Small animal
Your new kitten!
A free health check, a kitten pack with a toy, and clear advice on vaccinations, neutering, worming and fleas.
It is great fun having a playful new kitten and we love meeting them! Bring your new kitten to see us for a general health check within a few days of arrival, and we'll give you a free kitten pack with useful information, free samples and a toy.
Vaccinations
Kitten vaccinations can start from 9 weeks of age, with a second vaccination 3 weeks later. We recommend vaccinating against feline flu (feline viral rhinotracheitis and feline calicivirus), feline enteritis (feline panleucopaenia) and feline leukaemia. All of these diseases are present and seen regularly by us in Orkney, and can cause severe illness and lifelong problems.
Annual boosters keep up your cat's immunity. After the first year's full booster, some diseases only need boosting every 3 years, while the flu viruses need an annual boost.
Going outside
Kittens are best kept indoors until fully vaccinated after twelve weeks of age. We advise waiting until after they are neutered before letting them out unsupervised, to reduce the chance of them getting lost or injured. Letting them out in daylight only, and rewarding them with food when they come back in, helps establish a routine.
Neutering, microchipping and insurance
We recommend you neuter (spay or castrate) and microchip your kitten before they go outdoors, to prevent unwanted litters, reduce spraying, roaming and fighting, and make sure your kitten can be reunited with you if lost. Neutering is usually done at around 4 to 5 months of age.
We also advise pet insurance to cover unforeseen illness or injury. Ask us about our free introductory five week pet insurance for kittens.
Worming
When you collect your kitten from the breeder, ask when they were last wormed so we can advise the best protocol and products. A free worm tablet is given at your kitten's first visit. We recommend monthly worming until 6 months of age, then routine 3-monthly worming for most cats.
Fleas and ticks
Most flea products are given as a tablet or spot-on, monthly or as required. A free tasty anti-parasite tablet is provided at your kitten's first visit. Fleas and ticks are both seen regularly here. If your cat gets fleas, treat your house too, to break the flea cycle by killing the eggs and larvae.