• Vaccinations
• Worming
• Neutering
• Feline Healthcare Plan

Cat vaccinations

Kittens are vaccinated from nine weeks of age with the primary course consisting of two injections three weeks apart.

As with puppies, it is important to keep your kitten indoors until one week after the second vaccination when protection against vaccinated diseases is complete.(It is advisable to keep kittens indoors regardless until they are neutered at six months of age).

All cats should be vaccinated against cat flu and enteritis:

Feline Infectious Enteritis (panleucopaenia)- This viral disease is extremely serious. It causes inappetance, diarrhoea and death in a large proportion of cats affected. Those cats that survive are often left permanently damaged.

Cat Flu - This condition is normally caused by 1 of 2 viruses, either Feline Herpes Virus or Feline Calicivirus, both cause severe respiratory disease which can be fatal, especially in the very young or very old . The viruses are very widespread in the cat population making them virtually impossible to avoid.

If your cat is possibly going to be going outdoors then we also recommend that you vaccinate against:

Feline Leukemia - This disease is also caused by a virus. The virus attacks the immune system which leaves the cat open to infection, much like the way the HIV virus works in humans.

As well as suppressing the immune system the virus can also cause cancerous tumours to form. The virus is spread from cat to cat, therefore cats that go out, are boarded or shown are at risk. One in three cats who meet the virus will become infected and eventaully die as a result.

Chlamydia is an intracellular organism that can cause flu like symtoms in the cat but which is not fatal.

This disease tends to be more of a problem in multicat households, breeding colonies or where there are large populations of cats together so we do not routinely vaccinate against it unless requested to do so.

Cat Flu, Enteritis and FeLV vaccinations are all usually done at the same time.

After the initial vaccination course your cat will require an annual booster injection to ensure protection against vaccinated disease is maintained throughout your pets life. We will send you a booster reminder card through the post to help you remember.

Kittens receive a free comprehensive health check at or before their first vaccination. At the annual booster your cat is examined thoroughly by the veterinary surgeon and any problems you may have can be fully discussed.

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Worming

We recommend that kittens are wormed fortnightly until twelve weeks of age and then monthly until six months old. After this adult cats should be wormed three to four times annually with a product that controls all types of worms.

It is particulary important to regularly worm cats that are hunters.  These cats are much more likely to be infested with tapeworm, seen as ‘rice grain’ segments at the cat's anus or in it’s faeces. Since fleas can carry the intermediate stage of some tapeworms a cat can become infested after ingesting a flea during grooming.

It is therefore very important to ensure an adequate flea control program is also in place in order to minimise the risk of worm problems.

Find out more about flea control...

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Neutering

Unless your pet is to be used for breeding purposes we recommend neutering your cat at around six months of age. This entails castrating males cats and spaying queens.

Unspayed females over this age are very likely to become pregnant if going outdoors or be continuously in and out of call (season) if kept indoors - this can be very distressing for both cat and owner.

Male cats which are left entire are likely to urinate (spray) in the house to mark their territory.They will also roam a lot further than castrated males therefore increasing the risk of road traffic accidents and cat fights injuries.

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Feline Health Care Plan

The practice provides a health care plan for new kittens which involves providing a total preventative healthcare program at a discounted cost.

Vaccination, flea prevention, worming and health checks are included in this comprehensive plan which aims to encourage a responsible approach to your pet's health by reducing costs.

Please phone reception to ask for more details on 01592-599500.

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