Vaccines

 

The core vaccines for indoor kittens are Rabies and Feline Distemper (FVRCP). 

The FVRCP will be boosted a total of 3 times (3-4 weeks) apart, starting at ~8 weeks of age. This vaccine covers: 1. Feline rhinotracheitis virus (FVR), which is an upper respiratory disease. 2. Calicivirus (C), which is another respiratory virus and 3. Panleukopenia (P), which can cause gastrointestinal, immune system and neurologic problems. This vaccine will be repeated 1 year after the last booster and then every 3 years for the remainder of your cat's life. 

 

Rabies will be givenonce as a kitten at about 16 weeks of age, 1 year later and then every 1-3 years for the remainder of your cat's life. This vaccine protects against Rabies.

 

If your cat is going to be outdoors or has the chance of being an outdoor cat, then we recommend starting the Feline Leukemia vaccine as well. This vaccine will consist of 2 boosters, starting at ~12 weeks of age, 3-4 weeks apart as a kitten and then repeated yearly. If your cat decides that indoors is where they want to stay, then this vaccine can be stopped when they are a year old. 

 

FeLV/FIV testing

 

We recommend checking your kitten’s FeLV/FIV status at their first exam and then ~ 6 months later. Information on these diseases can be found in the links below:

FeLV (Feline Leukemia) https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951934

FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951815

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Heartworm and Flea/Tick prevention

We recommend keeping your cat on prevention year-round for the remainder of his/her life for heartworm prevention. Heartworm is transferred by mosquitoes, so even an indoor cat is at risk (even though less than if they were outdoors). You can also transfer critters on your clothing, shoes, etc. There is no treatment for heartworm disease in cats, so prevention is the key :) The preventative we recommend for our feline friends is Revolution Plus monthly or Bravecto Plus every other month. These are topical medications that cover heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, fleas and ear mites. It is a GREAT preventative for indoor patients. 

We recommend testing your cat yearly for heartworm disease, just as our canine companions. Heartworm disease in cats can cause chronic issues when not treated appropriately. We have been catching at least 2-3 positive cats annually since recommending this test. Information about heartworm disease in cats can be found in the link below:

https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951471

 

Intestinal parasites

We recommend screening your kitten for intestinal parasites at their first appointment and then every year after. This is to verify they have no intestinal parasites that can be transferred to the humans living with them. We are screening for the antigens and eggs present in a cat’s stool that cannot be seen by the naked eye. The most common time finding positive stool samples are during annual screening (they are often asymptomatic until the worm burden becomes larger).

 

Nutrition

We recommend feeding a kitten specific diet until 8 months to 1 year of age. Please feed what is recommended on the back of the bag and adjust accordingly dependingon your cat’s weight change.. Click here: https://www.aspcapro.org/sites/default/files/nestle_body_condition_scale.pdf for a visual and instruction on how to grade your kitten's weight.  Once your kitten is spayed/neutered, then the amount they need per day will decrease because their metabolism will also decrease. We generally recommend feeding 3/4-1/2 the amount recommended on the bag at that time (or at a year of age if already altered). Again, this is very variable as all animals have different metabolisms. If you ever have trouble determining the amount to feed, please contact us and we will be more than happy to help. 

 

The brands of food we recommend are Royal Canin, Purina Pro-Plan, Hills Science Diet, Iams or Eukanuba. We also recommend considering a wet variety as a daily part of the diet as this has shown to decrease obesity, kidney disease, and diabetes in the life of the cat. 

 

With all the new brands of foods out there, it is hard to keep track of which are doing their due diligence to make sure the diet is healthy. We want you to feed what you are comfortable with, but also want to make sure it is well balanced for your kiddo. If you are thinking of feeding a different diet than mentioned above, here is a great handout with helpful questions you should ask the manufacturer to make sure it is balanced and healthy: https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Selecting-a-pet-food-for-your-pet-updated-2021_WSAVA-Global-Nutrition-Toolkit.pdf

 

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Spay/Neuter 

We recommend spaying/neutering your kitten at 6-8 months of age.  We will take a blood sample before proceeding with the procedure. This will screen your kitten to make sure he/she is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia and surgery. It will also provide us with a healthy "normal" to compare to if he/she were to ever fall ill. We also recommend inserting a microchip at this time to make sure that if your ever lose your kitten/cat, they can find a way home to you. Information on spaying and neutering can be found at the links below:

 

Spay: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951480

Neuter: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951443

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Training

We recommend starting training as soon as possible. Start playing with their ears, feet and placing fingers in their mouth to get them used to being handled. We recommend deterring them from scratching on your furniture. You can do this by either using a spray bottle or a loud noise when they are doing the unwanted behavior. Then bring them right over to a scratching toy and give them something delicious, or love as a reward for doing the behavior you like. There is also a newer product called feliscratch that can help. 

 

Insurance

Insurance is always a great idea to start as young as possible. We have seen it save hundreds of lives. The health insurance we are most familiar with is Trupanion, but there are several other choices as well. Things to ask: How much is the deductible? Do they cover genetic predispositions? What percentage of the bill do they cover? Do they cover preventative care? Do they pre-approve. There are several health insurance companies out there, so definitely feel free to research them and don't hesitate contacting us with your questions regarding them!! 

 

Here is a link that helps break down the different insurance companies for you and goes over how to choose:

http://www.pet-insurance-university.com/index.html 

 

Other

 

List of dental products proven to help with dental care in your cat:

http://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Cats.pdf

 

List of household items that can be harmful to your kiddo:

https://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/101-things-you-didnt-know-could-harm-your-pet/

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We hope this information helps you. NEVER hesitate to call or e-mail us with any questions/concerns you may have!