Kitten Care

Vaccination

Your kitten requires a series of injections to protect him or her from potentially fatal viral diseases - cat flu and feline enteritis. They need the three boosters because maternal antibodies interfere with their response to vaccination, and these antibodies wane at different rates in different kittens. We recommend vaccinating against feline leukaemia virus at the 2nd and 3rd vaccinations.

Learn more about vaccination

Worming

Worms can kill kittens, and are transmissible to humans, especially children. We recommend worming every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age, then monthly until 6 months, then every 3 months. However, if your cat is on Revolution for fleas, you do not need worming tablets.

Learn more about worming

Microchipping and Registration

All kittens, and rehomed cats, need to be microchipped and lifetime registered with your local council. Mosman Veterinary Hospital is an Australian Veterinary Association accredited microchipping centre. Kittens must be registered before 6 months of age.

All other cats need to be identified either by a microchip, or collar and tag, but registration with council is not compulsory.

Learn more about microchipping and registration

Heartworm

Heartworm disease is more common in dogs, but cats can become infected if bitten by a mosquito carrying the immature heartworm. Signs of infection vary, and include sudden death. Revolution is a monthly topspot preparation that prevents heartworm, kills fleas, flea larvae and flea eggs, kills ear mites, and controls roundworm and hookworm. It is a very good parasite control product for cats.

Learn more about heartworm

Desexing

Males and females can be desexed from 8 weeks of age. Females can come onto heat from 6 months of age, and males tend to start spraying and other territorial behaviour from about this age. The operation can be performed any weekday, and cats go home the same day.

Diet

Your kitten has entirely different nutritional needs from dogs and from humans, and benefit the most from a balanced high quality diet such as Eukanuba, Advance, or Hills Science Diet. Encourage your kitten to chew on raw chicken wings and necks to keep his/her teeth clean. Older cats that have not been trained to eat chicken bones often refuse them.

Many cats are unable to tolerate the lactose in milk and will develop diarrhoea. If they are on a good quality kitten diet, they do not require any other supplements. A fresh bowl of water every day is advisable.

Nutrition advice from Mosman Vet

Flea Control

Flea control can start from a young age, with many alternatives available. Revolution has been mentioned above, and is a safe way to protect against a wide range of internal and external parasites. Program injection is a 6 monthly injection that breaks the flea lifecycle, and Advantage and Frontline are effective and safe topspot preparations. Remember to apply the topspot very high on the back of the cat’s neck, as they are very flexible, and they should not lick the area when grooming.

Learn more about flea control

Ticks

Cats often remove paralysis ticks when grooming, before they cause signs of paralysis, but are often found between the shoulder blades where cats can't reach, or on longhaired cats, especially if knotty or matted. Frontline spray used every 3 weeks, or Proban tablets every second day help to control ticks, although there is no substitute for daily searching during the tick season and this extends from September to February.

Learn more about tick control