Our hospital philosophy is to provide you with the best possible veterinary care available for your kitten. We feel strongly that the preventive care plan below will help us get your kitten off to the best start possible.

Preventive Care Examination

Your kitten will need to come for a few visits to ensure proper growth, development, and to receive all vaccines and preventative care. We will perform a thorough physical exam and discuss all findings with you, then continue to monitor for proper growth and development as they progress through their series of kitten vaccine visits.

Vaccinations
(for more info see our “Vaccine Guide”)

• All kittens need a distemper ( abbreviated as FDRC or FVRCP) vaccine every 3-4 weeks until they are 16-20 weeks old. Some kittens may need an additional dose of this vaccine at 6 months of age, depending on their lifestyle.
• All kittens are required by law to receive a Rabies vaccine from a licensed veterinarian.
• It is recommended that all kittens receive two doses of Feline Leukemia Vaccine (FeLV), 3-4 weeks apart.

Fecal Parasite Testing

By bringing a fresh stool sample (not more than 24 hours old), we can look for intestinal parasites that kittens can obtain from their mother, other cats, or by walking where wildlife has been. Parasites are especially common in kittens. Some of these parasites are contagious to people, especially children, and immunocompromised individuals.

Deworming

Your kitten will be given a dose of deworming medication at each kitten check-up based on his or her weight. We always treat for roundworms and hookworms, which kittens catch from their mom and are contagious to people. Almost all kittens have roundworms. They do not show up on every fecal because the worms shed eggs intermittently. We may also give additional medications to kill parasites if they show up on the fecal tests or if there is a high suspicion of their presence.

Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS Test

We will collect a small blood sample from your kitten at one of their kitten visits to screen for Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline AIDS (FIV) viruses. These diseases are contagious between cats and considered to be fatal. If your kitten has had recent exposure to any cat with unknown FeLV/FIV status, we may recommend rechecking the FeLV/FIV test 30 days later since these diseases can take up to 30 days to show up on the test.

Pre-Anesthetic Testing
We will collect both a blood and often a urine sample from your kitten at one of the later vaccine visits. This will help us identify any pre-existing problems before anesthesia and surgery.

Regular Parasite Prevention & Control

We recommend that all cats receive year-round prevention for a variety of parasites that can be detrimental to their health and can be zoonotic (contagious to humans). The parasites that are essential to protect our feline companions against include: fleas, heartworms, and intestinal parasites. There are many safe and effective products that can be used to prevent these parasites. Your veterinarian can guide you to choose an individual preventative plan that fits your kitty’s lifestyle.

Regular Oral Care

Your kitty will live longer and may not have to have costly dental procedures if you can maintain excellent oral health in his or her mouth by daily tooth brushing. We also recommend the regular use of dental treats or several kibbles of dental diet given as treats for your kitty to prevent dental disease once his or her adult teeth have come in, usually by 6 months of age. Hill’s Science Diet and Royal Canin make some great options.

*Due to the increasing costs of veterinary products and technology, our prices are subject to change.