Kitten Wellness Care
Congratulations on the new edition to your family!
Your kitten’s first visit to Montrose Animal Hospital and Pet Hotel starts your kitten off on “the right paw” and establishes the relationship between you and our health care team. We are excited to meet your new kitten and provide you with the best kitten care, guidance, and information you will need to ensure that your new kitten grows up into a strong, healthy, and happy cat!
Getting Started with your Kitten’s First Wellness Exam
The first step you can take is to visit us so that we can perform a comprehensive “nose-to-tail” physical exam on your kitten. This initial visit has many benefits:
- Extensive physical examination of your new kitten by one of our veterinarians.
- Establish a vaccination schedule and optimal plan for parasite testing, prevention and treatment, including heartworm prevention.
- Familiarize your new kitten with veterinarian visits.
- Establish a relationship with you and your new kitten, as well as fully understand your expectations as a pet owner.
- Provide an occasion to answer all of your questions and/or concerns about kitten care, such as food, nutrition, and/or behavioral questions.
- Discuss with you any risks associated with your new kitten’s breed and/or environment, including congenital/genetic issues.
- Spay or neuter discussion concerning your new kitten. The recommended spay/neuter time for your kitten when he/she is between 4 and 6 months of age.
- Discussion about the importance of microchipping your cat. For more information about microchipping, please visit our microchipping page.
- Discussion about claw care and alternatives to declawing.
- Helping you with behavior issues such as litter box use, acclimating your kitten to its carrier, and to riding in the car.
When visiting with your new kitten for the first time, please bring the following with you:
- Your kitten on a leash.
- Any prior health information that the seller, shelter, or another provided to you, such as information about the breed, history of vaccines, worming, neutering, etc.
- A stool sample that is no more than two hours old.
Vaccinations
Very young kittens do not have fully developed immune systems and are highly susceptible to infectious diseases. To keep your kitten healthy and to provide optimal protection against disease for the first few months of life, we will schedule a series of vaccinations for your kitten at your first wellness exam. These vaccines are usually 3-4 weeks apart. For most kittens, the final vaccination in the series is administered at when they about 4 months of age.
Flea and Tick Prevention for Your Kitten
Fleas and ticks are more than an annoyance for your kitten. They can be transmission agents for numerous preventable diseases. Diseases such as Lyme disease, heartworm disease, and West Nile Virus, are preventable if you prevent flea and tick bites. Internal parasites such as tapeworms can also be prevented. We carry the safest, most effective flea and tick preventatives in our pharmacy. Using a flea prevention medicine, you can keep fleas from infesting not only your kitten, but also your home. We will discuss flea and tick prevention for your kitten with you at your kitten’s wellness exam, and together decide on a preventative that best suits your kitten.
Kitten Nutrition
Your kitten’s wellness exam is the perfect time to discuss your kitten’s nutritional needs with us. Your kitten needs balanced nutrients and access to fresh water. The only accurate information about a kitten food is on the label of the container or package. By understanding a few simple concepts, you can accurately evaluate the label on any pet food. You should ignore anything outside of the product information panel, because that information is for marketing purposes only. The correct food for your kitten involves his or her weight, body condition, life stage and overall health. We will be happy to review your kitten’s food with you so that your kitten is receiving optimal nutrition during this important growth stage.