Regular health check ups are the foundation of a preventative health program for your cat in the years ahead. We aim to see most patients at least twice a year. Regular check-ups allow us to catch potential problems early and inform you of the newest and best options in pet medicine relevant to your individual situation. In the later years these increase in frequency as age related problems become more likely. Every year that passes for us is 7 years for your feline friend, so let’s make sure each one is healthy!!

Vaccinations are very important and protect your kitten against infectious and potentially fatal diseases including: Feline enteritis, Cat ‘Flu', FIV and Feline Leukaemia. The vaccines given will depend on the lifestyle of your kitten. Kittens are vaccinated several times early on, to give them full immunity and then once every 12 months to maintain this immunity throughout life.

We will create a parasite control program for your pet, depending on his/her lifestyle. We stock and recommend a top range of products, and will decide on the most appropriate treatment that will suit your pet. The following information provides general guidelines on parasite control.

Worms

Kittens are commonly born with worms which have been transmitted from their mothers. It is a good idea to worm your cat regularly when she is pregnant. It is also important to clean up your cats faeces regularly and maintain general hygiene. They should also receive regular doses of intestinal worming treatment, especially while they are young.

Kittens should be wormed:

Every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age, then

Every month until 6 months of age, then

Every 3 months for life.

Worming preparations are calculated on bodyweight so feel free to use our scales to keep track of your kitten's weight.

Fleas
Somehow, fleas always seem to find our cats and they are a major source of skin problems. They come from any environment where dogs and cats have previously been. Flea eggs are deposited and hatch over a period of time and jump onto the next passing dog or cat. Fortunately, there are now some excellent flea control products available which are safe and effective and easy to use.

Kittens in their growth phase require a special diet which differs from that of adult cats. It is very important for their growing bones. Your kitten will need growth style diets for 12 months. Kittens should have smaller meals more often. Use the following as a rough guide:

6-12 weeks of age - 3-4 meals daily.
3-6 months of age - 2-3 meals daily.
6 months of age and adult - 2 meals daily.

For your kitten's diet we recommend using a good quality prepared kitten food that is complete, balanced and made out of high quality ingredients. This can be supplemented with small amounts of fresh food (no cooked or small bones or table scraps, please) and a ready supply of fresh water.

Unless you are seriously planning to breed from your pet, desexing is recommended as it makes for a more agreeable pet. It reduces the likelihood of many undesirable behaviours, some serious diseases and obviously unwanted kittens. The desexing procedure is a day surgery involving a general anaesthetic and surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries or testicles, as appropriate. We recommend that this is done at 5-6 months of age.

Kitten hood is a critical time for socialisation, particularly between 10 to 20 weeks. While you need to be aware of potential health issues (vaccinations etc.) and do this in a controlled way to minimise risk, your kitten needs to experience lots of new situations, especially people and other animals during this time.

Training such as toileting, learning to sit and come can start as soon as you adopt your kitten. They are incredibly responsive and wilful as youngsters.
Brief, fun lessons (5-10 minutes) tend to be more rewarding and keep a young kitten's attention. Doing this at least twice a day is a good habit to form, for you and your kitten for the rest of their life.

Make sure you provide plenty of praise. Positive reinforcement for good behaviour achieves much better results than old fashioned punishment.

A litter tray should be provided for your kitten and it should be changed daily. The tray should be somewhere private and quiet. As cats are meticulously clean, your cat may refuse to use the tray if it is dirty. If you have more than one cat, providing at least one tray each is advisable. Any accidents should be cleaned up with an enzymatic cleaner and then traces of smell eliminated using an appropriate spray.

At home, your kitten needs somewhere comfortable to sleep. Providing them access to drinking water 24 hours a day is also essential. To keep your kitten's inquisitive little mind active, supply a good range of toys such as cat treats, toy mice, balls, scratching poles, etc. You can rotate these over a period of a week so they enjoy the novelty of a new toy.

There are a number of good pet health insurance policies available. It is certainly a good idea to insure your kitten as we can't predict what sort of mischief he/she may get up to in the future.

If your kitten appears listless, lethargic, off their food, or if you have any concerns about your kitten's well being, please do not hesitate to call us.

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