Feline Pediatric Health & Wellness Plan

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Congratulations on adopting your new Kitten and welcome to the Healthy Paws Family!

 

At Healthy Paws, we have developed our Health and Wellness Plan for Kittens with a primary goal in mind- to keep your kitten healthy through this important phase of rapid growth and build a solid foundation for maintaining optimal health throughout your kitten’s life.

 

What are the basic components of the Feline Pediatric Health Plan?

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•  History & Physical exams- usually 3 pediatric exams

• Immunizations- kitten booster series

• Internal and external parasite control- intestinal, heartworm, flea, tick & mite control

• Laboratory screening tests / preoperative blood screening

• Nutrition counseling

• Zoonotic disease (conditions that can spread to humans)

• Spay / neuter / microchip discussion

• Behavior consultation / basic training

• Management of congenital disease- problems some kittens are born with

• Exercise / play recommendations

• Dental care- starting the discussion of home care

 

We have carefully developed our program to provide the most current & complete medical care for new kittens to put them on the path for a healthy full life with you.  We will continue to modify the program as superior screening tests, vaccines, or medications are available.  Please look at our Feline Pediatric Health Plan in detail- we are happy to answer any additional questions you may have.  We believe you will agree the program provides the best preventative health care for your newest family member.

 

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• Core vaccinations- FVRCP, Rabies

• Non-Core vaccinations- Feline Leukemia (FeLV)

• Triple Snap test- Tests for FeLv, FIV (Feline AIDS) and Heartworm

• Fecal screen for parasites

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Why Vaccination for your Kitten are Vital

 

There are many very serious and highly contagious diseases that your kitten can contract if not properly protected.  Fortunately, safe and effective vaccines have been developed for most of these diseases. Similar to human babies, kittens require a series of vaccines (boosters) given during the first 4 months of life-when maternal antibody protection is wearing off and the kittens’s own immune system is maturing. By following recommended vaccination protocols, you are giving your cat a solid core immunity that will protect from infectious diseases throughout their lifetime.

 

Vaccines are typically given in conjunction with the pediatric wellness exams at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks of age. Depending on the size of your cat and the number of vaccines to be given, your doctor may recommend splitting the vaccines over two sessions.

 

What are we vaccinating against?

 

Core vaccines are those that are recommended for all cats and include Rabies, Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia (FVRCP)

 

Non-Core vaccines also protect against serious diseases but may not be appropriate for all Cats based on individual lifestyle (outdoor or indoor). Non-core vaccines include FeLv (Feline Leukemia).

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Lifestyle Vaccines are those that protect again contagious diseases encountered in certain situations. For cats, the only “lifestyle” vaccination is the Feline Leukemia vaccine.

 

At Healthy Paws, your doctor will discuss whether or not a non-core vaccine is appropriate for your cat and develop a vaccine strategy for each individual patient.

 

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis - FVR is very contagious and can cause severe disease, including death from pneumonia in young kittens. Initial signs of FVR include coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, conjuntivitis, and sometimes fever (up to 106) and loss of appetite. These usually resolve within four to seven days, but secondary bacterial infections can cause the persistence of clinical signs for weeks.

 

Calicivirus - A common viral disease that affects cats, is characterized by upper respiratory symptoms, pneumonia, oral ulceration (sores in the mouth).

 

Panleukopenia (feline distemper) - A severe, highly contagious viral disease of cats, kittens, raccoons, and mink. The panleukopenia virus tends to invade cells which are rapidly growing such as those of the digestive system, bone marrow (which makes blood cells), lymph tissue, and developing nervous system. Common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, low white blood cell count, seizures and/or death.

 

Rabies - A fatal viral disease that can affect any warm-blooded mammal including humans. There is no cure for rabies.  Infected pets must be euthanized and all exposed persons must receive a series of painful rabies vaccinations. Common wildlife vectors include raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, & woodchucks.

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Feline Leukemia - A retrovirus that is only spread through direct contact and exchange of blood and saliva with an infected cat. Indoor only cats at no significant risk of exposure, so we do not recommend vaccination. However, if your cat starts to venture outdoors, it is imperative to get them vaccinated against this deadly virus that causes cancer after infection.

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Parasite Control

Protecting the health of your kitten and your family…

 

At each pediatric visit, we will check for the following:

• Intestinal parasites via fecal (stool) exam

• Ear mites

• Fleas, ticks, and other skin parasites

• Ringworm (fungal infection)

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How do we test a stool sample?

 

Stool samples can be tested in-house or at our reference laboratory. Typically we send fecal samples out to the lab and receive results by the following morning. In special circumstances we may run fecal tests in-house at our facility. To do this we mix a small amount of stool with a sugar solution that causes the parasite eggs to separate from the rest of the fecal material, float up, and stick to a glass slide which we then look at under the microscope.  Each type of parasite has a unique egg size and shape. Eggs are microscopic and can be missed if the worms are not shedding eggs the day the sample is collected.

 

Yikes, I see actual worms in the stool!

 

Sometimes kittens do pass adult worms- especially after a deworming. Roundworms look like spaghetti, and tapeworms look like small flat tan grains of rice. Call us if you ever see worms on your dog’s hind end or in feces!

 

In cases of chronic diarrhea & weight loss in kittens that have negative fecal tests, we may recommend additional testing for more rare parasitic diseases.

 

Flea & Tick Prevention

• Topical monthly coverage - Revolution® (containing selamectin) - this active ingredient prevents heartworm disease. As well as redistributes into the skin from the bloodstream and kills adult fleas, American dog ticks, and ear mites, and prevents flea eggs from hatching.

• Topical 12 week coverage - Bravecto® (containing fluralaner) - exterminates parasites that reside on the skin or in the fur of the kitty including fleas and ticks.

• Collar 8 month coverage - Seresto® (containing imidacloprid and flumethrin)

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Healthy Paws currently recommends Revolution by Pfizer for flea and tick and heartworm prevention in outdoor cats. Revolution is approved for kittens 8 weeks and older and is applied directly to the skin in between the shoulder blades.  The compound absorbs but is contained in the lipid layer of the skin where it slowly releases over the next month.

 

Flea and tick preventative is recommended for indoor cats with flea infestation or if you feel they are at risk living with another animal that goes outside.

 

Heartworm Disease, Prevention & Testing

Yes, Cats do get Heartworm disease. Heartworms affect cats differently than dogs, but the disease they cause is equally serious.

 

Transmission of heartworm disease occurs through mosquitoes. A cat contracts heartworm disease when a mosquito carrying microscopic-size heartworm larvae bites a cat. The larvae enter through the bite wound where they develop in the tissues. The immature worms then enter a blood vessel and are carried to the arteries in the lungs where they cause an inflammatory reaction. Most worms die at this stage, causing even more inflammation. The worms that progress to the adult stage may live undetected for a couple of years. But, when the adult worms die, the inflammation can be severe enough to cause death. The respiratory signs associated with these reactions are called Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease (H.A.R.D.). Chronic signs of feline heartworm disease include difficulty breathing, coughing or gagging, heavy or fast breathing and vomiting. More acute signs can be anorexia or weight loss, lethargy, seizures, fainting and loss of coordination. Many cats with heartworm infection may exhibit no signs of disease.

 

Prevention is easy, safe and effective. Healthy paws generally prescribes Revolution which is a topical medication containing selamectin. When consistently given monthly throughout the year, Revolution is 100% effective. We start outdoor kittens on heartworm prevention at their first pediatric visit, but testing is usually first done at the 10-12 week visit.

 

Testing for heartworm disease is recommended at the kitten’s 10-12 week pediatric visit if you are planning on them being outdoor cats. If proper prevention is demonstrated testing would not be necessary to perform again unless they are showing signs of unexplained respiratory issues.

 

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Spay and Neutering

All Cats should be Spayed or Neutered by 6 months of age.

 

Benefits

• No unwanted pregnancies- there are plenty of healthy kittens looking for home. Sadly, thousands of unwanted cats and kittens are killed each year in the shelters due to overcrowding and financial restraints.

• Eliminate the risk of pyometra- a life-threatening uterine infection in intact females

• Reduce the risk of developing mammary (breast) cancer- increased risk with each estrus cycle.

• Decrease/eliminate spraying and marking behavior

• Decrease inter-cat fighting and aggression

• Decrease risk if Feline AIDS and Feline Leukemia transmission (highest prevalence among intact male cats that are more likely to fight and be bitten)

 

Risks - no significant risks have been identified for cats other than the inherent risks of anesthesia and surgery. We take every step to minimize any potential risk and monitor vitals on every patient during the surgical procedure.