Kitten Information
Kitten Consults
Kitten visits are not just about vaccines.
At each kitten visit, the veterinarian will do a full physical exam to ensure your kitten is healthy and developing normally, including proper weight gain, tooth development, and behaviour.
The veterinarian will also discuss important topics such as proper diet, socialization, bite inhibition, house training, safety (toxic plants, common ingestions, kitten-proofing), appropriate toys, dental care, and breed-specific considerations.
Initial kitten visits are about $250, and follow up visits are about $175. These visits include the consult and exam, recommended vaccines, and parasite screening and control.
Vaccines
When kittens are nursing, they receive antibodies (protection) from their mother’s milk. These antibodies slowly wear off as the kitten gets older, and are usually gone by 14-20 weeks of age. As this protection wears off, vaccines are given intermittently (every 3-4 weeks) to provide continued protection.
Core vaccines that are recommended for every cat are the FVRCP combo (feline viral rhinotracheitis, calici, and panleukopenia), FeLV (feline leukemia virus) and rabies. These diseases can be very contagious, and deadly.
Example of a healthy kitten vaccine schedule:
8 weeks: FVRCP combo (1 of 3)
12 weeks: FVRCP combo (2 of 3), FeLV (1 of 2)
16 weeks: FVRCP combo (3 of 3, 1 yr), FeLV (2 of 2, 1 yr)
18 weeks: Rabies (1 yr)
Sometime kitten receive their first FVRCP combo vaccine with the breeder or shelter, before being adopted.
All vaccines need to be given again 1 year later. In adults, rabies and FVRCP combo vaccines are given every 3 years. FeLV is a lifestyle vaccines, meaning not all cats will need annual revaccination. The veterinarian will discuss your cat’s individual risk and vaccination needs with you.
For more information on feline vaccines, click here.
Parasite Screening and Control
Many parasites that your kitten can carry are zoonotic, meaning they can be transferred to you, a child or senior, or an immune-compromised family member.
At each visit, you will be asked to bring along a stool sample (click here for tips). We screen kitten stools every 3 months for parasites. Kittens can get some parasites through their mother’s milk, and because their immune systems are not fully developed, from the environment (potted plant soil, dirt tracked in from shoes, other pets).
We also provide treatment for fleas, ticks, and internal parasites at each visit. These medications need to be given monthly until kittens are 6 months old. The frequency of treatment will then depend on your kitten’s lifestyle and risk, and the humans your kitten interacts with.
Why do stool screening and regular deworming? Stool screening only screens for a few of the most common parasites, and the deworming we use is broad-spectrum, but not 100% effective against all parasites. By doing both, we do our best to ensure your kitten is not carrying parasites that could cause disease in either them, or you!
We follow the Canadian Parasitology Expert Panel Guidelines.
Spaying and Neutering
A spay surgery is the operation done on female pets, removing both the ovaries and the uterus, to make sure they cannot have babies. Spaying your pet reduces their risk of breast cancer, and prevents infection of the uterus.
A neuter surgery removes the testes of the male so that they do not have any sperm and have reduced testosterone. This operation reduces male behaviours like roaming, fighting, mounting, and territorial marking.
While this is often considered a “routine” surgery, it is still surgery, and we do everything we can to ensure the anesthesia and surgery is safe. We do a pre-anesthetic screen and consult prior to the procedure to confirm the health of your pet and answer all your questions. We include IV fluids and pain relief in our surgical plans, and a nurse monitors your pet throughout the surgery. For more information on our spays and neuters, click here.
We recommend spaying and neutering cats at 6 months of age.