Whether curled up asleep, tearing around the house or climbing the curtains, kittens are undeniably cute. But don't forget, they are totally dependent on you to provide for their health and well-being to grow into healthy adult cats. A proper diet, vaccination and worming programs, kitten kindy, fighting fleas, desexing and microchipping are all issues you need to know about. Don't worry. Your best ally will be your local veterinarian who will be happy to give you advice on all aspects of your kitten's health.

Vaccination Most kittens will have already received one vaccination by the time they go to their new home. If your kitten was under 9 weeks of age when he received this vaccination, he will require 2 more boosters 1 month apart. The standard vaccination is called an F3 as it protects against Feline Panleucopenia, and 2 different cat flu viruses – Feline Herpesvirus and Feline Calicivirus. There are also vaccines available against Feline Leukaemia Virus. A new range of vaccines for cats is available - an F4 vaccine that includes Feline Leukaemia Virus and an F5 that also provides protection against Feline Chlamydia, which is primarily seen as conjunctivitis in cats. Your veterinarian can advise you on the risk of infection and the benefits of vaccination against Feline Leukaemia Virus and Feline Chlamydia in your situation. Kittens require these boosters since maternal antibodies obtained from their mother interfere with response to vaccination. Kittens lose these maternal antibodies at different rates up to the age of 16 weeks, so they need several boosters to ensure that they develop the maximum antibody response to help protect them from infection.

Worming Worm your kitten every 2 weeks up to the age of 12 weeks, then once monthly to 6 months of age. From then on, it is recommended to give an allwormer every 3 months. If your cat is isolated from other cats, and lives indoors, you can worm less frequently. Worming medication is available as paste and this is the easiest to use with young kittens. There is a topspot preparation called Revolution available for cats and kittens. It is active against fleas, heartworm, ear mites, and the intestinal worms (except for tapeworm). Since cats become infected with tapeworm by ingesting fleas containing tapeworm eggs, a flea-free cat is at low risk of having tapeworm. When starting kittens on Revolution, it is recommended to give a worming tablet against tapeworm in case your kitten is already carrying the parasite.

Heartworm Heartworm disease is not as prevalent in cats as it is in dogs, as the cat’s immune system is able to eliminate most infections. However, not all infections are eliminated after the mosquito carrying the immature heartworm bites the cat, and these immature stages can develop to become large worms in the heart and vessels in the lungs. Signs of heartworm disease in cats are variable, and include sudden death. Heartworm disease can be prevented by giving monthly medication, either oral or as a topspot preparation. Ask your veterinarian about the prevalence of heartworm disease in your area.

Diet Kittens have specific requirements for different nutrients, and it is important to feed a high quality, balanced kitten food in order to meet these needs. Dry and tinned forms are available, and they are only different forms of the same food. Most kittens can eat the dry food by 8 weeks of age. If they are eating a balanced kitten food, they require no other supplements, including milk. In fact, some cats have lactose intolerance and develop diarrhoea if given milk. It is important to train your kitten to eat raw chicken wings and necks from a young age. This is to keep their teeth and gums healthy throughout life. Give them the wing tips first, although most kittens are happy to tackle the whole wing. Periodontal disease is an important disease of middle-aged to older cats, and training your kitten to chew chicken bones from the start will help your cat avoid developing this potentially life-shortening disease. It is recommended to give a chicken wing at least twice a week, although daily is even better.

Desexing Speying your female kitten, and castrating your male kitten, will prevent any unwanted litters, as well as undesirable behaviours. Male kittens can start spraying inside the house to establish their territory from about 6 months of age, and will fight and roam to satisfy the natural male urge to become dominant in their territory. Female kittens first come into season from 5 months of age, and vocalise and become restless when on heat. Breeding from your pet cat is strongly discouraged, since there are so many thousands of cats and kittens put down each year due to cats not being desexed. To avoid these problems desexing of both males and females is recommended before the onset of puberty, generally around 5 - 6 months of age. Some vets will recommend earlier desexing from 12 - 16 weeks of age. It is best to ask your own vet and be guided by their preference.

Fleas There are many different flea preparations available, some of which are combined with other parasite control. Early treatment is recommended since fleas reproduce at astounding rates. Ask your veterinarian for the most appropriate flea control for your kitten.

Microchipping In NSW microchipping is compulsory for kittens. Most will have been microchipped by the breeder, but if not, it can be done in a consultation with your veterinarian. The microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is implanted by giving it through a needle, as an injection, beneath the skin between the shoulderblades. The number on the microchip is then registered with your local council on the Companion Animal Registry. There is also a national database called the Australian Animal Registry, and you can register your cat on this database as well. Microchipping is also compulsory for cats that change owners, but not for existing cats, that is, those born before 1st July 1999, when the legislation was introduced in NSW. Check with your veterinarian or local council regarding the laws in your area.