New Kitten Care Kit:

Please visit our Feline Adoption page!

Congratulations on your new kitten! We would like to commend you for making a life-long commitment to your new animal friend. It is our goal to help you and your pet have the longest and happiest life together as possible. To achieve this goal, we recommend the following:

Upon arrival at your home, your new kitten should be isolated from your other household cats for a one-week quarantine period. After this time, your kitten can be gradually introduced to your other cats under supervision.

In general, we strongly encourage you to have your kitten examined by a veterinarian within 1-2 days of ownership. The following is an example of a good kitten health care program:

• 6-8 weeks: Physical examination; 1st FVRCP (Feline Rhinotracheitis, Calici Virus, and Panleukopenia virus); fecal examination for intestinal parasites; deworming.
  
  
• 10-12 weeks: Physical examination; 2nd FVRCP; deworming; Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDs test. Optional treatments include: 1st Feline Leukemia vaccine; heartworm prevention; flea and tick prevention if needed.
  
  
• 14-16 weeks: Physical examination; 3rd FVRCP; deworming; Rabies vaccine. The 2nd Feline Leukemia vaccine may be given at this time.
  
  
• 5-6 months: Spay or neuter.
  
  
• 1 year: Physical examination; Rabies booster; FVRCP booster; Feline Leukemia booster.

Because this protocol may not be appropriate for all kittens, there must be good communication between you and your veterinarian so that your kitten can have the most complete preventive health care plan possible.

Good nutrition is also vital for a healthy kitten. In general, any pet food approved by A.A.F.C.O. should be adequate, but it may be better to stick with higher quality foods such as Iams, Eukanuba, Hill's, Purina Pro-Plan, and Nutro. Your veterinarian should be
able help you make an appropriate diet decision for your pet. Your kitten should stay on kitten food for the first year of his or her life. After this time, you can transition him or her to adult food gradually over 1-2 weeks.

The rest of your kitten kit includes several brochures that will help to educate you regarding intestinal parasites, feline heartworm disease, feline leukemia and AIDs viruses, flea and tick control, dental care, veterinary pet insurance, and alternatives to
declawing. Please peruse this information at your leisure and let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you again for committing yourself to providing a forever home for your new kitten! The human-animal bond is very precious and we look forward to watching it grow over years to come!

~ The Doctors and Staff of Leesburg Veterinary Hospital