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Cat wanted
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21-04-2009 2:20pm#1
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Hi Janine87
In the first year, your kittens need to have their vaccinations -that's three sets of injections usually delivered at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks. Your vet will administer these.
Your kittens will also need to be neutered to avoid the risk of unwanted pregnancies in a female, or roaming and territorial behaviour in a tom, which could include spraying urine in and outside your house to scent mark territory.
Neutering is better done younger, because the recovery time is shorter. Neutering in males is a very simple procedure. In females it's a more complex internal surgery, and they will carry stitches for 10 days after the procedure. These stitches can then be removed by the vet after 10 days. By 'younger', I mean if you can find a vet that will neuter at 10 - 16 weeks, go fo it. Don't wait until six months of age - a healthy female cat can have a first litter at six months and if you're too late you'll have a bunch of kittens you have to rehome.
See if you can find a vet who will do the vaccinations and neutering as a package deal. Also see if they will microchip your cat. Microchipping your cat ensures that if it ever goes missing and is picked up by a pound, a chip reader will reveal that you're the owner and the cat will be returned to you instead of euthanised.
From the age of 6-8 weeks, worm your kitten once a month using an appropriate worm medication (get it through the vet) until they are six months old. After six months they can be wormed every three months, and this worming treatment should continue through their adult life, every three months.
Neutering reduces your cat's metabolism by up to 30%. It's really impossible to overfeed a young kitten, so you don't need to worry about that and can continue feeding them four times a day, but once they hit the six month mark, watch to ensure your cat isn't getting a low-slung gut - the lower belly fat pad is where initial weight is stored. If they're getting gutty, reduce the amount of food you provide.
As cotton says, if you can find a rescue kitten from a shelter who comes neutered and vaccinated in return for a donation, that will save you a lot of hassle and frankly a lot of money.
After the first set of three vaccination injections in the early months, cats are supposed to have an annual booster vaccination. Whether or not you opt to have this done depends on the kind of lifestyle your cat lives. If it's an outdoor cat, in a populated area with other cats, an annual booster is a good idea. If it's an indoor cat, you could probably reduce that to once every three years, or do away with it entirely. Keep in mind that if you go on holidays and want to leave your cats at a cattery, the cattery will require they have up to date vaccinations before taking them in.
This post was brought to you by the word 'vet' and the letters b-i-l-l and s.
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Hey,
thank you very much for your help there!
It really helped me a lot and I will take your advise. My cat at home was not that difficult. lol She got injections from the owner she had before and then only went to the vet with me fr neutering. That was basically it and she never went to the vet again. And shes absolutely fine and will be 12 years of age next month. I didnt worm her either and shes more of a outdoor cat and never had problems!
Anyways I will do the best for my new kitten and give it injections in the weeks its needed. I havent decided yet if itll be an outdoor or indoor cat. I think a bit of both as the estate I will live in is very quite and save for a cat.0 -
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Thanks!:) I love my 12 year old cat very much! And shes not even acting like a 12 year old. Its like shes still young you know! I treat her very well. Oh and dont worry about the be-pissed-off thing when I get the new kitten. My 12 year old cat is in my old home. She is with my mum ad takes care of her since about 2 years now. So the kitten will be in my new home. I will share the kitten with my boyfriend but I probably take more care of her than he does!:D I love cats a lot and would be lost without one.
So I will take your adivse on buying worm medicine for my kitten. Ill go to the vet for the injection and buy it straight away.
Hey pink about your two kittens. I would love to have one but I agreed to one kitten in Sligo town already and I think my boyfriend wont be too happy about getting another kitten. We have got a hamster already!
But thanks for the offer anyway! 0 -
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PinkTulips wrote: »no bother... they're little cuties so i'm sure i'll have no bother finding them homes.
good luck with your new family member
Thats good. They deserve a good home!
Thanks I will! 0 -
PinkTulips wrote: »if you wanted a jet black female kitten i have 2 and i'm just down the road from you in ballaghaderreen
they're only tiny but will be ready to be rehomed in 4 weeks or so.
Oh you sexed them, good stuff!
So do you have a black boy and a bi girl?
I was going to say in this thread that you had kittens but didn't think it was my place....0 -
there's 5 altogether... 2 black females, 1 black male and 2 b&w males but i'm counting the 2 your lady is interested in and the other b&w as taken as there's been interest in them and i don't want fighting to ensue
just the 2 black females hopefully that need homes now.
meant to PM you, i haven't forgotton about those pics, heading to my dad's shop tomorrow or sunday to upload them from the camera and will email them to you then so the lady can pick which of the b&w she'd like... although if his name is going to be sylvester i have my suspicians which one she'll choose 0 -
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