Kittens can be our best friends, from sweet snuggles at night to head bumps and kneading during the day. We can form bonds with our fuzzy fur babies that truly are deep and long-lasting. It has been scientifically proved that owning a cat can improve the quality and health of their owner’s lives. 

Cats are wonderful companions but owning one is a long-term commitment, so make sure

you are ready.

Can I cover all the financial costs of owning a cat, beyond just the purchase price, including food, bedding, toys and veterinary check-ups and treatment including emergencies?

Is my home safe, secure and suitable for a cat?

Before presenting for your first visit check on the kittens

• Date of birth
• Vaccination history
• If your kitten has been microchipped
• Worming status
• Current diet
• Any relevant previous medical history

Age + Procedure

2 weeks  →  Worming

4 weeks  →  Worming

6 weeks  →  Worming

8 weeks  →  1st Kitten F3 Vaccination +/- FIV Vaccination, Worming

10 weeks  →  Worming

3 months  →  2nd Kitten F3 Vaccination +/- FIV Vaccination, Worming

4 months  →  3rd Kitten F3 Vaccination +/- FIV Vaccination, Worming

5 months  →  Worming

6 months  →  Worming, Neutering, Dental check, Microchip (if not already done)

9 months  →  Worming

12 Months  →  Worming

15 months  →  Annual health check & F3 Vaccination +/- FIV Vaccination

The Pathway to Good Health

Life Stage Medicine

Birth to 15 Months 

• Primary course of vaccinations 
• Desexing (pre anaesthetic blood screen) 
• Microchip 
• Regular intestinal worming
• Flea & Tick prevention 
• Hills Kitten dry food 

15 Months to 8 Years 

• Annual Health check 
• Annual vaccination 
• Annual dental checks 
• 3 monthly intestinal worming 
• Flea & Tick prevention 
• Hills Lifestyle Diet

8 Years & Beyond  

• 6 monthly Health Check 
• 6 monthly dental checks  
• Annual vaccination 
• Annual Senior Health Profile blood tests, urinalysis & eye check 
• 3 monthly worming
• Flea & Tick prevention 
• Thyroid test
• Hills Senior Diet

Make an appointment for a New Kitten Health Check. 

We will perform a physical examination to check on the health of your kitten. We will look for any congenital abnormalities, check your kittens heart for the presence of murmurs and check for any parasites (fleas, mites and worms).

It also gives us the opportunity to discuss the management and nutrition of your kitten as it develops.

F3 – Feline Respiratory Disease (Cat Flu) and Feline Enteritis Vaccine

Kittens should receive 3 kitten vaccinations  

• 8 weeks
• 12 weeks
• 16 weeks of age or older

A F3 vaccine should be given a year after the last kitten vaccination

Adult cats should receive a F3 vaccine annually

FIV – Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Vaccine (Feline AIDS)

• Strongly recommended for cats that spend time outside and have contact with other cats.
• Not recommended for inside only cats, unless living with an FIV carrier cat.
• Initial vaccination schedule is three vaccinations every 2 - 4 weeks.
• Adult cats should be blood tested prior to FIV vaccination

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) Vaccine

• The incidence of Feline Leukemia is very low in our area.
• Administered to cats living with a known FeLV carrier cat.
• Low incidences of vaccination site tumours are possible

Kittens should be wormed fortnightly with an all wormer medication until 12 weeks of age. 

Then kittens should be wormed monthly from 12 weeks to 6mths with an all wormer. 

Adult cats with access to the outdoors should be wormed every 3 months and cats that live entirely inside should be wormed annually with an all wormer at vaccination time.

Microchipping is the best way to safeguard your pet against loss or theft. This simple procedure is routinely performed at our hospitals – and it is now a legal requirement for all pet dogs and cats. 

Pets are registered with the NSW Companion Animal Registry, the Australian Animal Registry and we will give you the required paperwork to allow registration with Yass Valley Council.

We recommend all cats are neutered (spayed or castrated) at 5-6 months of age, unless owners intend to breed with them.  

Neutering reduces the incidence of some unwanted animal behaviours (fighting, aggression to owners and inappropriate urination), infections and injuries due to fighting and sex hormone related diseases (mammary tumours).

MORE INFORMATION

Annual vaccination time or annual health check time is a good opportunity for us to perform a comprehensive examination on your pets. Cats age differently to humans and it is generally agreed that the first two years of a cat's life are roughly equal to the first 25 of a human's, and after this, each additional year is around four 'cat years', so many issues can develop in a relatively short period.  

It’s surprising the number of potential or existing health problems that can be detected during a thorough physical examination – behaviour, ear infections, dental disease and sore teeth, heart conditions, bumps and lumps, arthritis or skin diseases and hormone imbalances such as diabetes and hyperthyroidism. 

It’s also an ideal time to talk about nutrition and ideal body weight.

Senior cats should receive a full health check once every 6 months.

Fleas are a common parasite that are often challenging to treat once they are established in your home. Adult fleas may be seen on your pet, but the majority of the flea’s life cycle is undertaken in the environment. This means that to break the life cycle, we need to treat both the pet, any other animals at home and the environment.

Prevention is better than trying to treat flea infestations. We recommend flea prevention for both cats and dogs, especially if they interact with other pets or travel.

There have been recent reports of paralysis ticks being found on dogs in the ACT and surrounds though these cases are still rare. We regularly treat dogs that have visited the coast in the previous week and have picked up a tick while visiting. Paralysis tick intoxication can be a life-threatening condition requiring extended intensive care.

Cats that travel to the coast from our region should receive a treatment for prevention against paralysis tick before they travel. It would also be a good idea to consider tick prevention as part of a routine precautionary health care program for your pet. 

Occasionally we will see other ticks that may attach to your pets but these ticks are not usually associated with disease. These ticks can be killed by the same medication that kills paralysis ticks.

We can discuss your pet’s nutritional requirements and recommend the best diet for your pet and your situation (whether that be a natural diet or a premium commercial diet).

We recommend and stock Hill’s Science Diet as it is one of the three premium pet food brands in Australia. Hill’s Science Diet has a range of diets tailored to life stage, energy levels and medical conditions, while providing a balanced and complete diet to your pet.

Maintaining good dental health is such an important part of keeping your pet happy and healthy. Dental disease is a very common and often unnoticed condition in our pets. We offer the following services:

• Advice on dental health and preventatives
• Perform professional oral examinations under general anaesthetic
• Scale and polish teeth under general anaesthetic to remove tartar associated with smelly breath
• Take digital radiographs to identify diseased teeth, and
• Perform dental extractions with nerve blocks to make your pet’s mouth so much more comfortable.
• Remove retained deciduous (kitten) teeth that may crowd the mouth and accelerate dental issues. 

We also offer advice about home care measures that work for your pet and your situation, to help slow the accumulation of tartar.

Consider organising a quote on line for pet insurance. Pet insurance is the best way to give you peace of mind as a pet owner. It’s impossible to predict when a pet may become ill, have an accident or need surgery. We are unable to recommend a company, but we can talk to you about your options. 

Unfortunately, our beloved pets do not live for ever. At Yass Valley Veterinary we offer compassionate and caring end of life services either at our hospitals or in the familiarity of your home. It is an emotional time and we understand that it is a particularly difficult as you say good bye. 

We offer aftercare options for your pet's body with the following companies:

Paws to remember: pawstoremember.com.au

Eden Hills: edenhills.com.au