Congratulations on the arrival of your new family member. The following information is provided to help you with all the necessary health care your new cat will require, including vaccination, desexing, heartworm prevention, flea control, worming, nutrition, microchipping and pet insurance.
Wellness for life
Did you know pets age around seven times faster than you? Taking your cat to the veterinarian once a year is the same as a person seeing a doctor or dentist once every seven or eight years. That is why all cats need twice a year health and wellness check-ups. Wellness check-ups allow your veterinarian to detect, treat and help prevent health related problems early before they become painful and sometimes untreatable.
Vaccinations
To safeguard your pet from potentially serious and sometimes fatal diseases, we recommend vaccinations. Cats are vaccinated against:
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Feline Enteritis
- Cat Flu
- Feline Chlamydia
- FIV
Learn more about cat diseases here.
Your cat may require a course of two vaccinations, each one a month apart, to fully protect them from the above diseases.
To protect against FIV, we need to do a blood test prior to vaccination to ensure your cat does not have the disease. Vaccination requires a course of 3 vaccinations, which are given 2-4 weeks apart. Adult cats require an annual vaccination booster for life. You will receive a reminder when your cat's yearly vaccination is due.
Desexing
We strongly recommend desexing all cats, male and female, between 5 and 6 months of age. As well as reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies, desexing prevent pets from roaming, fighting, spraying and night prowling.
Once your cat has been desexed, a tattoo is placed in their left ear. This is a requirement to identify that your pet is desexed. Read more about desexing your cat here.
Heartworm Prevention
Heartworm can affect cats and is spread by mosquitoes. Although heartworm is not prevalent in South Australia there is a monthly spot on available to prevent heartworm in cats.
Heartworm prevention is needed for the lifetime of your pet. Find out more about heartworm disease here.
Worming
The most common worms that affect cats in Australia are roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm. Worms are a common cause of ill health in pets and can cause signs such as loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea and in severe cases even death.
Cats should be wormed every 3 months for life with an allwormer, eg. Drontal tablet or Felix paste. Learn more about worming here.
Flea Control
Fleas are unfortunately an ever present nuisance to our pets. If they exist in the environment they will find a way onto your cat's coat.
Fleas can be prevented easily and effectively with a once a month topical solution. All pets in the household need to be treated. Our Veterinary Healthcare team can provide you with more detailed information about effective flea control.
Nutrition - a healthy diet
To maintain your cat's health and wellbeing he/she must have a balanced diet. The most reliable and convenient way to provide a balanced diet is to feed a high quality prepared cat food. We stock several varieties of premium quality cat foods at our hospital. Cats often prefer to eat several small meals per day but will do equally well if fed one meal at the same time each day. Milk is unnecessary and can cause diarrhoea in those that are lactose intolerant. Clean water must be available at all times. Learn more about feeding your cat.
Microchipping
Microchipping is a permanent form of identification in the form of a tiny chip, which is implanted under the skin. Registration details are kept with Central Animal Records and can be updated by the owner if there is any change in owner details.
We recommended to microchip at the time of desexing as a tattoo is required in the right ear to identify them as being microchipped.
Pet Insurance
Adelaide Animal Hospital recommends pet insurance. Insurance is available to cover your pets medical expenses including surgery, illness and accidents. Please ask our healthcare team for a brochure.
Cat Safety
Please remember for the safety and well being of your cat and other wildlife it is recommended to keep your cat indoors or in an enclosure after sunset.
Your cat should also wear a collar or be microchipped to ensure that they are properly identified. Some councils require this, so please check with your local council.
