Experiencing an Emergency? Contact Us at 401-732-4050. If After Hours, we recommend Ocean State Veterinary Specialists who can be contacted at 401-886-6787 24 hours a day.

Cowesett Animal Hospital

Kitten Health

Congratulations on your new kitten!
The following information will help you keep your cat healthy and explain routine preventive care. We are always available to respond to any questions or requests regarding your cat.

How to prepare for your visit:
Please have your kitten in a crate for their safety. Please bring your kitten's favorite treats and toy. Bring a slightly hungry kitten by feeding him/her half their normal meal. We use treats to teach your kitten to have a fun and safe experience. Please bring any records, stool sample, and any questions you may have

Vaccinations

Distemper and Respiratory Viruses: Your new kitten needs a series of vaccines to protect him/her against these common infectious diseases. He/she will be given a booster every 3 to 4 weeks until he/she is at least 12 weeks old.

Rabies: Your kitten will be vaccinated for Rabies at 8 to 12 weeks of age.

Feline Leukemia Virus: If your kitten goes outside he/she will need a series of 2 vaccines to protect against this deadly virus.

Deworming

Kittens all get roundworms from their mothers. Your kitten’s stool sample may be negative as a very young kitten will have immature parasites that are not yet producing eggs that can be picked up on the stool examination. Because roundworms can cause serious illness in your kitten and, if eggs are shed in the stool, can infect children, your kitten will be treated for roundworms even if a stool sample is negative. Depending on your kitten’s age he will be treated 2 to 4 times. Your kitten may have parasites other than roundworms; it’s important to check at least one stool sample as additional medications may be needed.

Testing for infectious disease

Your kitten should be screened for

  • Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) can cause serious illness and early death
  • Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) similar but less deadly than FeLV

Testing very young kittens can sometimes result in false positives or false negatives but early screening is important.

Fleas

Fleas cause skin disease, can infest your home and can carry infectious diseases including cat scratch disease. Very effective, safe topical treatments are available to treat and prevent fleas. Revolution kills fleas, ear mites, roundworms and heartworms (mosquitoes spread heartworms to cats as well as dogs). Frontline kills fleas and ticks.

Dental Care

We will evaluate your kitten’s oral health at each exam. You should begin to gently handle your kitten’s mouth now to prepare him/her for tooth brushing later. Periodontal disease is the most common disease in dogs and cats over 3 years of age. We will also monitor your kitten for the normal replacement of the baby (deciduous) teeth with the permanent teeth (adult cats have 30 teeth).

Spay/neuter

Spaying (removing the ovaries and uterus) and neutering (removing the testicles) are recommended at around 5 ½ months. These procedures improve your cat’s health (decreased risk of breast cancer and uterine disease in females, less fighting, bite wounds, and urine spraying in males. Early surgery provides the most benefit; even one heat cycle increases long term health risks.

We have your pet’s safety and comfort as our number one concern and recommend pre-anesthetic lab work to evaluate organ function more completely. Your pet will be monitored throughout anesthesia, surgery and recovery, and will be able to go home the same day. Pain medication will be given to your pet to ensure a comfortable recovery. Please ask if you have any questions about this procedure.

Kitten Vaccination Schedule

8 weeks

General health examination
First vaccination for Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calici Virus, Panleukopenia Virus (FVRCP)
Intestinal parasite exam and treatment
Flea/ear mite treatment, if needed
Testing for Feline Leukemia, FIV, and Bartonella (cat scratch disease)
Ringworm test if long-hair cat
Litter box information
Nutrition consultation and coat and nail care

12 weeks

Complete physical examination
Rabies vaccination
Second FVRCP vaccination
Feline Leukemia vaccination (if exposed to outdoor cats)
Roundworm treatment and prevention
Flea/ear mite treatment and/or preventive
Testing for FeLV, FIV, Bartonella if not already done
Heartworm prevention if exposed to mosquitoes

16 weeks

Complete physical examination
Last vaccine in FVRCP series
Feline Leukemia vaccination if needed (last of series)
Roundworm treatment and prevention
Flea treatment/prevention
Heartworm prevention
Schedule spay/neuter with presurgical blood and urine screen (for 5-6 months of age)