vacation or if you have a multi-cat household, there is a strong potenial for exposure to bordetella. Because we want all cats protected that come into our hospital, we vaccinate yearly for this disease.

Recommended Testing

• Feline Leukemia Test Feline Leukemia is a deadly disease caused by a virus that inhibits the immune system and results in a various types of cancer and other chronic and debilitating diseases in cats. It is transmitted from a mother cat to her kittens. We recommend tat all kittens be tested for this deadly and contagious disease because clinical signs may not be apparent for months and the disease is not treatable. If negative we recommend vaccinating your kitten to prevent this disease (See above).
• Fecal (worm check) We recommend checking your kitten’s stool for the presenceof internal parasites such as coccidiosis, hookworms, and roundworms. Because early infestations can be difficult to detect we always check two samples three weeks apart and then once yearly after that. Tapeworms do not usually produce eggs in the stool so they can be even harder to detect. Please call our office if you notice any type of worm in your kitten’s stool.

Heartworm and Flea Preventatives

Read: Cats and heartworm disease: A story you may not have heard

Heartworm disease is caused by a roundworm called Dirofilaria immitis. Heartworms are most commonly found in dogs, although they can infect a wide variety of mammals, including ferrets, sea lions, bears, foxes, wolves, coyotes, cats and even humans. Adult heartworms live in the heart and major arteries of the lungs where they interfere with the function of the heart and lungs.

• Heartworms can only be transmitted from one animal to another by mosquitoes.
• In cats, heartworms live for 1 to 2 years and it is uncommon for cats to have more than 2 or 3 adult heatworms. Small numbers of heartworms, however, may cause serious disease in cats.
• Vomiting or respiratory signs (coughing and difficult breathing) are commonly seen in chronic cases of heartworm disease cats. Cats may have severe, acute disease with signs of respiratory collapse and, in some cases, sudden death. In acute cases, death may be so rapid that there is insuffcient time to make a diagnosis or offer treatment. Cats that die from heartworm disease can appear clinically normal 1 hour before death.
• Because heartworms are seen in this area we strongly recommend that you place your cat on heartworm preventative. We also recommend having your cat tested for heartworms through a blood test at least once every three years if your cat is on heartworm preventative or once yearly if your cat is not taking heartworm preventative.
• There are several forms of heartworm and/or flea prevention available. We recommend Revolution due the wide spectrum of parasites that it prevents and treats. Revolution is also very easy to use. It is applied as a spot-on once a month.
• Cats that remain indoors should be at a lower risk of becoming infected than cats that go outdoors because of the reduced exposure to mosquitoes. Despite this, heartworm infections have been reported in strictly indoor cats and in some areas the incidence in indoor cats is actually higher than outdoor cats. Infected mosquitoes that entered the house cause these infections.
• Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment available for cats with heartworm disease. This is why prevention is so important.

Training Behavior

A young kitten is adaptable, affectionate, and fits into most families without difficulty. Call it by name when you feed it, and in a day or so it will come to you when called. Young kittens take frequent naps. If your kitten goes to sleep in another spot, pick it up gently and place it in its bed. Most kittens learn quickly, and soon prefer sleeping in their own bed.

Physical punishment such as spanking, hitting, shaking, or kicking is not appropiate discipline for a cat. Most cats can be trained by using loud noises such as clapping of the hands or shaking a can containing marbles. A water squirt bottle may also be used especially to discourage the cat from getting on counters or tables.

Your kitten probably has been trained to use the litter box by the mother cat. Training to eliminate outdoors is not recommended because of increased exposure of the kitten to parasites and disease. Also, outdoor cats will often eliminate in a child’s sandbox or play area, increasing the possibility of exposing children to parasites or disease.

Inappropriate elimination, not using the litter box, is the most common behavior problem with cats. Many times it is the family’s lack of understanding of the cat’s personality and needs that cause this problem. First, have a complete physical for the cat explaining your problem with the veterinarian. The veterinarian will determine if the problem may be medical such as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, inflammatory bowel disease, parasites causing diarrhea, or other conditions.

Second, adult cats may mark their territory by “spraying.” This occurs most often with non-neutered male cats; however, neutered male or female cats may mark territory under stressful conditions such as the presence of a new cat or move to a new home.

Finally, changing the location of the litter box, changing the type of litter, washing the litter box with disfectants or performed cleaners, not having the box cleaned often enough, or use of the box by another cat may all cause inappropriate elimination. Do not ignore this problem because if the cat urinates or defecates outside the litter box over a period of time, it may actually develop a preference for the new locaiton.

Remember, there should be one litter box per cat in your household and each litter box should be cleaned daily otherwise your cat may not use it.

HomeAgain Identification

Identifying your pet can be a matter of life and death. It’s a grim fact of life. Any pet can escape and become lost. Unfortunately, some are even stolen. Sadly, millions of lost and stolen pets never return home ending up being put to sleep if they aren’t identified or adopted.

HomeAgain is an advanced per-recover system that could save your dogs and cats from being lost forever. A tiny, easily injected microchip identifies your pets for life, plus a nationwide recovery program speeds your lost pet’s return. Already HomeAgain has reunited hundreds of owners and pets! Currently, the number of dogs and cats chipped and enrolled in the nationwide database is more than 50,000 and growing Enrollment in the database is available to all dogs and cats, regardless of breed.

Permanent identification comes from a tiny microchip that’s quickly and safely injected into your pet by a veterinarian. The microchip has a unique identification code that can be read with a hand-held scanner (like scanners used in grocery stores). A rapidly growing network of more than 12,000 HomeAgain scanners had been placed with animal shelters and veterinarians nationwide. When your pet is found and brought to a shelter or veterinarian’s office:

• A scanner reads the HomeAgain ID code.
• The ID code is called in to the national database, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through an 800 number.
• You are contacted immediately and every possible step is taken to reunite you and your pet.

Please remember to always transport your cat in a carrier when visiting our office or transporting your cat anytime outside. Even the most docile cat can become frightened in an unfamiliar environment.

Diet

Most kittens do best if they have food available at all times. This free choice method works with dry food. It is important to remember that kittens have different nutritional needs than adult cats. Therefore, we recommend feeding a kitten formula for the first year of your cat’s life.

What you chose to feed your cat can affect how badly the litter box smells and how often your cat uses the litter box. Feeding a highly digestible diet not only lessens the trips to the litter box but also cuts down on the bad odors. The quality of the diet can also affect your cat’s coat and teeth. Diets high in fats and oils can cause their coats to be oily and retain dirt. High fat diets also cause tartar build up on their teeth creating bad breath and cavities. On the other hand feeding a high quality diet not only keeps your cat cleaner but also healthier. There are several good diets out on the market. We recommend Science Diet pet food simply because we trust the company and the quality of their diets. We als feed Science Diet here at our hospital. Again, the one benefit owners enjoy the most by feeding a high quality diet is the reduction in odors coming from the litter box.