Medical Tips
Preventative Notes
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Our practice is to vaccinate kittens at 3 weeks of age with an Ultranasal 2-way for Feline Rhinotracheitis and Calicivirus, and again at 8 and 12 weeks with the 4 -in-1 Feline Distemper Series: Feline Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia, and Chlamydia Psittaci. We also worm with Drontal or equivalent and use both Panacur and Baycox as preventative health measures before going home to you. We strongly recommend a “Well Kitten” exam by your vet as well as a one year booster. If your kitty stays indoors (this is a condition in our contract) and does not go to public groomers, boarding facilities, or have contact with outside animals, we recommend that the yearly booster be the last shot he or she would need; we are wary of over-vaccination.
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Persians and Himalayans are not outside cats. They are playful and mellow with naive instincts more suitable for cuddling than stalking prey. They are not streetwise and have very few self-preservation skills. By keeping your kitty inside you are lowering the rate of contracting deadly transmitted diseases as well as parasites (fleas, ticks, worms, giardia, coccidia), automobiles, dogs, cat fights, matted and dirty coats ~ and because people know they are valuable they risk being stolen. If you live in the country, even being killed by coyotes is a possibility. If you fear your cat could get out from time to time it should have rabies and feline leukemia vaccinations regularly. We do not annually vaccinate for either of these because they carry the risk of cancer at the injection site. If your kitty is kept indoors, there is significantly less risk for getting these diseases and we determine the extra vaccinations are not necessary. *Please note: Rabies vaccination is often required by law, depending on where you live. Because the necessity of the shot is controversial, we prefer to leave this to the discretion of the new owner and/ or their veterinarian to make the call.
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We can’t stress enough the importance of using good common sense and taking precautions for the health and well-being of your kitty.
Spaying and Neutering
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When it is the appropriate age, a vet or cat clinic should perform the surgery. A good age for males to be neutered is six months for males and eight months for females to be spayed. Persians and Himalayans mature later than the short-haired, more feral breeds, so there is no need to rush the procedure. Also, it is good to let them get their full skeletal growth before being altered as neutering or spaying too soon may result in a smaller head and spindly legs. Finally, your kitten should weight at least five pounds to safely undergo anesthesia. Often we are asked if a kitten will start to spray if he is not neutered; this is almost never the case at that young age.
Fleas
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Your kitten comes from a ‘flea-free’ environment, but fleas are quite problematic in some areas, especially in the warm months. Flea eggs are sticky and can be brought into the home environment on one’s shoes. If you have a pet that is unprotected, the flea cycle can invade your home. We recommend using either Program or Advantage as flea prevention treatments. Program is a once-a-month oral treatment that is safe even for kittens and also it’s argued that it offers some protection against skin fungus/ ringworms. Advantage is a topical treatment that is applied to the back of your pet’s neck once a month. If your cat does get fleas, it will have to be wormed since fleas carry tapeworm. This is an extremely easy preventative precaution that will safe time, aggravation, and expense in the long run; please don’t forget or put it off as it’s well worth the (minimal) effort! Many thanks to Lisa for allowing us to cite this page which gives advice on using the dog version to save money, also!
Household Dangers
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Be aware of household dangers... some houseplants are toxic (eg lilies), as are some cleaning agents (Lysol is toxic to cats; there is also speculation about certain “Swiffer” products). The best cleaning agent that we recommend is Health Guard (also from Revival online); it’s versatile enough for everything from laundry additive/ disinfectant, anti-fungal dip, spot/ odour remover, carpet shampoo, and others. It’s non-toxic and leaves a residual protection. This is akin to products used in hospitals, restaurants, and professional kennels... it is safe and kills germs, viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
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Tinfoil can be dangerous; and rubber bands, pins/ needles, cigarettes, dental floss, tacks, holiday ornaments, etc. Keep toilet lids down and check clothes dryers before starting them. Closets can be attractive to kitties looking for a warm snooze - and potentially pen them away from food, water, and litter for hours.
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Kittens are curious and although they are built hardier than they look, it’s our job to treat them as the babies they are. We must protect and remain thoughtful about what they have access to. Same goes for cats!
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