| Kitten Care |
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Introduction  The addition of a young kitten into your life is a time of great happiness and excitement for the whole family. With this comes a large responsibility to provide the best care for your new kitten, a responsibility which may last 10-18 years! Cats and kittens make excellent pets. They are generally very affectionate and easy to care for and provide hours of entertainment as they play around the house. The simplest of items such as an empty box or screwed up piece of paper can provide them with hours of enjoyment! New pet owners are often overloaded with advice from many different sources, much of which is often conflicting and confusing. To help you and your new kitten to get off on the right foot, we have discussed the main areas of healthcare for your kitten in the following pages. Vaccinations All kittens require a course of kitten vaccinations to provide protection against Feline Upper Respiratory Disease (cat flu) and Feline enteritis. Feline Upper Respiratory Disease is caused by a feline herpes virus +/- calicivirus +/- rhinovirus. Signs of infection include sneezing, runny eyes, nasal discharge, coughing and mouth ulcers. Severely affected cats can suffer dehydration and pneumonia. Feline enteritis is also caused by a virus and results in severe, often fatal gastroenteritis. Kittens suffer vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and often death. Kittens that are unvaccinated are at risk of developing severe disease and possibly death. Our vaccination protocol for kittens is as follows:
An annual booster vaccination is needed to maintain immunity. This visit always includes a full physical checkup by a Veterinarian.
What are the risks of vaccination? The risks are extremely low. Uncommonly an allergic reaction to the vaccination may cause swelling of the face, depression and pain at the injection site. Report these signs to us immediately as an antihistamine injection can be given to stop the allergic reaction. Very rarely there may be some vomiting and diarrhoea post vaccination.  In a small number of cases, a reaction at the site of the injection may occur as a firm swelling underneath the skin. This usually disappears after a month. Some animals may also become quiet and less interested in food for about 24 hours after the vaccine but this is only temporary. The very small risks associated with vaccinations are far outweighed by the risk of disease which they effectively prevent. Feline AIDS Feline AIDS virus is reasonably common in the cat community with an estimated incidence of 26% of Victorian cats being infected. Although it is in the same family as the human HIV virus, it is a different virus and transmission to humans has never been recorded.
The virus is transmitted thought the saliva of infected cats so fighting is the most common mode of transmission. Therefore any cat that goes outside should be vaccinated against the virus. Signs of the disease commonly include those associated with immunosuppression including increased infections such as cat bite abscesses, dental disease, mouth infections, weight loss and poor coats. Eventually some cats can die from overwhelming infections. A new vaccine is now available to protect against this disease. The vaccinations can be given to the kitten with the standard F3 vaccinations. Cats over 6 months of age need a blood test first to see if they are infected. All cats must also be microchipped before having the vaccination. Heartworm disease Heartworm is a serious and potentially fatal disease that can affect both dogs and cats. It is caused by a worm that lives in the heart and the major blood vessels in the lung leading to serious heart and lung disease.
Heartworm is transmitted from one animal to another via mosquito. The mosquito bites an infected animal and takes some of its blood which is then transmitted to the next animal that it bites, passing on the immature form of the parasite. The immature form of the parasite eventually migrates from the skin and develops into an adult heartworm which is found in the heart and lungs of the infected animal. The mosquito mode of transmission means that all dogs and cats are at risk, even if they don’t mix with other animals. Heartworm disease is more common in the dog. Disease does occur in the cat but the incidence is far lower. The GOOD NEWS is that the disease is completely and easily preventable. Kittens are started on prevention from 8 weeks of age and MUST be kept on prevention for life. Revolution is a liquid that is applied to the skin at the back of the neck every month. It also provides protection against fleas and both roundworm and hookworm in cats. Its ease of use makes it very popular amongst cat owners who have trouble orally worming their cats!!  Intestinal worms
The three types of intestinal worms that infect kittens and adult cats are roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm.  This is a diagram of the commonly occurring roundworm
Roundworm infection is very common and kittens are infected from a very young age from their mother. Infection may cause vomiting, diarrhoea, bloated abdomen and ill thrift. For this reason, all kittens need to be wormed every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age, then every 3 months for life. An allwormer such as Popantel, Drontal or Felix plus paste can be used. Revolution is a topical product that treats both roundworm and hookworm as well as heartworm and fleas. The topical mode of application makes it easy to use for all kittens and cats. Can these worms be passed to humans? Ingestion of roundworm eggs by humans, particularly children, may result in migration of a worm larvae through the body, which may cause potential damage. Due to this potential hazard, as well as infection of the cat, regular worming of all kittens and cats with an allwormer is essential. In addition, children should be taught to always wash hands prior to eating. Care in cleaning litter trays is also important to ensure people are not infected. Fleas Fleas continue to be a very common problem in all dogs and cats. Flea bites can be a serious problem for both the animal and human members of the household. Many pets become allergic to the flea bite, leading to flea allergy dermatitis which can have long term, serious consequences for the pet. Signs of the disease include dermatitis, self trauma, hair loss, excessive licking and chewing and depression in severe cases. As part of the flea’s life cycle, they must bite a pet and ingest some of its blood so that they can lay their eggs. When the flea bites, it injects some of its saliva which is what the animal  becomes allergic to. Pets that have flea allergy dermatitis only need to be bitten by one flea to start the whole cycle of dermatitis off again. The adult flea only makes up 5 % of the total flea population. The rest of the population is made up of eggs and larvae in the animal’s environment, which are not visible to the naked eye. Therefore if we see only a small number of adult fleas, we know there is likely to be a large infestation already present in the home. Fleas require a warm environment to complete their life cycle which explains why they are more of a problem in the warmer months. However heating our homes during winter ensures year round infestation of our pets and our homes. For this reason, we strongly advise using effective flea control all year round. It is much easier to prevent fleas than get rid of them once you have an infestation. So what can I do to control fleas on my pet and in my home? There are several very effective easy to use products available to eliminate fleas on your pet. Most of these products are safe to be started at 8 weeks of age. Frontline Plus and Advantage are applied to the skin between the shoulder blades once a month.  Revolution is a liquid that is applied to the skin between the shoulder blades every month.
It also protects against heartworm and intestinal worms and is easy to use on all cats. Desexing If you are not intending to breed from your new kitten, we advise desexing at 5-6 months of age. This has advantages for both male and female cats. Desexing a male cat removes the sexual urge which means they are less territorial and less likely to be involved in cat fights. As well as reducing the incidence of cat fight wounds and abscesses, they are also less likely to become infected with Feline AIDS which is transmitted through fighting.  A desexed female cat will not come into heat or season and will not be able to become pregnant. This prevents unwanted pregnancies and kittens. Desexing is a surgical procedure that requires a general anaesthetic. The pet is admitted to the hospital for the day, and these procedures are able to be booked on any day Monday to Friday. Please phone if you would like an estimate of cost for desexing your kitten. Please feel free to discuss any questions you may have regarding the pros and cons of desexing with any of our experienced staff. Microchipping Microchipping is the best way to permanently identify your kitten should they go missing. Unfortunately, many pets that turn up at animal shelters and council pounds have lost their collars and ID tags, making it impossible to reunite them with their owners. Microchipping eliminates this problem. As of April 2007, all new pet registrations with local council will be required to be microchipped. Some councils are also electing to make it compulsory that pets must be microchipped for re-registrations.  Implanting a microchip is a very straight forward procedure. The tiny ID chip is placed between the shoulder blades beneath the skin. This can be performed in a routine consultation without the need for sedation. Alternatively it can be implanted while they are under anaesthesia for their desexing surgery. We then register you and your pets details with a nationally accredited and Victorian Government approved Registry called Central Animal Records (www.car.com.au) If your pet goes missing and ends up at a pound, shelter or vet clinic, a scanner is used to identify the animal and the owner is contacted to organise a reunion. Feeding Your Kitten Kittens need to be fed a complete and balanced diet that is appropriate for growth  and development. “Growth” or “Kitten formulas” have been developed to ensure the correct levels of protein, fats and carbohydrates for optimal growth and muscle development as well as the correct ratios of calcium and phosphorus for bone development. We strongly advise feeding a premium kitten food such as Eukanuba or Iams, which is made from the highest quality protein and energy sources, to promote optimal health of all body systems.  Feeding Tips Always change a kitten’s diet slowly over 5-7 days as sudden changes of diet can lead to gastrointestinal upsets. Some kittens are lactose intolerant so avoid giving kittens cows milk. In fact, they have no need for milk as their calcium requirements are fully provided by feeding “kitten or growth” diets. Guidelines for the amount to feed are provided on the packaging of commercial food. Ask us for advice if you are still unsure as to the amount to feed. Use the following recommendations as a guide for feeding your kitten:
Feeding should always be monitored and adjusted according to body weight and condition. Just as we do not want your kitten to be underweight, we also have to be careful they do not become excessively overweight as this can lead to problems with skeletal development as they get older. Grooming and Bathing  In general, kittens and cats are good at looking after themselves, regularly grooming their own coats. Long haired cats require regular grooming to prevent knots and matts developing. They are also prone to developing hair balls from ingested hair. It is a good idea to get them used to grooming when they are kittens. Give them rewards and attention to make the grooming a positive experience. Be careful to buy a brush that is gentle on your cat’s skin. Toilet training your kitten Fortunately cats are very clean animals. In most cases, all you have to do is provide them with a litter tray and most kittens will naturally use it. Make sure the litter tray is cleaned at least once daily as cats may refuse to use it if it is soiled. In some cases, it may be a good idea to actually have two litter trays. Keep the tray in a private area so that your kitten is not distracted while using it. Most cats are happy to use the litter that is made out of recycled paper but there are several types available. Council Registration All dogs and cats over three months of age need to be registered with your local council. All new registrations after April 2007 must also be microchipped in order to be registered. Please ask if you would like further advice. |