Exam, Care, and
Vaccine Recommendations for Kittens
What, When, and Why
2 Weeks of Age: No vaccines needed, but momma and the kittens should be dewormed at about this age. Parasites take advantage of a pregnant cat's turned off immune system to multiply like crazy and are able to infest the kittens through the milk. It's only $3 a kitten to bring them in for a little mini exam and deworming
6 weeks old
By 6 weeks old, most kittens are eating solid food and getting little or no milk from nursing. And this means no protection from the antibodies in mom's milk. The period from 6 weeks old until approximately 12 weeks old when a kitten's immune system develops is an extremely vulnerable time in a kitten's life. Without vaccinations and repeated dewormings, about 1 in 10 kittens will die from dysentery, respiratory disease, leukemia, and anemia. So please, don't dink around; it's critical that kittenss be vaccinated very soon after weaning.
Here's what I recommend:
A good pediatric examination for defects like cleft palette, eye problems, hernias, anal-gentital-urinary tract problems, and heart murmers. We'll also look for evidence of vitamin/mineral deficiencies, anemia, and a host of other problems such as ringworm, ear mites, paw infections and so forth.
A discussion about nutrition and the best kitten foods. We'll talk about offering your kitten a variety of different types of food. We'll consider vitamin and mineral supplementation if needed.
Deworming with high dose pyrantel
Treatment, if needed, for coccidia, ringworm, and ear mites
A Capstar flea pill if needed
Vaccination for Feline Herpes virus, Chlamydia, Panleukopenia, and Feline Distemper
All these vaccines are combined in a single injection
Note: Because a kitten's immune system is poorly developed at this age, this early vaccine will give fairly good protection from these deadly diseases for only about 3-5 weeks, which is why we highly recommend giving booster vaccines a month later at 10 weeks old
At this 6 week old visit, we'll also discuss waterless shampoos, and anti-allergy sprays for cats, and other hygiene topics. I'll introduce you to the Eliminodor that takes the smell out of litter boxes, and I'll load you up with things like Revolution samples (for heartworms, ear mites, lice, intestinal worms, adult fleas, and flea eggs), brochures for pet insurance, and a container for bringing in a stool sample at the next visit.
And, of course, we'll enjoy playing and cuddling with your new kitten.
10 weeks old
By this time, our early kitten vaccine protection will be wearing off and your kitten should have made huge strides in it's development comparable to 2 or 3 years of human infant development!
At 10 weeks old, it's time for:
A good exam to make sure all of the kitten's organs, openings, and joints are working and developing correctly, to make sure we don't have any ingrown eye lashes or lids, to make sure we don't have any glandular swellings, and to double check for anything we might have missed at the 6 week old exam.
In addition:
Rescreen test for ringworm
Recheck and retreat for ear mites if needed
Consider a Leukemia and Feline Aids Test prior to further vaccination
A microscopic and chemical analysis of the stool for occult blood, resistant nematode worms, tapeworms, coccidia, and giardia. A lot of these parasites are not easily killed by ordinary deworming, so it's important to test; they're quite common. (Please bring a teaspoonful or so of stool with you. Any type of appropriate container/plastic bag is fine, or we'll gladly provide you with a handy little poop sampler device)
Vaccination boosters for Feline Herpes virus, Chlamydia, Panleukopenia, and Feline Distemper
First critical vaccination for Feline Leukemia. Leukemia is our number 1 viral killer of young cats, and even 100% indoor kittens should get this vaccine.
Pyrantel high dose dewormer
Start Revolution or other Heartworm preventive. We'll give you a free sample if you didn't already get one at the earlier visit.
We'll also give you a free sample of TD which helps in the removal of baby teeth.
We'll once again, briefly, go over the advantages of pet insurance and talk about high quality diets and the importance of good nutrition.
And, of course, we'll take great delight in seeing your kitten and discussing it's development, training, and any little problems we detect.
Later that day, we'll send you the results of your kitten's fecal exam by phone or email.
14 weeks old
By 14 weeks old, your kitten will be well on it's way into "pre teen" development and it's immune system will be mature.
It's time for
A head to toe exam looking for all the problems that are associated with pre-puberty and rapid growth. To make sure that jaw and dental development is coming along correctly. We'll establish your kitten's normal temperature, heart rate, and respiration rate. We'll check for early signs of weight problems.
Repeat screen for ringworm fungus if there are any bald spots or skin lesions
"Adult Vaccines" for Feline Herpes virus, Chlamydia, Panleukopenia, and Feline Distemper
2nd Leukemia Vaccine
Rabies Vaccination. Rabies is still a national and local threat, the vaccine is very inexpensive, and required by law before 6 months of age. Just for your information, rabies disease is more common in cats than in dogs.
The rabies and other vaccines that we give at 14 weeks of age give good to excellent protection for about 1 year, so we'll set up a reminder for your kitten to come back then.
However, in addition, we encourage you to bring your developing kitten in about 6 months later for a free mid year wellness exam
Consider Microchip implantation and registration
Make sure you're kitten is started on heartworm prevention. Indoor cats are also susceptible (Heart worms used to be a dog only problem, but not anymore ! This parasite is causing significant disease in cats now too.)
We'll discuss the few products that actually work for flea control
Repeat the fecal test if needed
Consider getting TD teeth cleaning treats
And, of course, we'll enjoy playing with you pre-teen kitten during the exam and discuss with you all your concerns about elimination problems, litter boxes, squirt guns, scratching behavior, toys, and zoonotic diseases.
And finally, we'll talk about your kitten's upcoming pre-surgical blood work, anesthesia, and surgery for spaying or castration. We'll talk about dental flouride and enamel sealants, and if appropriate, we'll talk about declawing.
Thanks, Roger Ross, DVM
Of Interest:
We now have a thrift shop at our grooming building.
Cat and kitten jewelry, ceramics, stationary, pictures, and lots of little stuff having something to do with kittens and other pets.
We have an enzyme spray for litter boxes that removes the odor. It's called Eliminodor Spray and it's very simple and effective
For those of you who have people in your household that are allergic to cat dander, we have an effective product that you rub into your cat's coat. It's called Aller-C
We usually have extremely inexpensive cat carriers available at the clinic. Cheaper than Walmart !
We now have dental sealants that we can apply to your cat's teeth, just like they do for children.
We have a cute and comfortable boarding house exclusively for cats:
No Dogs Allowed
We now have an engraving machine if you'd like custom ID tags. Also good for luggage tags and identification of all kinds of stuff like golf clubs, vehicles, etc.
Speaking of ID, we also offer Microchipping
My favorite product to recommend for kittens and cats? Revolution !
Revolution is super safe and quite effective for fleas, ear mites, worms, lice, and heartworms in cats. We'll give you a free sample when you come in for kitten vaccines.
My favorite kitten food? Science Diet
Also of Interest:
We now have a new treatment for feline colds and conjunctivitis that's been helping a lot. It's inexpensive, it's flavored, and while not a cure for colds, it's helping. This new product (Viralys) is a trickle down benefit of all the human AIDS and other similar viral research going on. Cool.
And finally, we're now associated with an internet compounding pharmacy that can make most medicines flavored or "transdermal" for those "impossible to pill" kittens and cats.
