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Cats/a first kitten...help

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Expert: - 7/25/2009


Question
Hi....I'm in the prosess of getting my first kitten.

I need some help I know basicly a kittne needs to eat a few times a day and needs alitter box and some toys but beyond that I'm totaly lost can you perhaps reccomend a website with good accurate inforation on everything about setting up for a kitten to vaccines/feeding sheduals/toys/litter training ect?  I apprecate your help....and my future kitty will too :)
thank you.

Answer
Hi Tara.  Congratulations on your decision to bring a kitten into your life!  Here's a website that has lots of good information.  The one point I disagree with is that the feline leukemia vaccine is appropriate for any cat.  This vaccine should not be given to indoor cats who won't have contact with cats who go outdoors.  Although it IS wise to vaccinate outdoor cats against leukemia, the vaccine itself carries a risk of cancer, and since the only way for cats to contract leukemia is through close contact such as a bite wound, repeated mutual grooming or shared food and water, it's completely unnecessary to vaccinate an indoor-only cat against this disease.

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/kittens.html

Good luck with your kitten!

Jessica  

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Jessica

Expertise

The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.

Experience

I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.

Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience

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