What does my new kitten need to have done at the vet’s office?
Examination - The most important part of your cat’s visit is the exam. The doctor will examine your kitten from nose to tail and alert you to any current or potential problems noted. Common problems found during a routine kitten examination may include ear mites, fleas, and congenital defects. It is also important to know if your kitten is healthy before any vaccinations are given, since vaccinating an unhealthy kitten will be ineffective.
Feline Leukemia/FIV test - This test is for two immunosuppressive viruses (similar to HIV, but only found in cats). Kittens can contract these diseases from their mothers or from other cats. These two diseases are fatal and not curable. It is important to know the status of your kitten so that we may treat him/her appropriately. The results are available in 10 minutes.
FVRCPC Vaccination - This vaccine protects against the three most serious upper respiratory diseases and the parvo-like disease panleukopenia. This vaccine is given to all cats, even cats that are strictly indoors, because the diseases are airborne and any cat can become affected. Furthermore, this vaccine is required before your kitten can be hospitalized (ex. for spay or neuter) or boarded at a kennel. To be fully protected, the FVRCPC vaccine must be given at least twice at three week intervals until the kitten is 12 weeks old, then boostered yearly.
Feline Leukemia Vaccination - This vaccine is given to your kitten if he/she will come into contact with other cats that go outdoors. If your kitten or any other cat in your household will be going outside unattended, this vaccine will be necessary. This vaccine is omitted if your kitten is strictly indoors and does not come in contact with any other cat that goes out. For full protection with this vaccine, it is given in a series of two vaccinations 3-4 weeks apart. This vaccine is a timed vaccine and must be given within this 3-4 week period or protection will lapse. After the initial series, this vaccine is boostered after 1 year, then every 3 years thereafter.
Rabies Vaccination - This vaccine is required by law in most counties in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Rabies is a real problem in Ohio, mostly in the form of bats. The reason even indoor cats are vaccinated is that rabid bats may get into houses and bite or scratch your cat when he/she attempts to catch them. The first rabies vaccine is given at 12 weeks and lasts for 1 year. Subsequent rabies vaccines last 3 years each.
Intestinal Parasite Exam - A check of your kitten’s stool can reveal parasites, some of which can be transmittable to humans. It is important to treat intestinal parasites to prevent problems in your kitten and infection of your family.
Pyrantel (Dewormer) - Dewormer is an oral medication given at each visit (3 weeks apart) in a series of two. This dewormer kills roundworms, which almost all kittens are born with. It is sometimes possible to observe long, spaghetti-like worms in the stool after the dewormer is given, which is completely normal.
What can I expect to spend on my kitten during the first year?
According to Reader’s Digest October 2002 issue (pg. 200), the average annual expenditure for owners of cats, including food, medical care, etc., is $618.00. The following fees are for the recommended procedures for the first year. A minimum of two visits is required for full vaccination protection. See below for neuter/spay information and fees. Please ask about pet health insurance if you are interested!
Visit - 6-8 weeks
Exam: $40.00
FVRCPC: $17.00
Pyrantel: $10.00
Feline Leukemia/FIV test: $52.00
Intestinal Parasite Exam: $24.00
Visit - 9-11 weeks
Exam: $40.00
FVRCPC: $17.00
Pyrantel: $10.00
Leukemia Vaccine (if needed): $23.00
Visit - 12 weeks or older
Exam: $40.00
FVRCPC: $17.00
Leukemia Vaccine (if needed): $23.00
Rabies Vaccine: $23.00
***The fee for treatment of any conditions noted during an exam will be additional.
Why should I spay/neuter my cat and what will it cost?
Spaying and neutering are the only 100% effective ways to be sure your cat will not reproduce. Other benefits of spaying and neutering are reduction and/or elimination of most types of reproductive cancers, reduction of the incidence of urine marking behavior (i.e. spraying and/or inappropriate elimination), aggression, and wandering, and elimination of the “yowling” associated with female cats in heat. Also, in older unspayed female cats, a life-threatening infection of the uterus can occur, costing up to 10 times the cost of a spay to treat. As you can see, spaying and neutering have many financial and health benefits.
The neuter and declaw procedures can be performed at 12 weeks of age. Female cats must be at least 5-6 months old at the time of the spay. It is highly recommended to have your female cat spayed before her first heat. This dramatically decreases the risk of mammary cancer later in life. Spaying involves removing the uterus and ovaries of the female cat, whereas only the testicles are removed from a male cat during a neuter. Female cats are hospitalized for one night after being spayed, but male cats will go home the day of surgery. If you elect to have your cat declawed, he/she will be hospitalized for 1-2 nights to prevent activity and allow the feet to begin healing.
Surgery Fees
Spay: $180.00 ($232.00 with laser*) Spay/Front Declaw: $385.00 (see list below)
Neuter: $120.00 ($158.00 with laser*) Neuter/Front Declaw: $335.00 (see list below)
Front Declaw: $295.00 (see list below)
Our surgery fees include:
Pre-Anesthetic Bloodwork (liver and kidney function and anemia tests)
Safe injectable and gas anesthesia
Sterile surgery
Laser surgery (Included with any declaw, neuter/declaw, spay/declaw.
*Optional for spay or neuter at additional charge)
Antibiotic injection for all surgeries
Pain medication injection lasting 12 hours
Duragesic patch after declaw provides continuous pain medication for 3-5 days
Absorbable sutures when necessary (eliminating the need for a return visit)
Needed hospitalization (day only or 1-2 nights, depending on procedure)
Non-clay litter for use for 5-7 days after declaw procedures
All fees subject to change without notice
Diet
We recommend feeding a premium kitten food such as Iams, Eukanuba, or Hills Science Diet until approximately 6-8 months old. At about 6-8 months, gradually change the diet to an adult formula. Although these foods generally cost more per bag than generic foods, they also contain more nutrition per serving, so your kitten will not eat as much of the premium food as a generic food. Therefore, the additional cost of a premium food is minimal, since you buy bags less often. Also, if your kitten eats less food, you have to clean up less stool - and who can argue with that! For most cats, free access to food is the easiest way to feed. However, if weight begins to become an issue, you may need to feed scheduled, measured meals to prevent further weight gain or switch to a “less active” or “light” formula. Remember, it is much easier to prevent weight gain than to get your cat to lose weight later!
Litter Box
Problems with using the litter box are the number one reason owners surrender their pets to shelters, so we feel it is very important to try to prevent problems from the beginning. The most important thing to remember about litter boxes is to keep them CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! Since it is not natural behavior for cats to use the bathroom in the same place time after time, it is essential to keep the litter box clean to avoid having the cat decide he/she will find somewhere cleaner to go. Most kittens have no problem learning to use the litter box, since they naturally want to try to cover their urine and bowel movements, and the litter box allows them to do this.
If you have multiple cats, you should have multiple litter boxes. Behaviorists recommend one litter box per cat plus one additional litter box. This helps immensely in avoiding inappropriate elimination. If you have any questions or problems relating to your cat’s use of the litter box, please don’t hesitate to call. Frequently the cause of inappropriate elimination is a medical problem. Especially in male cats, because of the possibility of urinary blockage, it is very important to address urinary issues immediately. If your cat is urinating frequently, passing small amounts of urine at a time or urinating or defecating outside the litterbox, please call us right away. If your male cat is straining to pass urine and cannot eliminate at all, this is an emergency situation and can be fatal if not treated. You need to call us or the closest emergency clinic immediately. The sooner problems are addressed, the more effective treatment can be.
Kitten-Proofing
Make a thorough tour of your home to be sure there are not any dangerous items your curious kitten might find irresistible. Look for things like string, thread, coins, buttons, etc. Basically, anything small enough for a kitten to swallow should be kept away from him/her. Get down on the kitten’s level and take a good look around with a cat’s interest in mind. Remember, some plants can be toxic to cats, so keep these out of reach. Also, warn everyone in the house to be sure to close doors and windows to prevent your kitten from wandering outside and becoming lost or injured.
Fleas
Fleas can be a problem even for cats who never step foot outside. They can be carried into your home on other pets, clothing of friends or even from your own yard. Once fleas are in your home, all pets in the house must be treated with a flea preventative such as Advantage or Frontline TopSpot to break the flea life cycle, which are 100% guaranteed to work, unlike over the counter flea control products. They are applied between the shoulder blades once a month for 3-4 months. The medication in the product stays in the fatty layer of the skin and is dispersed through the natural production of oils into the hair coat, killing adult fleas on the cat. As the flea eggs in your home hatch out into the environment, the newly hatched fleas must feed on your cat. When they jump on for their first meal, the Advantage or Frontline kills them. The process of all eggs in the environment coming to maturity generally takes about 3-4 months, so it is imperative that treatment is continued until all fleas are gone. If one flea is left, you will have to begin treating all over again.
Identification
Identification of both indoor and outdoor cats with microchips and tags is recommended. Outdoor cats need identification to prevent well-meaning people from assuming your cat is homeless and taking him/her into their home or to a shelter. Indoor cats can easily become disoriented and lost if they sneak out, so identification for them can be doubly important. They may not be able to find their way home even if they want to! Tags with your name and phone number attached to a break-away collar (NOT a flea collar) are the easiest and least expensive means of identification. However, collars can be lost, so microchipping is also recommended. Microchipping involves insertion of a very small device under the skin between the shoulderblades. The microchip is encoded with a unique number that can be traced directly back to you, the owner. All public shelters and many veterinary offices now have microchip scanners and would be able to detect that your pet has a home. The recovery service is operated 24 hours a day, so if your pet is lost, he/she can be returned to you as soon as possible.
When to call us...
If you observe your cat doing any of the following, please call us as soon as possible to determine whether Dr. Baxter will need to see your kitten: not eating for more than 12 hours (kitten) or 24 hours (cat); diarrhea; vomiting; excessive coughing or sneezing; weakness/lethargy; limping or pain; itchiness; straining to urinate or frequent urination. Any behavior that concerns you concerns us. Please don’t hesitate to call us with any questions or concerns you may have - better safe than sorry!