Vaccinations are a vital component to pet health and protection against potentially fatal diseases.

Our core vaccination protocol for kittens and cats at the Belmont Vet Centre is as follows:

Kittens:

6-8 weeks – TRICAT vaccination- Calicivirus, Herpes Virus & Panleucopaenia virus.

10-12 weeks – TRICAT vaccination- Calicivirus, Herpes Virus & Panleucopaenia virus.

16 weeks – TRICAT vaccination- Calicivirus, Herpes Virus & Panleucopaenia virus.

10 months – BoosterTRICAT vaccination – Calicivirus, Herpes Virus & Panleucopaenia virus.

Adults:

They then require another TRICAT booster a year after that (provided kitten vaccines have been given).

In addition to vaccinating your cat with a TRICAT vaccine and protecting them against Calicivirus, Herpes Virus and Panleucopaenia virus, all cats with access to the outdoors need to be vaccinated to protect them from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) that causes Feline Aids. The vaccination schedule for this requires three vaccinations given 2-4 weeks apart and then a once yearly booster injection, this can be given alongside the TRICAT vaccination schedule so that they remain in sync for the life of your cat.

NOTE: The FIV vaccination must be given at its due date, otherwise your cat may need to re-start their course of primary vaccinations again. If your cat is overdue for their vaccines, please contact us so we can guide you on how to get your cat fully protected.

Diet and nutrition is a vital part of animal development and maintaining good health. It is essential that kittens and cats are given a high quality, complete and balanced diet.

Different life stages have different requirements for different nutrition. It is important to get some advice from well-trained professionals that are targeted at your cat’s specific needs and stage of life. Please call the BVC to arrange a nutritional consultation with one of our trained nutritional advisors. Feeding a good quality balanced diet will also aid in weight control, coat condition, dental hygiene, and gastrointestinal health.

There are general diets available for all life stages and for many common health problems that occur in cats, for example, urinary tract issues, weight control and kidney disease to name but a few.

Kittens and cats need to be dewormed at regular intervals to prevent intestinal worms. It is important that the worming product used covers all species of worm (many don’t!). Deworming schedules change as kittens age and become adult cats and so the best deworming schedule to follow is as follows:

• Every 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age until 12 weeks.
• Once monthly from 3 months of age until 6 months.
• Three monthly from 6 months of age, for the life of your cat.

It is important that worming is performed, regardless of whether or not your cat has had worms or not in the past. Cats can be exposed to worms in many ways, including picking them up in the environment while out roaming or from other cats wandering into your yard, not just from direct contact with other animals. This means prevention is the best treatment for your cat. There is a wide range of options for this which includes products that can be applied to the back of the neck, or given as a tablet.