Prevent kitten diseases

When a kitten comes into the house, a long-cherished dream is fulfilled for most people. For the cat's child, however, the separation from the mother, the siblings and the familiar environment is the biggest turning point in his life.

As nice as the new home may be - the kitten will feel stressed by the change. This stress, in combination with the immature immune system and the tender constitution of the juvenile, can lead to health problems.

Cat children are in immediate danger

It is very important that there is no change of food during the move. For the first few days, give the kittens only the usual diet and follow the feeding recommendations (time, amount, etc.) of the breeder. If you later want to change the kitten to another diet, go step by step, mixing the new food in increasing proportions under the old one. An abrupt change could lead to diarrhea, vomiting, and food denial. These digestive disorders are life-threatening in livestock, because they do not have enough energy reserves. In addition, the small bodies dry out quickly in case of fluid loss.

In addition to digestive problems, the kittens are extremely susceptible to infections of all kinds. Mostly the animals, when they are taken over by their new owner, have already been vaccinated against cat flu and cat disease for the first time. These vaccinations must be repeated within four weeks so that they can fully develop their protection. Depending on whether the cat indicator: Make her cat a joy later only live in the apartment or get clearance, further vaccinations against leukemia, FIP and rabies are recommended. The best way to get the pet doctor to create an individual vaccination plan for the kitten. Only when the primary immunization (includes two vaccinations at a maximum of four weeks) against the major diseases is completed, the young cat may go outside.

But against many infections, there are no vaccinations, and therefore you should pay particular attention to hygiene in the conversion phase. Never leave wet food in the bowl for more than half an hour, clean the food and drink containers at least once a day and then rinse with hot (preferably boiling water). You should not use harsh cleaners or disinfectants for this purpose and for house cleaning - as even delicate residues can be dangerous for sensitive kittens. Kittens are often attacked by parasites. Incidentally, such an infestation usually has nothing to do with poor hygiene. So there is no reason to blame the previous owner. Mostly, the kittens were infected with roundworms via the mother's milk.

To prevent the kitten from getting infected with its own worm eggs, worm cures should routinely be performed every two to three weeks until the fifth month of life. In any case, the kitten should be dewormed before each vaccination. An existing worm infestation can weaken the animal's immune system.

Well maintained and yet parasites

Ear mites can also be a "keepsake" to the mother. The tiny mites live in the ear canal of many adult cats. Display: Make your cat happy without causing any symptoms. While petting, the little beasts migrate from the mother cat to their offspring. In juveniles, the mites can cause ear infections with severe itching. Other mite diseases have become rare - but they occur just like fleas, even in well-groomed animals again and again.

It is important to be careful when choosing a remedy. It is important that you go to the vet as soon as possible with a kitten who often has scratchy or sore skin. Because these parasites can weaken a young animal. Equally important is that you only use parasiticides on the animal and in the home that the vet gives you or explicitly recommends. Because many anti-parasitics (also herbal!) Are highly toxic to cats. What else can you do? Take the pranks and mistakes of your protege with humor. Be patient if he needs a little time to get used to you, the new environment and the new rules. Do not expect too much affection from your cat's child in the beginning -but give him all the love you have.

Castration

Castration removes the cat's ovaries or the cat's testicles. The castration not only prevents the reproduction of the animals, it also prevents disturbing behavior, such as the urine marking of the cat, before. In a sterilization, however, only egg or vas deferens are severed. Also, this intervention makes the animals infertile, but it has no effect on the behavior of the cats. Only when cat and cat are castrated before sexual maturity, the development of annoying patterns of behavior can be prevented. Sexual maturity usually occurs at the age of seven to nine months.

It is also possible to perform surgery on puppies at the age of only a few weeks. This very early castration should be just as easy as an intervention in a six month old cat. Especially with stray cats, this is certainly also a useful method to effectively prevent unwanted offspring and the overcrowding of animal shelters. For animals that are in the care of man, you should seek advice from the veterinarian about the best time. (Barbara Welsch, veterinarian)