Bedale:
01677 422432
Masham: 01765 689422
Hollin Rigg: 01969 623107
Leyburn: 01969 623024
NEW KITTEN
Getting a new kitten is a very exciting time! There are a number of things your kitten needs to
ensure it stays healthy and happy. It can be difficult to remember what needs doing when, so
we have compiled this leaflet with all the essential information for the first stages of your
kitten’s life.
Vaccination:
Your new kitten needs vaccinating to protect it from some diseases that can be very serious. The full
vaccine will protect your kitten against feline calicivirus, feline herpes virus, feline panleucopaenia
and feline leukaemia. They can catch these diseases from other cats, from the environment where
other cats have been. Before your kitten has completed its course of vaccinations you should not
allow it to go anywhere that other cats might have been so it is safest to keep it at home.
The first vaccine should be done when your kitten is 9 weeks old.
The second vaccine should be done three weeks later, as long as it
is at least 12 weeks old. Your kitten will not be fully protected until
1 week after its second vaccination, so you should not allow it out
before this time. To remain immune from these diseases your cat will
require a yearly booster vaccination.
Worming:
Worming is important in young kittens, as they are more susceptible than older cats and worms can
make them unwell. We recommend worming with an appropriate product against roundworms and
tapeworms every month until they are 6 months old, and then at least every 3 months. Products from
pet shops may not be active against all the worms that can infect your kitten so please contact us for
advice. Alternatively you can get your wormers directly from us, we only sell veterinary licensed
products so you can be certain that they will be effective in protecting your kitten from worms. The
products we recommend are Milbemax and Panacur.
Feeding:
Nutrition is essential for young, growing kittens so we advise feeding a good quality, complete food
that is designed for kittens. These foods contain all the energy, protein, calcium, vitamins and
minerals your puppy needs to grow properly. The food we recommend is Hills VetEssentials Kitten, it
is only sold at vets and is clinically proven to be beneficial to your cat’s health. Young kittens should
have access to food all the time so they can eat little and often and get all the nutrition they require.
When changing your cat’s food onto an adult food, you should make the transition gradually over the
course of 7 days. Start feeding a little of the new food with the existing food, then gradually change
the ratios, so by the end of the week there is more new food than original food. This will avoid
upsetting your cat’s stomach.
There are some foods that are not good for cats and some that can be very harmful. In general it is
best not to feed any human food to kittens. At best it can make them fussy eaters and in more
serious cases it can make them ill.
 Milk (other than from the mother) is not digested well by cats and can cause diarrhoea. If you are
feeding a good kitten food they will get sufficient calcium from this so milk is not necessary.
Microchipping:
A microchip is the size of a grain of rice and contains a unique
code that can be used to identify your cat if it should go missing.
It is inserted into the scruff of your kitten’s neck, just like a
vaccine injection and remains there for the life of your cat.
The price of the microchip includes lifelong registration with the
national database, PetLog. All vets will have a microchip
scanner, so if your cat is found it can be identified and returned to
you. We recommend getting your kitten microchipped at its
second vaccination.
Neutering:
We recommend that you get your kitten castrated or spayed. It has great health benefits for your cat
and also reduces the number of unwanted animals. Cats can get pregnant very easily at a very
young age and there are a lot of unwanted litters produced from un-neutered cats. Neutering at the
ages recommended will not have any adverse effects on growth or the personality of your cat.
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Male cats: Castration can be done from 4 - 5 months old. It can make cats less likely to roam and
reduces aggressive behaviours therefore reduces the risk of transmission of feline
immunodeficiency virus (FIV). In addition the risk of testicular cancer is eliminated.
Female cats: Spaying can be done from around 4 - 5 months old. Spaying avoids the formation of
ovarian and uterine tumours.
Although it may seem like a nice idea to have a litter
of kittens, it involves a lot of time, effort and money
to produce a healthy litter and there can be
complications which may be detrimental to your cat.
Flea Treatment and Prevention:
Cats can pick up fleas from the environment, which can make them very itchy and can also transmit
diseases. We recommend treating and preventing flea infestations with a spot on product. The one
we recommend and sell is Activyl. This product will kill fleas in 24 hours. We recommend you use this
every 4 weeks to control fleas.
Other products are available in pet shops, but are usually less effective. Some products do not
actually kill fleas. You can check the product with us if you are unsure. It is important to treat all cats
and dogs in the household to protect from flea infestation. NEVER USE A FLEA TREATMENT FOR
DOGS ON A CAT AS IT CAN BE FATAL.
When controlling fleas it is important to realise 90% of the flea population exists in the environment.
The flea eggs and larvae live in carpets and furniture and anywhere that is warm and dark. They
develop there until an animal comes by, which they then jump on to and bite. Therefore to ensure you
get rid of all the fleas you need to thoroughly clean your cats bedding and all areas where your cat
likes to lie. Remember to move furniture when hoovering as flea larvae like to move under furniture
where it is dark. We also recommend using a household spray, which will kill any eggs and larvae in
the house. The spray we recommend is called Indorex and it lasts for one year after application.
Insurance:
As we never know what will happen with our kitten throughout its life, pet insurance is popular as
many vets bills will be covered. When selecting a policy it is important to look at what is covered so
you know what they will pay for. Some policies will cover a condition, such as diabetes or skin
allergies for life if you continue with that company, whilst others will place restrictions after a specified
time. It is also worth checking what the excess is, as this will vary between policies.
Teeth and Examination:
It is a good idea to get your kitten used to being examined
and having its teeth checked. This means it will be less
distressed if it needs to be examined at the vets and also
means you can keep an eye on what is normal for your kitten,
so you will notice any abnormalities. Have a look at
your kitten’s paws, look in its mouth at its teeth, look at its
fur and skin and have a good feel all over its body.
Health care diary for ……………………………………………….
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Vaccination
Worming
Flea and Tick
Treatment
Other