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Congratulations on the adoption of your new feline! And now...
... you may be wondering, 'what comes next?' What kind of care will your newest, and youngest, family member require?
In addition to all of the TLC that your kitten will receive from you at home, there will be many ways in which your veterinarian will contribute to the health and growth of your kitten during their first year of life. It is important to establish a healthy beginning, and your veterinarian will be essential in this process.
PHYSICAL EXAMS:
Your vet will give your kitten a full physical exam, which means that your kitten's heart and lungs will be listened to, their belly (and all abdominal organs) will be palpated, their temperature taken, skin and coat health assessed, and their teeth, eyes, and ears checked. Your vet will check if your kitten is indeed a male or female (gender confusion is not uncommon in small kittens... sometimes the first trip to the vet means that "Alex" becomes "Alexandra!"). If your kitten is male, your vet will determine whether his testes have descended yet. They will check for the presence of umbilical hernias and other common congenital abnormalities, and will look for ear mites and fleas. If any of these unwanted visitors are present, they will be promptly dealt with by your vet!
VACCINES:
There are three types of vaccinations that kittens receive, and they are administered in a series of boosters, typically at 4 week intervals. FVRCP, FeLV, and rabies are the three vaccines types with which kittens are immunized. FVRCP stands for Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia. Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis is caused by the Feline Herpes Virus -1, and causes upper respiratory and eye infections which can range from mild to severe. Calicivirus is also an upper respiratory virus that can cause both 'colds' and eye infections, but which can have a greater severity of clinical disease, including sudden death in certain highly virulent (pathogenic) strains. Panleukopenia is also a very serious virus. It causes severe bone marrow suppression, intestinal disease, and commonly death. All three viruses in the FVRCP vaccine are extremely contagious. FeLV stands for Feline Leukemia Virus, which will be described briefly below.
On your kitten's first visit (8 weeks old), the first of three FVRCP vaccines will be administered, as well as the first of two FeLV vaccines.
On their second visit (12 weeks old) your kitten will receive an FVRCP booster and the second (and last) FeLV booster.
On their third visit (16 weeks old) your kitten will receive their third (and final) FVRCP booster as well as a rabies vaccine (which does not require additional boosters). This last set of vaccines never occurs earlier than 16 weeks of age, because otherwise there are still maternal antibodies present (viral immunity that was transferred through nursing) which interfere with your kitten's own antibody immune production.
DEWORMING & OTHER CREEPY CRAWLIES:
Your kitten will also be sent home with a broad spectrum deworming medication that is typically administered either orally or topically several times at anywhere from two to four week intervals depending on what type of dewormer your vet has dispensed. Your vet may also instruct you to collect a fresh fecal sample which you can bring to your kitten's next appointment; it will be checked for the presence of parasitic protozoan organisms which the deworming medication does not treat. If your kitten's fecal sample is positive for any of these other parasites, your vet will prescribe medication(s) to treat their infection(s).
VIRAL TESTING:
On the second or third visit, your veterinarian will likely recommend laboratory blood work tests for your kitten. Blood work is done for two reasons. One reason is to check your kitten's viral status (positive or negative) for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). FeLV and FIV are retroviruses that spread between kitties, and are the most common causes of infectious deaths among domestic cats. Assessment of your kitten's viral status is particularly important if you have other cats within the household as well.
Kittens can test negative for FeLV and FIV during the incubation phase of infection, so if your kitten was tested at a young age, your veterinarian may recommend testing a second time several months later to ascertain your kitten's negative status.
PRE-ANESTHETIC BLOOD TESTING:
The second reason for which blood work is performed in your kitten's first year of life is to prepare for the general anesthetic that will be needed for your kitten to be spayed or neutered before they reach 6 months of age. A general blood work panel helps to assess the health of the kidneys, liver, and bone marrow so that your veterinarian knows in advance of any abnormal anesthetic and surgical risks your kitten may be affected by.
Spaying and neutering should typically be done between 4 and 6 months of age. This helps lessen the occurrence of certain types of cancers, lessens wandering behaviour, aggression, and also prevents reproductive activity, which is very important due to the high population of feral cats as well as the many unwanted shelter kitties in North America.
When you kitten is under general anesthetic for surgery, it is an opportune time to also give them a microchip. A microchip is a fail-proof form of identification, unlike tattoos which can be blurred over time and are only useful locally, and unlike collars and tags that can come off or become outdated. Microchips are implanted just underneath the skin between the shoulder blades, and then can be read using a scanner. If your kitten ever gets outside accidentally and becomes lost, any veterinary clinic or animal shelter will be able to identify your kitten via the microchip code.
All of this may seem like a crazy jumble of medical terms and concerns, but just keep in mind that you'll need to take your kitty to the vet four times in their first year. Three times for vaccinations, physical checks and bloodwork and once for spaying or neutering.
That is the end of your kitten's first set of health visits to the veterinarian!
At 1 year of age, your cat will be due for a health exam and their 1 year FVRCP and rabies boosters. If you have any questions or concerns before the 1 year milestone, you should not hesitate to contact your veterinarian.
To read more articles written by veterinarian Dr. Ko please visit www.catdoctorko.com
The information provided in this article is for educational reference purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice and care of your veterinarian, nor medical diagnoses or treatments. All questions regarding your cat's health should be discussed with your veterinarian.
Dr. Ko is a passionate believer in the importance of preventative medicine and educating cat owners about its benefits for their cats. It was this ideal which was the motivation for the creation of the Dr. Ko website.
catdoctorko.com is a brand new site dedicated to providing cat owners with information to help them provide effective and preventative health care for their cats. Within the site, Dr. Ko, a licensed veterinarian, has created Know-How Videos, Cat Health Articles, Ask Dr. Ko tips (in which she answers your cat health questions), information on toxic substances, product recalls, dangerous household items and much more! In addition, the website houses a store filled with products specifically selected for their benefits to optimizing your cat's quality of life!
All of the topics that Dr. Ko writes about are provided by members of her website. To suggest an article topic for Dr. Ko, please visit http://www.catdoctorko.com/ and set up a membership - it's fast and free!
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