Clinton Parkway

Kittens

“We humans are indeed fortunate if we happen to be chosen to be owned by a cat.”

Kittens need mental and physical exercise to be happy, healthy members of a human household. We provide free access to The Animal Behavior Network to learn more about how to teach your kitten to be your best friend for life. We will enroll your kitten during her initial visit to our hospital. You can also check out the VIN Pet Health Center and search for information on specific behavior issues.

Getting ready for your kitten

The preparation you take before you bring home your kitten will help your pet adapt to the new environment. You should be ready with food, a litter box, toys, grooming aids and bedding.

You may be able to teach your kitten to sleep in one place, although cats generally enjoy sleeping just about anywhere — on beds, couches, window sills, sunny spots on the carpet and other cozy corners. Putting soft bedding materials such as towels or blankets in secluded areas will encourage your kitten to use them.

“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

Basic nutrition

Your kitten is going through its fastest growth period now until it’s about 12 months old. That’s why proper nutrition is essential. Feed a high quality, life stage pet food like Hill’s Science Diet Feline Growth.

You should feed your kitten enough of the proper food to meet its energy needs. Use a feeding guide, usually printed on the label, as a starting point. Many kittens can have food available at all times, but be careful – obesity is a common problem in cats. You may have to feed measured individual meals instead.

Routine exams

Your kitten should receive a complete health examination as soon as possible. We will start your kitten on a vaccination schedule and advise you when boosters are necessary.

A stool specimen will be examined for intestinal parasites. All kittens should be dewormed starting at 3 weeks of age, and repeated every two weeks. Learn more about intestinal parasites in pets.

We will discuss feline heartworm disease, a deadly disease transmitted by mosquitoes that is a danger even to cats that never get outdoors. If indicated, flea control for your kitten will also be discussed.

“A meow massages the heart.” – Stuart McMillan

We encourage you to learn more about elective surgeries, including informational videos on our Neuter and Spay web pages.

Additional Website Video Resources:

Cornell University Feline Health Center:
Giving Your Cat a Pill or Capsule
Giving Your Cat Liquid Medications
Trimming Your Cat’s Claws
Brushing Your Cat’s Teeth.

What about Feline Leukemia?

Feline Leukemia (FeLV) suppresses the cat’s immune system, leaving it unable to fight off other infections. It is one of the most common causes of deaths in cats today.

Our Recommendations for FeLV Testing and Vaccination:

• All cats should be tested for FeLV.
• All cats that go outdoors should be vaccinated against FeLV.
• We strongly recommend vaccinating all cats in a multiple-cat household if any of these cats go outdoors.
• We do not recommend vaccinating indoor cats.

Why microchip your cat?

Most of our feline patients are indoors, yet we experience numerous cases of indoor cats escaping outdoors, without any collar or identification. Most outdoor cats do not wear collars and if they do they are typically break away collars. Many people that see a cat without a collar assume it is a stray, but they really have a family that is missing them. Microchipping your cat is the best way to help assure you get your missing family member back safe in your arms. Most shelters and veterinary hospitals scan all new or found pets for this microchip to help find the owner. Thousands of pets have found their way back home with this wonderful technology. The size of a grain of rice, this microchip is injected with a needle under the skin of your pet where it remains safely for life.

“The trouble with sharing one’s bed with cats is that they’d rather sleep on you than beside you.” – Pam Brown

Declawing. . . a final consideration.

We discourage this surgery for our feline friends. Learning how to trim your cat’s nails will usually be all that is needed to prevent destructive scratching.

If you have sincerely tried to solve the problem but still encounter destructive scratching, declawing may be a final consideration. It is certainly a better alternative than banning your cat to the outdoors. Numerous studies have shown that declawing does not have a detrimental effect on a cat’s behavior or personality.

The Declaw Operation

Onchyectomy (declawing) is the surgical removal of the last bone and claw. The bone and entire nail are removed. The skin edges are usually sutured, and a soft padded bandage is applied to cushion the feet. Your kitten will stay in the hospital overnight. Antibiotics are usually dispensed to avoid potential infection associated with contact with litter, etc.

Post-operative pain relief is very important for this surgical procedure. We do everything possible to be sure your pet is comfortable during surgery and the post-op recovery period. We also dispense analgesia medications to provide excellent pain relief at home.

Laser surgery for onchyectomy?

A recent study reported in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association regarding the use of “Carbon Dioxide Laser for Onychectomy in Cats” concluded that the CO2 laser can be an excellent tool for onychectomy in cats. However, differences in discomfort and complications between groups treated via scalpel versus CO2 laser were not clinically relevant and were only observed one day after surgery.

With implementation of pre-emptive analgesia, nerve blocks, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, either procedure will allow your cat to recover comfortably—they should not have any pain, regardless of technique.

Other Website Resources:

Indoor Cat Initiative from Ohio State University
A great resource of information for indoor cats from the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine.
Morris Animal Foundation’s Happy Healthy Cat Campaign
American Association of Feline Practitioners
Capster.com