Recently get a new kitten?
Congrats!
You are about to embark on a very exciting journey. Regular veterinary care will be an important part of your new cat’s life. We have put together some information and tips on how to keep your new kitten healthy and make future vet visits a success!
Diet
By the time you adopt your kitten, they should be eating solid food. Feeding a high quality kitten kibble is important to ensure proper development.
What type of food? – A kitten kibble formula that contains: AFCO feed test statement, Ingredient list, Guaranteed analysis, NOT grain free.
How long do I feed it? – We want cats to stay on kitten food until full skeletal maturity is reached, which is typically by 1 year old.
What about supplements? – Avoid the use of supplements in kittens! We want their diet to be balanced (achieved through kitten food) – providing more vitamins/minerals than they need can cause growth abnormalities.
Training for vet visits
Here are some things you can do to help prepare for vet visits to help make them a pleasant experience and less stressful for you cat
Handle your kitten frequently – practice touching paws, legs, tail, ears, mouth, and pressing on your kitten’s belly. Be gentle and offer lots of treats! It will make vet visits more pleasant for you, your cat, and the vet!
Practice being restrained on their side – we need to lay cats on their side for many procedures, it is helpful when they are already comfortable with this.
Kennel training – having your kitten in a kennel is the safest way to transport them in the vehicle, and into the clinic. Start familiarizing your cat with the kennel (play, treats, and meals in/around kennel) long before you plan to transport them. Once they are comfortable, try going for some short practice car rides.
Vaccines
Kittens should be vaccinated for their own health, as well as for public health and safety. Typical vaccination protocol is as follows:
Feline viral rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia (RCP) – 8, 12, 16 weeks, then every 3 years.
Rabies – 16 weeks, 1 year, then every 3 years.
Deworming
This is very important to do regularly in kittens, as they are often loaded with round worms:
If the concern for internal parasites is low, or there are no young, old, or immunocompromised individuals in your home, your vet may deworm at each vaccine visit, and then 1-2 times annually.
If there is more risk, kittens can be dewormed every 2 weeks.
