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Kitten & Dog Image
Check Pets Vaccination Records
Speaking of the new year arriving, it’s a good time to think about your pets vaccinations. It’s like changing the battery in the smoke detector so it’s ready for the year ahead. The same thing goes for your cat. You have to make sure they have all their shots so they can be ready to face the year ahead. If you do it now it’s easy to remember the same time year after year.
Pets Med Records Con’t
At your pets annual Vet visit, discuss which vaccinations your cat really needs. Make sure your vet notes the vaccination sites on your pets health record, as well as information of the vaccine, such as the name of the manufacturer, and the serial number. This will all come in handy in the future
Cat flu is caused by two viruses called feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus. It is less fatal but is highly infectious to other cats and can cause permanent damage to the cat’s sinuses.
chlamydia vaccine – this causes another form of cat flu. It is not given routinely, but may be necessary in highrisk areas such as during a flu outbreak at a breeders or in a rescue home.
A rabies vaccination – now available for cats travelling abroad. The vaccine is followed by a blood test 30 days later.
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Cats
Fluffy is Pregnant
A female kitten reaches sexual maturity (goes into “heat”) between the ages of 6 and 10 months. How do you recognize her “heat period”? This is what you can expect: rolling around on the floor, almost in a frenzy; rubbing her backside against you or any other fellow creature; yowling loudly at the door or window; arching her tail and standing with stiff back legs whenever she is touched. Most veterinarians recommend spaying before the cat goes into her first heat, at around 5 months, for the cat’s future health and wellbeing. The heat period will typically last between 4 and 7 days – and will get longer and more frequent if she isn’t bred. She will have several (by the second or third time, you will be thinking “MANY”) heat periods over the course of a year.
With that said, if Fluffy “somehow” gets outside and finds a mate (you’ve probably got about 5 minutes to catch her before she does), she will be pregnant for about 9 weeks (between 62 and 65 days). A female can and will mate several times (with every willing male) during her heat period; kittens in the litter, therefore, can have different fathers.
You don’t need to do anything special for a pregnant cat, other than keep her safe, comfortable, and out of stressful situations, until the last week or so – then she will need more food and will start looking for a place to build a “nest.” You can provide her with an out-of-the-way spot in a closet or back room – but be aware that, especially if this is her first pregnancy, you may wake up to discover her giving birth in your bed.
If the cat appears to be in any distress during the birthing process, call a vet for assistance immediately. If there are no problems, the whole thing will usually be over within an hour or so. And get Fluffy fixed as soon as the kittens are weaned, please.
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