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Buying and raising a kitten is an exciting time which can be a lot of fun but also quite exhausting! For new “fur-parents” there is a lot to remember so to make it easier we have put together some points to help you get off to a right start with your new family member.

VACCINATION

This is one of the most important things that has to be done for your kitten. “Core” vaccines are recommended for all kittens regardless of their lifestyle or risk factors and provide protection against feline panleukopenia, feline herpes virus and feline calicivirus. “Non-core” vaccines are only given to cats who are in specific risk categories. These include vaccinations that protect against feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and Chlamydophila felis.

Feline “Core” Vaccines

Feline panleukopenia, or Feline Infectious Enteritis is a life-threatening illness that is most commonly seen in young kittens. It has a very fast onset of symptoms such as a high temperature, loss of appetite, depression, vomiting, diarrhoea and rapid weight loss. Sadly, fatalities are common. It is a highly contagious virus and can persist in the environment for long periods. Vaccination is highly effective in protecting against infection from feline panleukopenia.

Feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus cause a condition called “cat flu”. Symptoms of cat flu include sneezing, coughing, discharge from the eyes and nose, a loss of appetite and sometimes ulcers on the tongue and eyes. This can lead to severe dehydration and debilitation and in severe cases pneumonia and death. Both viruses are easily spread through direct contact between cats, or via contaminated food bowls, bedding or on a person’s hands. After recovering from infection, some cats can become a carrier of the virus and remain contagious to other cats for months afterwards.

Both of these two viruses are very common, and vaccination is essential especially for kittens. Although vaccination for feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus does not always prevent infection, it will help greatly in reducing the severity of symptoms if a vaccinated cat does become infected. An F3 vaccine will provides protection against all three of these viruses. Kittens receive their initial vaccination between 6-8 weeks of age, and then require booster vaccines given at 12 weeks of age and 16 weeks of age. A first annual booster should be given 12 months later to ensure a good level of immunity. After that the frequency of the booster vaccination varies depending on the individual risk of the cat.

Feline “Non-core” Vaccines

Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) is an important viral infection in cats. The most common effect of FeLV infection is immunosuppression. The virus infects the cells of the cat’s immune system by killing or damaging them. This leaves the cat vulnerable to a wide variety of other diseases and secondary infections. A vaccine for FeLV is available and is recommended in situations where cats have a high risk of exposure to the virus. This includes any cat that goes outdoors unsupervised, or that mixes with a cat that goes outdoors unsupervised, or that mixes with a cat of unknown FeLV status (such as a rescued stray).

Kittens receive their initial at 12 weeks of age and then receive a booster at 16 weeks of age. FeLV vaccines can be given with an F3 vaccine. A first annual booster should be given 12 months later to ensure a good level of immunity. It is important to remember that a fully vaccinated cat may still not be fully protected from FeLV infection. Therefore it is not recommended to knowingly to mix a FeLV-infected cat or a cat of unknown FeLV status with a vaccinated uninfected cat. All new cats that enter your household should be tested for FeLV and FIV prior to introduction to your other cats. Unlike FIV vaccines, the FeLV vaccination does not interfere with the FeLV blood tests.

Other non-core vaccines for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline chlamydophila are also available. Please speak to one of our vets if you feel your kitten needs this protection and they will help ascertain your kitten’s likely risk of infection.

MICROCHIPPING

In Western Australia, all cats are now required by law to be microchipped, sterilised and registered with your local council.

Microchipping is a common, safe procedure which is routinely performed at our hospital. A microchip is a tiny Radio Frequency Identification Device, which can be implanted in your kitten for identification purposes. The microchip resembles a small, metallic grain of rice in appearance.

Each microchip contains a unique number which is linked to your contact information on a computer database. The unique number can be read by holding a microchip scanner near the top of the shoulder. Veterinary clinics, animal shelters and animal control officers are all able to scan this number to identify your cat.

WORMING

Kittens can become infected with roundworms, tapeworms and hook worms. Roundworm infections are extremely common in kittens and can cause stunted growth, weight loss, vomiting and diarrhoea and a bloated abdomen. Roundworms are a public health risk and can cause serious illness in humans.

Hookworm infections are less common and can result in a blood loss anaemia which can make your kitten very weak and more susceptible to disease. Kittens can also be infected with tapeworms.

We recommend you use a good quality all-wormer once every two weeks until your kitten is 12 weeks of age. From 12 weeks of age, we recommend that you worm your kitten once a month until they turn 6 months of age. After this you should wormed your cat every 3 months for life, or more frequently if they are a hunter.

HEARTWORM

Although heartworm infection rates in cats in Perth are very low, it can occasionally be a cause sudden death. As yet there is no easy way to diagnose or treat heartworm in cats, with prevention being much easier. If you would like to have your kitten on heartworm prevention, Revolution or Advocate are both two spot-on flea treatments that will also prevent against heartworm. They are used once monthly as a preventative and given for life. Revolution is safe to use from 6 weeks of age and Advocate from 9 weeks of age.

FEEDING

Cats are obligate carnivores which means they need to eat animal protein to meet all their nutritional requirements. Cats can tend to become fussy if they are only fed one type of food, so it is important to train your kitten to become accustomed to a variety of different foods. Kittens have a very high energy requirement for growth so in the initial stages it is important to feed them a well-balanced premium commercial kitten diet such as Royal Canin Growth.

You can also offer some fresh meat to add variety, however always choose high quality, human-grade meat and avoid feeding your cat any pet mince or other processed meat such as sausages as they may contain harmful sulphite preservatives. If you would like to feed your kitten raw meat, it is recommended to wait until they are old enough to have developed a competent immune system. Most young cats can tolerate eating raw meat from about six months of age provided it is high quality, fresh meat that is sold for human consumption.

There are some foods that can be toxic or cause illness in cats. Avoid feeding your cat any food containing chocolate, coffee, garlic, avocado, grapes and raisins, onions, bread dough, nuts including macadamia nuts, fruit stones, and fruit seeds, tomatoes, mushrooms or xylitol (an artificial sweetener).

Never feed your cat cooked bones as they are too hard and can splinter and cause internal damage. Most cats do not tolerate dairy products due to a lack of the digestive enzyme lactase. Some cats seem to tolerate drinking lactose free milk instead.

For more information how to feed your kitten once they reach adulthood refer to our information page.

STERILISATION

Unless you are a registered breeder, Western Australian cat laws require you to sterilise your kitten by the time they turn 6 months of age. Sterilisation prevents unwanted kittens and will also help to prevent your cat from straying away from home in search of a mate later in life.  Female cats are spayed and male cats are castrated, this is a day procedure performed at our hospital.

FLEAS

Fleas can be a constant cause of irritation and discomfort to your kitten or cat if they are left untreated. They can cause the development of flea allergy dermatitis and even anaemia through blood loss.  There are a myriad of different products available to treat fleas, however you must be sure that whatever product you use is safe for use on young animals.

For further information on these or any other topics, please don’t hesitant to call us or ask at reception the next time you are at the hospital.

ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT

Addressing your kitten’s physical and emotional needs enhances their health and quality of life. There are five pillars of a healthy environment for your kitten; provide a safe place, provide multiple and separated key environmental resources (food, water, toileting areas, scratching areas, play areas and resting or sleeping areas), provide opportunity for play and predatory behaviour, provide positive, consistent and predictable human-cat interaction and provide an environment that respects the importance of the cat’s sense of smell.

For more information refer to our Environmental Enrichment page.

PET INSURANCE

We strongly recommend pet insurance for your kitten. There are a number of different companies that specialise in pet insurance. Please utilise these helpful links to help you choose the company that is right for you and your kitten.

• AFS Pet-Med
• Medibank Private
• Petplan
• PetSecure
• RSPCA
• Vet’s Own
• Woolworths Pet Insurance

For further information on these or any other topics, please phone our reception or ask us next time you are at Perth Cat Hospital.