KITTENS! Your how-to guide
It is an exciting time bringing a new kitten into the home and we know all new kitten owners want to do everything possible to keep them happy and heathy. In the first 6-12 months of life, it is very important that all kittens attend the vet clinic for some specific key preventative health treatments, regardless of whether they come from a breeder, a rescue or a friend. At the Perth Cat Hospital, we have the pleasure of meeting many beautiful kittens and we get to see them grow into their majestic older age. We love meeting new kittens and so we have put together this helpful guide to help you learn everything you have to do to set your new family member up for success.
Preventative health
Kittens do need frequent worming and flea treatments (more often than an adult cat), please check with your veterinarian for your individual kitten’s needs. Most kittens will need 3 vaccinations, but this does depend greatly on their age when the course is started. Again, your veterinarian can help determine what is needed for each kitten. By law at six months of age your kitten must be sterilised and microchipped. After this point kittens (and cats) are wormed every 3 months for life. Some kittens may have already had some of this performed prior to you acquiring them, if this is the case always ask for a vet signed certificate starting what and when they have received these treatments for your reference. If you have any concerns, bring all your paperwork to your veterinarian to ensure your kitten has all they need in this very important window.
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 (parvovirus,) feline herpes virus and feline calicivirus (cat flu viruses.) These can all be given in an “F3” vaccination. “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. If these are recommended for your kitten they are often given in an “F4” or other combination vaccination.
Most kittens will have their first vaccination around 6-8 weeks of age. This will need to be repeated as they grow for two reasons. Firstly, when kittens are very young they still have some antibodies in their system that have been passed down through their mother’s milk, but will not last for more than a few months. If the first vaccine is given when these maternal anti-bodies are present then the body will not have the same drive to produce its own anti-bodies, thus further boosters are needed to develop a strong immunity. Secondly, a single injection will not stimulate enough anti-bodies to last a whole year for any cat if they have never had one prior. Thusly, most cats will need three vaccines to ensure they get enough boost and at least two of them need to be timed after the maternal anti-bodies are fading but before they are without any protection.
At Perth Cat Hospital, we stock a wide range of vaccines allowing each kitten (or adult cat) to receive the components that each one needs without any extras. This helps to reduce any (very unlikely) reaction your kitten may have to the vaccine. If you have any questions of concerns regarding your kitten’s vaccinations a visit to your vet is recommended.
The most common intestinal worms that kittens pick up are roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms. Worming is performed once a kitten is 2 weeks of age and continued throughout their life. Worming is important in kittens because they can compromise the intestinal function. In most cats there may be no symptoms at all. However, in young kittens, or those with a large worm burden, they may fail to grow very well, or have more obvious symptoms like weight loss, vomiting, diarrhoea and irritation near the anus. Also, it is important to note that some worms can be passed onto humans and rarely can cause serious disease, thus it is very important to worm your cat regularly.
Worming can be done with either a tablet, or a spot-on product that is applied to the skin of the cat. Many products are on the market, but not all products are made equally. Unfortunately the products stocked at most supermarkets are made with chemicals or drugs that have been on the market for many, many years (thus reducing the price) but also meaning many of these products have resistance. Often cats may still pick up worms or fleas with these products and a second type will need to be used to clear the infestation. Below I have listed some of our favourite products that we use and recommend at Peth Cat Hospital.
Similar to worms, fleas are common among kittens. The complication for fleas is that they do not actually live on the cat or kitten, but rather the adult fleas bite the cats/kittens and lay eggs in the environment. Thus, fleas on the cat or kitten are only half the story, but this does mean 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.
| Product | Use | What age? |
| Revolution (spot-on) | Fleas, Heartworm, Ear Mites, Lice and Intestinal Worms | From 6 weeks old |
| Advocate (spot-on) | Fleas, Heartworm, Ear Mites, Lungworm and Intestinal Worms | From 9 weeks old |
| Profender (spot-on) | Heartworms, Lungworms, Tapeworms and Intestinal Worms | From 8 weeks of age and over 500g |
| Drontal (tablet) | Tapeworms and Intestinal Worms | Any cat over 1kg |
| Milbemax (tablet) | Tapeworms and Intestinal Worms | From 6 weeks of age and over 500g |
| Comfortis (tablet) | Fleas only | From 14 weeks old |
| Tapeworm Tablet | Tapeworm only | From 12 weeks old |
| ** BE SURE TO USE THE CORRECT SIZE PRODUCT FOR YOUR CAT and for very young kittens seek vet advice on worming control as adult doses may have side effects in very young kittens** |
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. Even more so than worming products, there is known resistance to many of the products available especially in the supermarket. Most importantly, topical flea products for use in dogs contain poisons such as pyrethrins which are highly toxic to cats. Cats can be severely affected by just coming into contact with a treated dog, and toxicity can be fatal. Again, there is a list below on our favourite products for kittens.
Kitten Comforts
All of the above key preventative health treatment are completely essential for your kitten in order for them to get the best start in life. What is equally important is to ensure you set up your home to provide all your kitten’s environmental needs and comforts. Setting up your house to be the most cat friendly is a big part of having a kitten or cat. While this could be an entire book of its own, we want to highlight a few things we think many owners can do from day one with their new cat or kitten to maximise the cat’s environmental enrichment.
Kittens have a “socialisation period” during the first 3-7 weeks of their life, where they are learning how to interact with their surroundings and how to keep themselves safe. This often means they come into our homes while they are still actively learning about the world. The sooner we introduce new experiences to them, hopefully in this window of time, the more likely they will accept them as positive and adapt to them. It is always possible to introduce new experiences to your cat later in life, but they often will take longer and a little more work to accept a change.
The rule for the number of litter trays is to have one for each cat plus one extra. This means you will have more trays than cats in the home. Having enough trays is only half the story, because having the right size and location of tray is just as important. Litter tray management is key to preventing kittens and cats from eliminating outside of the litter box and keeping stress reduced.
Cats need enough room to get into and turn around completely in their litter tray. While this is very easy for kittens, once fully grown, many cats will be longer than most standard litter trays. Better options for larger sized cats include storage containers or other low-sided, large plastic containers for litter trays. This enables them to use areas of the tray without having to sit or stand near any previously soiled areas.
Each individual tray needs to be in a separate area, as two trays in the same room is seen as one large tray by the cat. This is especially important in a home with multiple cats. If you are struggling to find an appropriate tray for your cat, there is more information about the set up and cleaning of the trays on our Perth Cat Hospital website.
Vertical Space & Hiding Spaces
Having a place that is dedicated just for your new kitten to play or hide is a big part of making them feel safe and secure in your home. Many cat trees have cubby holes or other hiding places. They also have the added benefit of providing vertical space. Vertical space is a place a cat can get up above ground level and “supervise” their territory. It is often where cats feel the most in control and secure. Having a cat tree, or shelving that you allow your cat to climb and escape onto can provide a huge support in your home to help them feel safe. If you need some ideas for providing vertical space, see the environmental needs section on our website.
Scratching
Scratching is normal cat behaviour, serving to groom the front claws and leave markers of the cat’s presence. Cats may also scratch to stretch their muscles. Proper training to scratch on appropriate surfaces combined with nail care can prevent cats from scratching in undesirable areas and causing damage in the home. Not all scratching posts are the same. There are many options available now. Most cats will prefer a vertical surface, such as a post. This can be combined with cat trees or hiding places. The key is to put them in locations your kitten is already scratching or near areas favoured for sleeping since cats often stretch and scratch upon awakening.
Feeding
Feeding a good quality, balanced diet is very important when kittens are growing and developing. Making feeding interactive is a good way to help make sure your kitten is exercising their mind as much as their body. It has also been shown to help reduce stress and boredom. Puzzle feeders are available for purchase from our hospital, or alternatively you can make your own at home using cardboard toilet paper tubes. Simply close the ends with tape or glue and cut a few small holes in the sides for food to fall out. Other easy food toys are empty egg cartons, with the top removed, so the food needs to be fished out piece by piece. As they learn and become adept at each toy, new ones will need to be mixed in, rotating the old ones so it’s new and interesting each day.
It is very important that kittens receive routine health care procedures including regular veterinary checks, vaccinations and parasite control (worming, fleas) and you can find detailed information on these topics and many other important cat facts on our website http://www.perthcathospital.com.au/ under the information tab. If you have any kitten questions or would like one of our vets to check them over, call us to book a consult with our feline focused team.
Written by Dr Kayleigh Lange ©
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