Kittens

We vaccinate kittens from 9 weeks of age. Two injections 3 to 4 weeks apart are needed to ensure adequate protection. This protection will last 12 months. Your kitten will be protected 2 weeks after the second vaccination and can then start going outside.

You can protect your kitten against the following diseases:

Flu (Herpes and Calici virus): Can cause sneezing, a runny nose and eyes, but mouth ulcers may also occur. Once infected a cat may carry the virus for a long time, and may not have any symptoms but may have mouth ulcers, a snotty nose or  other symptoms.

Feline Panleucopenia: Causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea which can be fatal.  The virus is spread in droppings and can survive for long periods in the environment.

Feline Leukaemia: This virus can cause disease which is untreatable and almost always fatal. The virus is spread by direct contact with other cats.

Chlamydophilia: Causes conjunctivitis, eye ulcers and discharge from the eyes.

Worming
Roundworms can be passed from a mother to her kittens whilst they are in the womb or via the milk. The eggs can survive for years in the environment. It is likely that young cats will have roundworms and so treatment should be started at 2 weeks of age and repeated every 3 weeks until 12 weeks old.
 
For kittens less than 12 weeks old we recommend a paste, granules or a liquid wormer daily for 3 consecutive days.
 
Tapeworms can be picked up by your kitten mainly through swallowing fleas but also through eating rabbits or rodents, so from 12 weeks of age we recommend tablets which treat tapeworms, roundworms, whipworms and hookworms. These should be given monthly until 6 months of age. From this age onwards worming every 3 to 6 months is strongly advised. (This might still not be sufficient for some cats, who might need worming every 6 weeks).
 
If you have difficulties giving tablets to your cat, we sell spot-on wormers or our nurses can administer them.

Fleas
Every cat is likely to be infected at some stage in its life by fleas, but with the appropriate products you will be able to get rid of them.

Products which kill adult fleas: Spot-on products, easily applied onto the skin. These need to be applied on a monthly basis. All the products we supply will kill fleas within 24 hours, are safe and effective.

Products which stop fleas breeding: An injection every 6 months, to be administered by your vet or veterinary nurse or a monthly suspension which may be added to the food.

Products which treat the environment: Sprays for the house which kill some or all stages of flea development and will give protection for varying lengths of time.

Microchip
We strongly advise you have your kitten microchipped. The microchip is inserted by a vet or a nurse between the shoulders. This can be done at the second vaccination or any time after that.

Feeding
Kittens should be fed on proprietary kitten food. Our range of Royal Canin food caters for every life stage. Our team of nurses are available to advise you. Please ask about our loyalty scheme.

Neutering
We recommend neutering your kitten at about 4 months of age.

Insurance
We strongly recommend insurance. We offer 4 weeks free insurance with the first vaccination. If you were not offered this, please do not hesitate to ask at the second vaccination. We can only give specific advice on Pet Plan.

Enjoy your kitten and don’t hesitate to contact the surgery on 01579 342120 if you have any questions or concerns.