Your New Kitten
A new life is a big responsibility and there are a few important things that you need to be aware of that will ensure your kitten will grow up to be a healthy and content adult cat.
Vaccinations
Your new kitten will need to be vaccinated against a number of different diseases from an early age. These include Feline Herpesvirus, Calicivirus and Feline Panleukopenia virus. These diseases can be easily prevented with a safe and effective vaccination- the F3.
Your kitten needs a vaccination at 6-8 weeks, at 12 weeks and finally at 16 weeks of age to maximise the effectiveness of the vaccination. Vaccinations need to be repeated annually for life to ensure continued coverage against infection.
The vaccinations are also a great opportunity for TVH to get to know your new kitten and make sure they are 100% fit and healthy.
Worming
Kittens are especially susceptible to a number of different intestinal worms which can cause weight loss, intestinal bleeding and lethargy. These include roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm and whipworm.
Kittens need to be wormed more regularly than adult cats. We recommend fortnightly worming up until 12 weeks of age. After this, cats need intestinal worming every 3 months for life to prevent infection. It is a good idea to use an intestinal all-wormer such as Milbemax, which can be bought over the counter.
Parasite Protection
Fleas are often a problem in multi-pet households, especially when one or more of the animals have access to outdoors. Adult fleas are picked up from the environment and can quickly lay eggs on your pet’s coat, which can soon contaminate the rest of the house. Flea prevention can be as easy as a once-monthly topical spot-on, applied to the back of your pet’s neck.
Nutrition
Kittens have very particular nutritional requirements for the first 12 months of life. It’s important that their diet consists of at least 80% of high-quality premium kitten food. Try not to feed a wide variety of foods, as this can make your kitten fussy. It’s also important that your kitten is introduced to dry food from an early age, as cats, if they only consume wet food, they will often have dental problems later in life.
To summarise, we have provided a checklist for you below. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions at your appointment and remember to have fun and enjoy your new family member.
Your Kitten Health Checklist
8 Weeks
- F3 vaccination and health check
- Intestinal worming
10 Weeks
- Intestinal worming
12 Weeks
- F3 vaccination and health check
- Intestinal worming
- Microchipping and registration
16 Weeks
- Final F3 vaccination and health check
6 Months
- Desexing
- Intestinal worming
