|
Kittens are a joy to behold. They’re fun to raise,
entertaining to watch, and best of all, they grow up to be cats!
In the words of da Vinci: “Even the smallest feline is a
masterpiece”. To maximize the chances that your little masterpiece
arrives at adulthood without a hitch, there are several health issues that
must be addressed. Here are,
in my opinion, the ten most important concerns regarding your kitten’s
health and well-being.
Feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)
The feline leukemia virus is perhaps the most feared, and
most frustrating, virus of cats. Transmitted
horizontally (from cat to cat) and vertically (from mother to offspring),
this virus is essentially a death sentence for kittens that contract it.
The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), in
conjunction with the Academy of Feline Medicine (AFM), recommends testing
all kittens for this virus. A
positive test should be repeated and confirmed.
While adult cats who contract the disease may live several months
(or even years), with good supportive care, kittens with the disease
rarely live a few weeks after the diagnosis is made.
The absolute first thing you should do when acquiring a new kitten
is to have it tested for feline leukemia.
Testing should be done before introducing the new kitten to your
home, as the disease is highly contagious from cat to cat. The feline
immunodeficiency virus is the feline equivalent of HIV in humans.
While not as deadly as the leukemia virus, FIV is of great concern
in that cats who test positive for this virus eventually become
susceptible to a wide variety of infectious diseases as the virus slowly
ravages the immune system. The AAFP/AFM advises that testing kittens less
than 6 months of age for FIV may yield unreliable results. A positive test
result in a kitten less than 6 months of age should be viewed cautiously,
and should be repeated after the kitten has reached six months of age. The feline leukemia test, on the other hand, is valid at any
age, and kittens should be tested for the leukemia virus as soon as
possible, preferably by 8 weeks of age.
Vaccinations
Once you’ve confirmed that your kitten is negative for
feline leukemia, the best way to insure that it remains healthy is to
begin the kitten vaccination series.
All kittens should be vaccinated against feline viral
rhinotracheitis and calici virus, the two primary viruses responsible for
upper respiratory infections in cats.
Kittens should also be vaccinated against panleukopenia, a viral
disease that causes severe and often fatal diarrhea.
At 12 weeks of age, your kitten should be vaccinated against
rabies. Several other
vaccines are available for cats, however, vaccination should not be
considered to be a benign procedure, and you should consult with your
veterinarian as to which other vaccines may be necessary for your
individual cat based on its lifestyle.
Worms
Intestinal parasites are a common occurrence in kittens.
Roundworms, hookworms, and coccidia are perhaps the most frequent
offenders. Intestinal worms can accumulate in the digestive tract and
rob the kitten of valuable nutrients at this vulnerable stage in its life.
Coccidia are protozoan parasites that can cause diarrhea in
kittens. The small size of
kittens can make them susceptible to life-threatening dehydration.
Fortunately, most intestinal parasites are easily treated.
On your first visit to the veterinarian, kitten owners should bring
a fecal sample for analysis.
Diet
Kittens grow like little weeds, and they require a high
quality kitten food to insure proper development. Kittenhood lasts a full
year, and kittens should be fed kitten food for the first twelve months of
its life. Avoid generic or
unknown brands of food, and stick with the tried and true commercial
brands or premium brands. If
there is
a dog or two in your household menagerie, it is imperative that your
kitten not consume any significant amount of dog food. Cats
have a unique requirement for taurine, an amino acid found in insufficient
quantity in dog food. Taurine
deficiency can lead to blindness and severe heart disease.
Ear
Mites
Ear mites are pesky, microscopic bugs that can live in your
kitten’s ears, causing itching and relentless discomfort.
Severe infestations can cause rupture of the eardrum and
inflammation of the middle ear, resulting in balance and coordination
problems. Often manifesting as an accumulation of dry, brown, crusty
material in the ear canals, ear mites can cause kittens to scratch their
ears so vigorously as to cause bleeding.
Fortunately, they are easily diagnosed by your veterinarian, and
have become easier to treat due to the recent development of new topical
(on the skin) and otic (in the ear) medications.
Spaying
and Neutering
Kittens are wonderful, however, there is no need to bring
any more of them into this already overpopulated world.
The shelters and humane organizations are brimming with unwanted
kittens, many of which end up being euthanized for lack of sufficient
homes. For this reason alone,
all kittens should be neutered (if male) or spayed (if female) as soon as
practical. Neutering and
spaying also has positive behavioral benefits.
Urine spraying (a way to mark their territory) is unlikely to
develop as a behavioral problem if cats are spayed or neutered before they
reach sexual maturity. Neutering
also reduces cat-to-cat aggression, reducing the occurrence of cat-bite
abscesses and the transmission of viruses such as the feline leukemia
virus and the feline immunodeficiency virus.
Fleas
Fleas are, and will always be, a nuisance to pet owners.
Fortunately, there have been major breakthroughs in flea control
for small animals. There are
several once-a-month oral and topical products on the market that control
fleas. Several of these products control other external and internal
parasites as well. Revolution is a topical product that can be used in kittens
that weigh at least 5 lbs. and are at least 6 weeks old. Advantage is
recommended for kittens that are at least 7 weeks old. Program and
Frontline recommend the kitten be at least 10 weeks old.
The once-a-month products are cost prohibitive for some pet owners.
Fortunately, there are always flea sprays and powders. These are not as
efficacious as the newfangled products; however, they still work. Make
sure that the product label says “safe for puppies and kittens.”
Always be very careful when treating kittens under six weeks of age. If in doubt about the best way to treat flea ridden kittens,
ask your veterinarian.
Ringworm
Dermatophytosis (more commonly called ringworm) is the most
common infectious skin disease of cats.
It is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be spread to humans, and
cat owners are often afflicted along with their pets during an outbreak.
The source of a ringworm infection in an individual cat
isn’t always obvious. Usually
a kitten picks up its ringworm infection from another cat in the same
cattery, breeding colony, shelter, or pet store.
The classical appearance of feline ringworm is one or more
areas of partial, patchy hair loss accompanied by some scaling and
crusting, primarily on the head, face, and front legs.
In most cases, cats infected with ringworm are only mildly itchy.
Many factors predispose a cat to infection, including youth,
presence of debilitating disease, concurrent therapy with drugs that
suppress the immune system, poor nutrition, and stress.
Long-haired cats such as Persians and Himalayans are more commonly
affected.
Despite its name, ringworm is not caused by a worm.
It is a skin fungus, and treatment involves the use of oral
anti-fungal medications, shampoos and/or topical ointments. Most kittens
respond very well to treatment.
Litter
box
While litter box concerns may not fall under the realm of
“health” concerns, per se, the good relationship that we try to foster
with our kitten may be jeopardized if good litter box habits aren’t
established early. Often, a
kitten will already be litter box savvy when you first bring it into your
home. If not, kittens should
be introduced to their litter box by six weeks of age.
Because cats are instinctively fastidious about where they
eliminate, housebreaking is usually an effortless task.
However, cats and kittens can, and sometimes do, deviate from their
good litter box habits. Most cats that relieve themselves in places other
than their litter box do so for a reason, and the sooner the cause is
realized, the greater the chances of successfully retraining the cat.
There are many ways to make the litter box more appealing, and the
area the cat has chosen to soil less appealing.
Consult your veterinarian initially, as a urinary tract infection
may be the inciting cause of the inappropriate elimination behavior.
If a physical examination and urinalysis prove negative, your
veterinarian may be able to advise you as to how to get your cat back on
track, or may refer you to a behaviorist for those particularly difficult
cases.
Scratching
Post
Scratching is a natural behavior
of cats, and providing an outlet for this behavior is a must for all
kittens and cats. Cats need
to scratch. It allows them to
sharpen their claws and get rid of pieces of old, loose claw.
It is also a way for them to mark their territory. Cats have little
scent glands in their feet that mark an item with their scent when they
scratch.
A scratching post is a must for
kittens and cats, and training should begin early, before destructive
behavior turns the joy of owning a kitten into distressful dilemma.
There are many types of commercially available scratching posts.
A simple wooden post covered with carpet works fine.
The post should be at least 3 feet long so that the kitten/cat can
stretch its whole body when it reaches up to scratch. Attaching a toy to the top of the post is a great way to
attract kittens to it. The
most effective scratching posts, in my experience, seem to be those simple
rectangular pieces of corrugated cardboard material.
Cats and kittens love ‘em.
As American fashion designer John Weitz said, “Cats are always elegant”. By keeping these ten
aspects of kitten health and cat ownership in mind, raising a kitten and
watching it transform into a well-behaved, healthy, elegant companion
becomes one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Updated 2/9/06 |
