Caring For Your Kitten
Welcoming a fluffy new family member into your home is an exciting and joyful experience. To help you and your kitten your new friend grows up healthy and happy, it's essential to provide the right care and attention. Here's your go-to guide for raising a purr-fectly content kitten.
VACCINATIONS
The best way to protect a young body from an infectious virus is to vaccinate against them.
We choose the F3 vaccine which is a core vaccine that protects against Feline Rhinotracheitis (Herpesvirus), Feline Panleukopenia (Feline Parvovirus) and Feline Calicivirus.
THREE vaccinations are recommended, the first at 6-8 weeks, then at 12 weeks and again at 16 weeks. Thereafter, vaccinations should be boosted every 12 months.
It takes 10-14 days after their third vaccination for the vaccination to be effective. Please avoid high risk communal areas (groomers / kennels) until after this period.
Learn more about St Ives Pet Doctors annual vaccination program here.
DESEXING
Please be socially responsible. If you are not intending on breeding from your cat, then please have them desexed between 4- 6 months of age.
FLEAS
During the warmer month’s fleas can be a real problem. There are a range of products on the market, some of the flea products that we recommend are:
BRAVECTO & SERESTO
Bravecto Plus provides flea, tick and heartworm prevention for 10 weeks and is a spot on, on the back of the neck.
Seresto Collars also protect your cat against fleas and ticks for 8 months.
Revolution Plus, Nexguard Spot-On and Advocate are also options to protect against parasites.
PARALYSIS TICKS
The paralysis tick is seen mostly from September to March, but can be seen all year round. If your pet shows any signs of weak/wobbly hind legs or breathing difficulty, call us immediately.
There are a couple of options on the market for tick prevention in cats. Bravecto Spot-On (mentioned above). Our vets also recommend a Seresto that prevents against fleas and ticks for 8 months.
To date there is no fool proof method of keeping ticks off your pet. A daily search through their coat should be incorporated into family life.
BRAVECTO CHEWS, NEXGARD CHEWS, and ADVANTIX are for DOGS ONLY. NEVER use these products on cats.
WILDLIFE
Please keep your cat in at night and fix bells to its collar. It is a responsibility of pet owners to help protect Australia’s native wildlife from your pets.
INTESTINAL WORMS
Tapeworm, Roundworm, Hookworm and Whipworm are the most common gastrointestinal tract parasites. Our Worming protocol is
From 2 weeks old to 12 weeks old: EVERY 2 WEEKS
From 12 weeks to 6 months: ONCE A MONTH
From 6 months onwards: EVERY 3 MONTHS
We recommend using an oral medication called Milpro or a topical preparation called Profender.
DIET
Royal Canin and Hill’s Science Diet are two high quality diets for pets which we recommend.
They are complete and balanced and of a very high quality that makes them easily digestible and highly palatable that means you are more likely to have formed stools, and your kitten will be happy to eat it.
We also have a loyalty program through Royal Canin, which means that we will GIVE YOU A BONUS BAG OF FOOD for every 10 that you buy. We also have an introductory offer for new pet owners for 50% off your first bag of Royal Canin puppy or kitten food.
PET HEALTH INSURANCE
Pet insurance takes away all the financial stress and concerns from owning and caring for a pet.
We know all too well how quickly and unexpectedly things can go wrong and how expensive it can be to put them right.
We recommend that you look into pet health insurance.
Ready to spoil your new kitten even more? Pet Doctors St Ives offers FREE kitten kits for all new cats that we welcome into our clinic! These kits include essentials like food samples, toys, and helpful guides to get you started on the right paw. Contact Pet Drs St Ives today and pick up your complimentary kitten kit. Your kitten will thank you with purrs and cuddles!