Healthcare for your cat

Vaccinations

Why Vaccinate?

Vaccination protects against diseases, which can kill your cat or take a very long time to be cured. There are 3 major diseases, which should be covered by a routine vaccination.

These diseases are:

Flu
Enteritis
Feline leukaemia

Flu is a common contagious disease which only affects cats. it can be passed by direct contact (one cat directly to another) or indirect contact (uninfected cats using dishes after infected animals).

Enteritis is a contagious pathology, a viral infection that attacks the bone marrow and the intestine walls. Cats may die because of secondary infections or from dehydration.

Feline leukaemia is caused by a virus and once the cat is infected with the virus it never becomes free of it. Feline leukaemia damages the immune system and shortens the cats' life span. So therefore we strongly advise you to vaccinate your cat.

When to vaccinate?

Vaccination can begin from around 9 weeks of age with a second injection at 12 weeks. A booster vaccination should be given yearly to maintain immunity. Adult cats receiving a vaccination for the first time require two injections, at least two weeks apart with a booster vaccination yearly. Some animals may be uncomfortable around the injection site for a day or two after vaccination. Feline leukaemia vaccinations are done by two injections, 3 weeks apart with a booster vaccine once a year (this is not combined with the other vaccine and therefore is a separate charge).

Flea & Worm

Flea treatment: please treat your pet regularly for fleas. We recommend using a spot on for routine treatment every two months. This controls flea infestations in the home.

Worming your cat: We recommend that you worm your kitten every two weeks until they are 12 weeks. We recommend you worm your cat every 3 months. If your cat is hard to worm or has ear mites we recommend a spot on treatment.

Feeding your cat

A well balanced diet is probably one of the most important aspects of healthy normal growth in your pets.

Kittens should be fed kitten food until they are 1 year old.

Adult's aged 1-5 should be on adult food.

Over 5 years of age we recommend Hills mature adult/senior cat. We do not recommend feeding your cat pouches or tinned food.

Neutering

Female cats: Should be neutered (spayed) at 6 months of age.

If female cats were left un-neutered they would continue to have at least two litters of kittens a year for the rest of their life.

Neutering also stops cats from straying.

Male cats: Should be neutered (castrated) at 6 months of age.

Neutering prevents them from fighting (resulting in bite wounds that turn into bad abscesses) and wandering off. It also helps avoid urine marking (spraying) which results in severe unpleasant smells in the house.

Please talk to your pets' vet/nurse regarding any further information on vaccinations, flea/worming treatments and neutering.

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