Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   I finally found a vet for my 8 week old kittens, Mint and Pepper. However he seems to be just a consultant and not a professional vet. Will meet him on Saturday. He said that he would arrange for DEWORMING medication and was talking about an ANTIRABIES shot. He told me that any VACCINES had to be ordered from elsewhere as and when there is a demand.

   What are some questions that I must ask the vet?

   Please note that they are going to be entirely indoor kittens/ cats.

   I also need to know the following things so that I can cross check the same with the vet because I think you guys on TDK know a lot about kitten care.
   1. Is the deworming medicine liquid or in the form of pills?
   2. How often should it be given?
   3. What is the name of the deworming medicine?
   4. Are your kittens given rabies shots?
   5. What are the names of the vaccines to be given?
   6. At what age must the vaccines given?
   7. How often must the vaccines be given?
   6. Against which diseases do the vaccines protect kittens?

   I hate to ask so many questions. Would appreciate even a short answer. Thanks.

   Posted 2 years ago by onlinebuddy #

2. 

   Hi WTW! I have no idea what the actual shots are called, but in SA we vaccinate our kittens at age 8 weeks - basic 5-in-1 shot, covers chlamydia, snuffles, panleukemia, calici and something else I cant figure out right now . . .
   After that vaccine they go for boosters a month later - usually a 5-in-1 again, but then they also get their rabies shots. After this they only get booster shots once a year - 5-in-1 and rabies again. In SA rabies shots are required by law.
   As far as deworming goes - package inserts always say every 6 weeks. I usually do it that way 2 or 3 times, and then only deworm my cats twice a year. It really depends on their environment and what kind of exposure they get -eg. do they have access to raw meat? Animals they can catch/eat themselves? If they can get to that sort of stuff, better to deworm more often. Most dewormers come in tablet form.
   You should probably ask around for places where you can get them spayed/neutered?

   Posted 2 years ago by Skyron #

3. 

   Thanks Skyron. At least I know that it is a 5 in 1 shot. Apart from chlamydia I've never heard of the other diseases.

   I wonder how we can get them to swallow the deworming tablets?

   Yes, I will check about the spaying/ neutering. Also, maybe the vet can help with the gender identification:)

   Posted 2 years ago by onlinebuddy #

4. 

   Do they HAVE worms? I've never had a kitten with worms and they've all had their stools checked. I don't believe in giving meds unless necessary. Our state laws require rabies vaccine, there are different types, one lasts 3 years another only 1. My vet used to think the FeLV vaccine wasn't necessary for indoor cats, but then it was proved the virus can be carried in on your shoes so we vaccinated the cats. 8 weeks old is the age for vaccines.

   Posted 2 years ago by Sheba's Mom in Raleigh, NC #

5. 

   I checked with my vet today - the highest number of shots you can give at once is an 8-in-1, but I have no idea what all that is for. I think it might cover stuff like FIV & FeLV, but that also means it would be really expensive. Sheba, go check out her post about roundworms - it's really shocking. I've never heard of that happening with anything other than tapeworms . . .

   Posted 2 years ago by Skyron #

6. 

   About giving tablets to cats . . . Oh boy. Thats never easy. I've been doing it for years, and it is purely due to experience and practice that I can stick the pills in their mouthes and shove it down with a finger. There is a technique to getting that right, but I have no idea how to explain it in writing - it's one of those things someone has to show you :( If you do it really fast and you know what you're doing it doesnt bother the cat at all. That being said, it took me MANY bite wounds and scratches to get to that point. Depending on what tablet you use, you can either crush it up and mix it with a tiny bit of food and give it to them to eat, or you can mix it with some butter and rub it on the front of their front paws. If you mix it into their food, it has to be a small amount - just enough to get the powdered pill to adhere to the food, otherwise your kitties are just going to eat around the food that has the pill in it. Rubbing it on the front of their paws works really well because they absolutely hate getting their feet wet/dirty, so they will inevitably lick it off . . .

   Posted 2 years ago by Skyron #

7. 

   I met the vet today. I actually asked him to come over to my home. He said that both, Pepper and Mint looked quite healthy. He felt that both MAY be girls, but said that he's not sure and that I'll have to wait.:( :(

   He gave me a tablet that took care of roundworms, hookworks, whipworms and tapeworms. I was asked to divide each tablet into 8 parts. One part had to be given every 21 days for 3 weeks since roundworm has a 21 life day cycle.

   He asked me to wait a few weeks for the vaccine. Also, the neutering/ spaying will have to wait till the kittens are 6 months old.

   Posted 2 years ago by onlinebuddy #

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