Info

Dr. Doron Neri, Veterinarian

The first step in caring for your cat is to make sure he / she is healthy. If you vaccinate your cat as required, the chances of it becoming ill with viral diseases are slim. In addition, until your cat is fully vaccinated, he is very sensitive to different diseases so it is recommended that he stays inside your house until two weeks after he is fully vaccinated.
1. At the age of 8-9 weeks, your kitten will receive his first vaccine: the CPV 1. After three weeks he will receive the booster shot, which is the last vaccine for the year.
2. If your cat did not receive the vaccination for over a year, he will receive the first CPV 1 and three weeks later, the booster shot. 

By the recommendation of the department of health, because the rabies disease is present in our country, we recommend to vaccinate your cat once every two years with the rabies vaccine if the cat is also an outdoor cat. Now your cat is vaccinated for a whole year. From now on, all you have to remember, in order to keep your cat healthy, is to come to us once a year for an annual checkup and vaccination.

WORMS

There are two kinds of worms that exist in every cat: tape worms and round worms. The cat gets the worms from her mother and/or from fleas. The worms can pass on to people (especially small children). The treatment is given by pills or syrup which is effective against the worms. We recommend giving the first treatment between 8-9 weeks of age and another one after three weeks along with the vaccination. It is important to remember that keeping your cat clear of fleas will prevent the tape worms.

 

FLEAS AND TICKS.
Most cats, at some point have or will have fleas. There are a number of products to exterminate and prevent the fleas on your cat.We recommend using:

1. Seresto. Seresto is a collar for prevention of fleas and ticks in cats by Bayer Company. It is useful for 7-8 months and is water proof. The collar can be used from the age of 7 weeks.

2. Bravecto. Bravecto spot on solution is a new and effective product by MSD Company, used to exterminate and prevent fleas and ticks. It is administrated on the back of the cat's neck, just behind the ears. Bravecto is effective for 12 weeks period and can be used on the cat from 11-13 weeks of age.

3. Advocate. Advocate spot on solution is also a product of Bayer Company, effective against fleas and ear mites. It is administrated on the scruff of the cat, just behind the ears. One spot on ampule is good for one month, it is safe to use on kittens from 8 weeks of age and kills all fleas on the cat within 24 hours but is not effective against ticks.

WASHING. It is not recommended to wash the cat at all, unless he is very dirty or has a foul odor. If you decide to wash your cat, you should purchase a special cat shampoo and to wash thoroughly with water.

FEEDING
Nutrition is very important to keep your cat healthy. Make sure your cat gets dry food and canned food. Recommended food companies are:
Hill's vets essentials
Hill's science plan
Royal canin
Eukanoba
Nutram

 

Until the age of six months you should purchase kitten food.

FORBIDDEN FOODS

NEVER feed your cat with: bones, sweets, salty and spicy food, grapes and raisins, onions and garlic. Also, never give your cat human medicine without consulting a vet.

SEXUAL MATURITY.
Cats reach their sexual maturity around the age of six months. There are two ways to deal with it:
1. Spay or castration, (the highly recommended way) if you do not want your cat to have kittens.
2. The natural way: to supervise them during the heat period. This is very difficult, because the female cat has a tendency to run away from home in search of a male cat.  In addition, she can wail and scream for hours and want to escape from the house.  The male cat will also wail and scream and mark the house with a foul odor, will want to escape from the house and will get into fights with other male cats. 

 
We hope this information will be useful for taking care of your new family member. If you still have questions, don't hesitate to call us at: 03-5403368. We answer day and night to this number. You can also visit our website at: www.vets.co.il