About Us : Preventative Care for Cats



Preventative Care for Cats

 

 

Vaccine Recommendations:

 

We make vaccine recommendations based on your pet's risk factors.

All kittens are given one dose of Purevac Rabies vaccine at 3 months of age. This vaccine is boostered yearly.

All kittens also receive Panleukopenia (Distemper) and Upper Respiratory virus vaccines every 3 or 4 weeks until they are 16 weeks old. This vaccine is boostered one year later, and then every 3 years.

In addition to these vaccines, kittens receive two doses of Feline Leukemia vaccine spaced 3 to 4 weeks apart. This vaccine is boostered yearly for cats that have a high risk of exposure to infected cats (outside environment).

Vaccine plans for your elderly cat should be discussed with your veterinarian. 

 

 

 

Deworming:

 

All kittens and their mothers should be de-wormed for Roundworms at initial visit and 2 weeks later. All cats and kittens with visible signs of tapeworms (segments on their anus, tail or stool) should be de-wormed for tapeworms. Hunting cats or cats with fleas should be de-wormed for tapeworms every 3 to 4 months. All cats should be de-wormed at least yearly. We now have a topical dewormer for cats called Profender®.

 

 Physical exam: 

 

Physical exams should be performed on all cats under the age of 7 yearly.

 

Physical exams should be performed on all cats over the age of 7 every 6 months.

 

All cats 7 years of age or older should have pre-surgical blood work performed prior to each anesthetic procedure.

 

The need for routine CBC, Blood chemistry profiles, urinalysis, thyroid testing should be discussed with one of the doctors yearly.

 

 Dental Care:

 

All feline patients should have their teeth checked at least once yearly. If tartar is accumulating, they will need to have their teeth professionally cleaned under anesthesia. Brushing teeth at home daily and using a tartar control diet (Hill's Feline T/D) are helpful in keeping kitty's mouth healthy.

 

 
Flea and Tick Control:

 

Since fleas and ticks carry disease, all cats should have good flea and tick control. Using the Heartworm preventative, Revolution, will also prevent flea infestations. Frontline Plus applied monthly to the cat's skin over his/her shoulder is effective at killing adult fleas, flea eggs and larva and ticks. According to recent estimates, 90% of fleas carry infectious agents, including the organism that causes people to get ill with Cat Scratch Fever.

 

 

 Canned food diets for Cats:

 

Recent research has caused us to change our dietary recommendations for cats. We are now recommending that all cats receive at least some of their daily diet as canned food. Cats are true carnivores and have unique nutritional needs. They need a meat based diet because they are not able to use carbohydrates very efficiently. In order to formulate a food into dry kibble, it has to be at least 40% carbohydrates. Feeding a high carbohydrate diet causes cats to gain weight and can also predispose them to diabetes.

We recommend that our feline diabetic patients receive a high protein, low carbohydrate diet such as Iams® canned kitten food or Purina® DM diet. This type of diet helps diabetic cats lose weight and gain muscle and thus reduces their insulin requirements.

 

Taking Care of Your Indoor Cat

 

Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine has a terrific website that gives valuable information about your indoor cat and how to make your home a perfect environment for him called: The Indoor Cat Initiative.

 

The world can be a dangerous place for cats if they are outside & outdoor cats are the biggest threat to the wildlife of Virginia (most song birds) so keeping cats indoors is a great idea. However, if they are totally indoors, pet owners have to enrich their lives, provide exercise, and keep their litter pans pristinely clean, well located, and chose the litter their cats prefers.

Ask us how to do this! We can help.

Heartworm Preventative is recommended for all our feline patients. This disease is often fatal in cats, and there is no effective treatment available. Interceptor® is a monthly chewable tablet. Revolution® is a monthly liquid that is applied to the cats skin that also prevents roundworms, hookworms, fleas, and ear mites. Cat's need monthly heartworm preventative, too!