KITTEN FACTSHEET
VACCINATIONS
Vaccinations can begin when the kitten reaches 9 weeks of age. A course of two vaccinations must be given 3 to 4 weeks apart to build up the correct amount of immunity required.
A booster vaccination must then be administered each year. The standard vaccinations are for cat flu and enteritis and leukaemia virus. The Leukaemia virus vaccine is important as Feline Leukaemia is the second most common cause of death in young cats.
WORMING
Parasitic worms infect most cats and dogs at some times in their lives. They can damage your pets’ health and yourself.
Kittens can be wormed from as early as 6 weeks of age and should be dosed every month until 6 months old.
Once the cat reaches 6 months it is only a requirement to worm your pet every 3 months.
Only prescription products such as MILBEMAX and DRONTAL are effective.
Worming tablets from Pet Shops are not as effective.
FLEAS
Preventative flea treatments should be applied to your cat throughout the year but especially in the summer when the warm weather allows fleas to breed very rapidly! The only effective treatments are prescription treatments from the Vet such as FRONTLINE.
Environmental preparations may also be considered, as fleas jump onto the animal to feed but live in the environment such as on carpets and bedding.
INSURANCE
It is advisable that all new pets are insured. There are many long term problems, illnesses or injuries that cats can pick up at some point in their lifetime. For example skin disease, allergies, fractured limbs etc.
Veterinary treatment can be costly, especially if specialist referral treatment is required
MICROCHIPS
Microchipping is a highly effective method of permanent identification. A tiny chip, slightly bigger than a grain of rice, is inserted under the skin at the back of the neck. The microchip has a unique fifteen digit code which is registered to the pet and the owner’s details.
Microchips can be implanted into a wide variety of breeds although mainly used on cats and dogs. This costs only £19.00.
NEUTERING
It is advisable to get all cats neutered at 6 months of age. Male cats roam and tend to get into fights with other un-neutered males. Neutering prevents this.
Female cats that are not neutered and are allowed to go outside will inevitably go looking for males when they are in season and will get pregnant.