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Kitten Care

Hervey Bay Veterinary Surgery

Vaccinations

These are given to prevent serious and often fatal diseases and viruses that cats can contract. Your kitten often does not have to be in direct contact with other cats to catch some of these diseases.

Your kitten will also receive a full physical examination at every vaccination to ensure they are healthy and developing normally.

What should your cat be vaccinated against?
*Feline Rhinotracheitis Virus
*Feline Calicivirus
*Feline Panleukopenia Virus
*Chlamydia Psittaci
*Feline immunodeficiency Virus
When should this be done?
1st vaccination at 6-8 weeks
2nd vaccination at 10-12wks
3rd vaccination at 14-16wks
FOLLOWED BY YEARLY BOOSTERS (F3/FIV COMBINED)

Worming

Intestinal worms can cause diarrhoea, weight loss, anaemia, poor growth and can be transmitted to people. Sometimes, intestinal worms can make a kitten so sick that it can be fatal for them. Many young kittens carry massive worm burdens.
How often should I worm my cat?
You should worm your kitten every fortnight until 12 weeks old, then monthly until 6 months old, then every 3 months for life.
Products we recommend:
*Drontal/Paragard - A good quality tablet (Paragard is flavoured) that treats Roundworm, Hookworm and Tapeworm

*Milbemax - Another good quality tablet that is smaller in size than most and is beef flavoured fof easier dosing.

*Profender - A spot on treatment on the back of the neck

*Advocate - A spot on treatment applied to the back of the neck that prevents fleas, heartwiorm and treats most intestinal worms (excluding tapeworm).

Fleas

Did you know that the average female flea lays 50 eggs per day? Did you also know that what flea numbers you can see on your kitten is about 5% of what is living in your environment? Flea burdens can get out of control very quickly.

Keeping up a consistent flea control programme year round will ensure that your kitten lives a comfortable, flea-free life.

Products we recommend:
*Comfortis - A tablet given monthly to prevent fleas. Works in as little as 30 minutes and 100% knockdown of fleas in 4 hours.

*Advocate - A spot on treatment applied to the back of the neck that prevents fleas, heartwiorm and treats most intestinal worms (excluding tapeworm).

Ticks

Paralysis tick season is usually during the warmer months, although due to our milder winters we have also seen ticks during winter!

The tick injects a toxin which causes paralysis starting in the hind limbs, progressing to affect the whole body. Affected cats also have breathing problems,and sometimes gagging or vomiting.

The major Paralysis tick areas in Hervey Bay are our outer areas such as Craignish, Dundowran, Toogoom, Burrum Heads, Booral, Sunshine Acres & Takura.

Tick search your pet daily and use a tick treatment as recommended.

Products we recommend:
*Frontline Spray - The only registered product for tick control in cats. Requires spraying your cat every 3 weeks.

Desexing

Desexing helps control problems such as roaming, urine spraying, unwanted pregnancies and mass euthanasia of unwanted kittens.

It also reduces the occurrence of cancer associated with the testicles and prostate in males and the ovaries and mammary glands in females.

You must now De-sex your cat by law under the Fraser Coast Regional Council. Please see our staff for more information or view the guidelines on the council website:
http://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/animal-registration

Males & females: 5-6 months of age

Microchipping

A microchip is a permanent identification device the size of a grain of rice implanted under the skin, allowing a quick and easy return if your kitten ever gets lost.

Pet microchipping is mandatory in Queensland.

Your kitten can be microchipped at any age but the earlier the better. Microchipping is quick and easy, causing very little discomfort.

It’s essential to inform the microchip registry if you move, or your contact number changes.

As well as microchipping, it’s a good idea to purchase an I.D tag for your kitten’s collar, engraved with their name and your contact number. This will also increase their chance of finding their way home if they should get lost!

Feeding

It is important to get qualified advice on feeding your kitten, to provide optimal growth and develop a healthy immune system.

Feeding a high quality, premium dry food ensures your kitten receives the right combination of ingredients, all while using a fixed formula to minimise diarrhoea and upset tummies.

A lot of “budget” foods have a variable formula that rely on fluctuating costs of animal protein & availability of grains at the time. Some also contain artificial colours and most have a higher fibre content (due to the increase in grains) that result in reduced digestibility and lower absorption of nutrients.

We stock Hills Science Diet for your convenience but we are more than happy to recommend other brands to purchase from the pet shop.

Please feed your new addition kitten food until 12 months of age.
Kitten milk and home cooked diets are not recommended.

Toilet Training

Toilet training should start as early as possible and kittens usually learn to use a litter tray very quickly.

Place the tray in a secluded, yet easily accessible place away from the kitten’s bed and feeding areas.

You should place your kitten in the tray every morning, night and after meals, until they get the hang of it.

If you are having trouble training your kitten, try a different type of litter, ensure the tray is in a quiet, secluded place and ensure you’re cleaning it regularly.

If you have a multiple cat household you should provide at least one more litter tray than you have cats (1 per cat + 1 rule).

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