Services/Small Animal/Your new Kitten!
It is great fun having a playful new kitten and we love meeting them! We recommend that you bring your new kitten to see us for a general health check within a few days of their arrival. We will provide you with a free kitten pack with useful information, free samples and a toy.
Kitten vaccinations can start from the age of 9 weeks, with a second booster vaccination 3 weeks later. We recommend giving your kitten a vaccination against Feline flu (Feline viral rhinotracheitis, Feline calcivirus), Feline enteritis (Feline panleucopaenia) and Feline leukaemia. All of these diseases are present and seen regularly by us in Orkney. They can result in severe illnesses and chronic life long issues in many cases. Annual booster vaccinations are advised to keep up your cat’s immunity. After the first year’s full booster, some diseases need boosting only every 3 years while the flu viruses need an annual boost.
Kittens would be best not to be allowed outside until fully vaccinated after twelve weeks of age. We advise that you wait until after they are neutered before allowing them out unsupervised to reduce the chance of them getting lost or being injured. Letting them out during daylight hours only and rewarding them with food on their return indoors is useful when establishing a routine.
We recommend you neuter (spay or castrate) and identichip your kitten before allowing them outdoors to prevent unwanted litters, reduce the chance of spraying, roaming and fighting and allow your kitten to be reunited with you if they get lost. Neutering is usually done around 4-5 months of age.
We also advise you have pet insurance for your kitten to cover any unforeseen illnesses or injury. Please speak to us about our free introductory five week pet insurance for kittens.
Worming
When collecting your kitten from the breeder, remember to ask when the kitten was last wormed. We can then advise you on the best worming protocol and products to use for your kitten. A free worm tablet is given to you at your kitten’s first visit. We recommend monthly worming until 6 months of age, then routine 3 monthly worming for most cats.
Fleas and Ticks
Most products available for protection against fleas are applied as a tablet or spot-on, monthly or as required. A free anti parasitic tasty tablet is provided at your kitten’s first visit. Fleas and ticks are both seen regularly here.
If your cat gets fleas, it is important to remember that your house should also be treated to help break the flea cycle by killing the eggs and larvae.