Congratulations On Your New Kitten!

We are thrilled that you are considering bringing your new feline family member to visit us here at Heartland Veterinary Clinic.  We understand that your kitten will bring a lot of questions which we are eager to answer. Please see below for some kitten information. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. 

DEWORMING

No matter how clean a breeder keeps their home, we must assume that all kittens have internal parasites. This is why we deworm kittens several times to keep them and the rest of their human family healthy. The deworming is very easy – usually it's just a liquid that you put on the back of your kitten's neck.

VACCINATIONS

Vaccinations will help prevent diseases. When a vaccine is given to your pet, their immune system produces antibodies to that disease. If your pet is exposed to this disease later, these antibodies can help fight the viruses or bacteria. This means that if your pet contracts the disease, the course of illness is shorter and less severe. Kittens receive some protection from their mother's antibodies, which are transmitted through the milk. This maternal protection decreases in the first few months of life, so kittens are normally boosted multiple times at about 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age. We boost vaccines because with each subsequent visit, the kitten's immune level gets much higher and by the 16-week visit we can boost it high enough that it lasts for the next 12 months. 

The following is a list of the common feline diseases we can vaccinate for: 

PANLEUKOPENIA

RHINOTRACHEITIS

CALICIVIRUS

FELINE LEUKEMIA

RABIES

For more information on the above feline diseases, please click here

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO VACCINATE MY CAT? 
Some people choose not to vaccinate their cats after the initial kitten series. We choose to vaccinate and recommend vaccinations based on the label on the vaccine. The vaccine company has done testing and research to validate on-label claims. Any protocol other than what they suggest is "off label" and as such is at the discretion of the pet owner and they take the subsequent risks upon themselves. 
We have chosen the vaccines we carry after doing extensive research about the vaccine, the vaccine company, and any research papers published on side effects of vaccines. 
If you have any further questions please ask our staff. We will discuss your cat's lifestyle and risk factors and formulate a vaccine protocol that is best for your cat. Whatever you choose, we highly recommend at least completing the kitten series of vaccines fully. 
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PERMANENT IDENTIFICATION

Many cats wear a collar with tags on it, but if someone decides they want to keep your pet, they can just remove the collar and you have no proof of ownership. At around 6 months of age when we spay or neuter your cat, we recommend you choose a form of permanent identification. This can be a tattoo that is highly visible in the ear, or a microchip injected under the skin between the shoulder blades. The microchip is not visible, but is recognized worldwide, whereas the tattoo is only traceable within southern Alberta. We can do the microchip at any kitten appointment, but the tattoo can only be performed under anesthesia (typically done during the spay/neuter surgery).

GROOMING (Nail trims, Bathing, Ears)

​Kittenhood is the best time to get your little one used to routine grooming. Play with his/her feet and toes to prepare for nail trims, and fold his/her ears open and put your finger gently in the ear so he/she tolerates ear exams. Your kitten will likely fuss at first – be sure to give him/her treats to keep the experience positive. We recommend only bathing your cat every 4-6 weeks, and only if he/she really needs it – if he/she gets dirty. Be sure to use a pet shampoo as they are gentler than human shampoos, even gentler than baby shampoos!

FEEDING

Feed a kitten food until your cat is 12 months old. Treats are great for training (yes cats can be trained to “come” and “sit”!), but the treat pieces don't need to be large to be a good reward. Treats should never make up more than 10% of your cat's daily calories.

EXERCISE

Cats need exercise just as much as dogs and people do! Use your kitten's natural hunting instincts to get him moving. A toy on the end of a string can create mental and physical stimulation, as can something as simple as an empty toilet paper roll. Catnip or honeysuckle can make a toy even more enticing, and laser pointers are fun as well. Don't leave your kitten alone with strings as they can get swallowed and be life-threatening, requiring major surgery to remove.

HOUSE BREAKING / LITTER BOX

Kittens typically don't need too much training to get used to a litter box - just show your kitten where the litter box is, hold his/her front paws and help him/her dig in the litter, and he/she will probably use the box the next time he/she has to go. As long as the kitty litter is easily accessible and is the only loose substrate available, very little effort should be required to litter box train the kitten. About the only other indoor area that might be equally or more appealing to some cats is the soil around houseplants. Ensure that the cat is prevented from getting into houseplants, except when you are around to supervise. Another option is to move the houseplants into a room where the cat does not have access, or to place decorative pebbles or rocks over top of the soil. A kitten does not need to be confined continuously, but should be supervised to prevent accidents and frequently brought back to the appropriate elimination location. A little of the urine or stool odor from previous elimination should help to attract the cat back to the box. In fact, if the kitten soils in a location other than its box on the first attempt, clean up the area thoroughly using a product that is designed to neutralize cat urine odor, and perhaps even move a small amount of the stool or a few drops of the urine to the box to attract the cat to that area.