Adult Cats

Adult Cat Advice & Information 

Regular health check-ups are the cornerstone of a preventative health program for your cat in the years ahead. We aim to see our patients annually. Regular check-ups allow us to catch potential problems early and inform you of the newest and best options in pet medicine pertinent to your individual situation. In the latter years of life these increase in frequency as age related problems become more likely. Every year that passes is 5 or 7 years for your four-legged friend.

Vaccinations

Vaccinations are very important and protect your cat against infectious and potentially fatal diseases; feline rhinotracheitis (herpesvirus), feline calicivirus and feline panleukopaenia virus. Cats are vaccinated every 12 months to maintain immunity throughout life.

Parasite Control 

Our staff will tailor make a parasite control program for your pet. We recommend a range of modern products and will select the most appropriate treatment to suit your pet, depending on his/her lifestyle. The following sub-headings provide general guidelines on parasite control. 

Worms

• Worms can have a nasty effect on your pets health especially if left untreated. In kittens in particular, these effects can be fatal. This is why worming programs for prevention and control need to be started when the animal is young. Intestinal worms can be transmitted to humans.

• The four main types of intestinal worms are Roundworm, Hookworm, Whipworm and Tapeworm. Commence worming your kitten at 2 weeks of age, then every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age. From this point your kitten/cat will only require an all wormer every 3 months ongoing for life.

Ticks

• Click link to tick treatment advice

Fleas  

• Flea infestations can cause your pet to continually scratch, bite and in some cases have a severe allergic reaction. 

• Fleas can also pass on serious infections that rarely can also affect humans. 

• Fleas feed on blood. A severe flea infestation on your kitten can cause anaemia. 

• For successful flea control, action must be taken to eliminate both the adult fleas on your pet and fleas in the environment i.e. eggs, larvae and pupae. Controlling the environment is important, because the fleas on your cat are just the tip of the iceberg.

• It is vital that you remember to administer treatments at the correct intervals and all year round.

• If you are experiencing any flea issues, do not hesitate contacting the clinic to discuss.

Dental Care

It’s important that you maintain the oral care at home to reduce plaque build-up. This will help to keep your cat's mouth as healthy as possible and reduce the need for frequent professional cleaning. There are several ways in which you can do this:

Plaque builds up on teeth within 12 hours of brushing. If left untreated, it will lead to gingivitis and eventually periodontitis and tooth loss. 

Brushing their teeth at least once daily is the best and most effective method of plaque control.  

There are several “pet toothbrushes” on the market, however we usually find that a soft bristled human toothbrush (child’s tooth brush for small dogs) is very effective. There are specially formulated pet toothpastes that are meat or poultry flavoured available here to help encourage them to accept brushing more readily.  Please remember that you should never use human toothpaste as this can make them sick. 

If brushing their teeth isn’t an option, specially formulated prescription diets have been designed to try and reduce the build-up of plaque and tartar on teeth and gums. The prescription diets that we suggest you consider using are called Royal Canin Dental © and Hills T/D©. They are both complete and balanced diets.

Chews can be used in addition to prescription diets and tooth brushing. There are various chews available on the market. 

If you have any questions regarding dental care please call to discuss with one our trained staff about oral hygiene.