How Much Do Shots For Kittens Cost

What Should I Feed My Kitten

Proper nutrition is essential for growth, so it is important to choose the right food when your kitten is weaned. Cats are obligate carnivores and require meat protein in their diet. This protein should be of high quality, so choose a name-brand food specifically formulated for kittens that is made by a reputable cat food company. Growing cats have different nutritional requirements than adult cats, so kitten food should be fed until your kitten reaches twelve months of age.

“Cats are obligate carnivores and require meat protein in their diet.”

Buy food that has been certified by a recognized organization as complete and balanced. This means that the food is nutritionally complete to meet the needs of growth and development. In the United States, you should look for food that has been certified by AAFCO, an independent organization that oversees the entire pet food industry. In Canada, look for foods approved by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association , or foods that are labeled as having been tested by feeding trials. Your veterinarian can provide you with specific dietary recommendations that will help your kitten develop into a healthy adult cat.

Cat foods are available in dry, canned, and semi-moist formulations that should all bear a label stating that the food is intended for kittens. Each of the types of food has advantages and disadvantages.

Does Cat Insurance Cover Vaccinations

Most pet insurance policies dont cover vaccinations or other preventative medicine without purchasing a rider . This means your premium will go up, and they may only cover the core vaccines and not any additional ones, Dr. Bonk said. Be sure to read the fine print on any pet insurance policy before purchasing.

While pet insurance policies usually dont cover vaccines, having pet insurance can help tremendously if your cat were to have an emergency and require surgery.

Pet insurance can also help older cats who might be diagnosed with a disease and require special medical care.

Cat vaccinations are an important part of owning a happy and healthy cat. Always consult your veterinarian to make sure youre keeping up with your cat’s shots and that shes getting the ones she needs.

If I Choose To Breed My Cat When Should I Start

There are many kittens that need adoption, so unless you have specific plans for the kittens, breeding is not recommended. Even if you find homes for all of the kittens, those homes are then no longer available for the many cats and kittens that need adopting from shelters.

If you decide to breed your cat, she should be at least one year old. This will allow her to mature physically and minimize the physical demands of pregnancy. Many breeds have preexisting genetic conditions. This needs to be considered and screened for before breeding can occur. Speak with your veterinarian to make sure you practice responsible breeding techniques.

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Veterinary Care And Vaccinations For Kittens

Its a no-brainer, but your cat must be immunised to protect her from harmful, sometimes fatal, disease.

Before you pick up your new kitten and take it home, make sure that they have had their first vaccination. Kittens should receive they first vaccination between 6 to 8 weeks of age. This first vaccination starts to build your kittens defences against any potentially serious diseases.

Low Cost Cat Vaccinations

There are a few ways to save money on kitten and cat vaccinations in the UK:

• Compare prices at local vets before you book an appointment, because some vets charge twice the price of other vets.
• Look into your vet’s pet health club, which can potentially save you around 10% on vaccinations.
• See if you qualify for reduced-cost vaccines from a pet charity.

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Optional Cat Vaccinations Costs

Vets often suggest the following non-core cat vaccinations if you plan to let kitty outside frequently, board them, or have a clowder of cats:

• Bordetella, another zoonotic disease, is a highly-contagious respiratory infection known as kennel cough that cats transmit between each other and can even catch from infected dogs. If left untreated, it might cause pneumonia. The vaccine is frequently administered in stages or as one shot with annual boosters. Cost: $10$30 per treatment.

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How Much Does It Cost To Vaccinate A Kitten

Youve just taken on the brand new kitten or are planning to adopt one very soon. This is an excellent idea as we all know the joy and unconditional affection a pet can bring to our busy lives. However, the process of adopting a cat is a commitment with numerous responsibilities, one of which involves vaccines. It is essential to plan for these expenses each year because it is essential that your cats vaccination records are up-to-date. The following guide can give a solid idea of the expenses.

Find out about other vaccines required and the reasons its important to give your cat a vaccine and more.

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Cost Of Kitten And/or Cat Vaccinations

The cost of vaccinating your kitten can vary widely depending on your geographical location, the individual veterinary practice you visit, the type of vaccine, and many other factors. Costs ranging from $20-$45 are not unusual for an individual vaccination alone, and most veterinarians will want to perform a physical examination before vaccinating your cat, which can add an additional $50-$100 to the total cost. Your kitten may need to receive more than one vaccine during a visit as well. For instance, your kitten may need to receive a rabies vaccine along with the FVRCP vaccine.

Many practices offer packages that include multiple procedures for kittens. For instance, a new kitten might receive a physical examination, a first vaccination, a deworming, a test for feline leukemia, and a fecal examination all during the same visit. Some veterinary hospitals offer a special price for these packaged services. Costs may range from $70-$250, or more if spay/neuter surgery or other services are included in the package.

Why Do Cats Need Vaccinations

Vaccinations are important for your cat because they help prevent her from getting seriously ill by some of the most common feline diseases.

You might be thinking that your house cat lives a sheltered life and would never come in contact with any illnesses, but the fact is that you can bring viruses and bacteria in on your shoes and clothes, and your dog or other critters that go outside can also bring them in, Dr. Bonk told The Dodo. So, even if your cat never goes outside, they arent fully protected without proper vaccinations.

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Exercise And Play Supplies

The right exercise and play supplies will support your kitten bonding with you, which helps promote their social health, and keeping your kitten active contributes to their physical and mental health so you can enjoy more years together.

Plan to stock your home with the following supplies:

When you first welcome your kitten home, be sure to have a few cat toys already on hand, and as you get to know them, consider purchasing a few different kinds of toys to learn more about their play preferences. Cat toys can range anywhere from $1 to more than $20.

A cat perch or tree can give your kitten the ability to escape daily life and get away from any stressors. Perches and cat trees cost $50$150+.

Scratching helps cats keep their nails healthy and is a part of their grooming routine. Giving your kitten an appropriate place to scratch can help save them from scratching something they shouldnt. A scratching post costs around $25$50.

Are There Shots Available For Kittens

There certainly are! Kittens are meant to have three sets of vaccinations, and the schedule is set for 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age. Since most kittens typically go home with new owners by about 12 weeks of age, you might only need to worry about the second or just the third set. But of course, everything depends on your individual circumstances.

At PetSmart ShotVet, you can choose to have the three separate vaccines administered individually or pay as a whole in a package.

• FeLV
• Rabies

You can also pay for a package that includes all three sets of vaccines for $179, which is a savings of $78.

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What Vaccines Do Kittens Need As Required By State Law Rabies

Rabies is the other core vaccine your state will require your kitten to receive. Rabies is a fatal disease that causes fever, headache, excess salivation, muscle spasms, paralysis, and mental confusion. It is spread from many types of wild animals to domestic pets and can be spread to humans. Depending on your state laws and the veterinarian, your kitten can receive this vaccination at about 12 weeks old.

Its Cheaper In The Long Run

It goes without saying that the more times you take your pet to the vet, the more money youll have to spend. Though a cat or dog may recover from an initial bout of illness, some diseases can severely damage your pets overall health, so you’ll need to take them to the vet more frequently in the long run.

For example, FeLV can seriously impact your cats immune system and make them much more likely to pick up other diseases and develop health issues like anaemia and cancer. A case of parvovirus can cause dogs to have problems with their organs and immune system down the road, too.

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Why Should Your Cat Get The Fvrcp Vaccine

In all three of the diseases listed above, no effective anti-viral treatment is available, and veterinary care for infected cats is basically supportive, helping affected animals cope with the serious signs of illness until their own immune system allows them to recover.

In some cases, despite the best veterinary care, affected animals do not survive. This is why vaccination against the viruses is so strongly recommended: it provides highly effective protection so that kittens and cats never develop clinical disease.

Why Should I Have My Female Cat Spayed

Spaying young cats offers several advantages:

• Your cat will avoid heat periods, which usually begin at six to seven months of age and occur every two to three weeks in an unbred cat. During the heat period, female cats encourage the attention of male cats. The female cat will posture and vocalize, which can be annoying to owners so too can the presence of neighborhood male cats that mark the territory outside your house and fight off other suitors. Sometimes the natural urge to mate is so strong that your indoor cat will attempt to escape outdoors to breed.

• Spaying prevents unplanned litters of kittens that often never find suitable homes.

• Spaying prior to the first heat cycle greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer.

• Spaying prevents cancers or infections of the reproductive organs.

Spaying a cat may be a common procedure, but all surgery must be taken seriously. The correct term for spaying is ovariohysterectomy, and refers to the complete removal of the uterus and ovaries under general anesthesia. An overnight stay in the hospital may be advised to allow close monitoring during recovery and provide adequate pain control .

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What Are The Basic Vaccines For Cats

According to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association, cats should receive three basic vaccines:

• Feline Panleukopenia: This globally distributed virus can cause profuse and sometimes bloody diarrhea, vomit, severe dehydration, fever, and sudden death in cats.
• Feline Viral rhinotracheitis This common virus infects the airways of cats.
• Feline Calicivirus: These viruses infect the airways of cats.
• Rabies: This deadly and zoonotic virus can cause depression, weakness, paralysis, or the development of aggression in animals.

Annual Booster Vs Restart Costs

If your dog has missed their annual vaccinations, you can expect to pay for a course of primary vaccines to catch them back up again. The price will depend on the clinic and you should always check with your local vet on the right thing to do for your particular circumstances.

Titre testing is a blood test that your vet can do to show which illnesses your dog already has immunity against, but it doesn’t replace vaccinations and pets will still need to have had their initial course.

“Some individuals choose to titre test following these primary core vaccines,” says veterinary surgeon Dr Sophie Bell. “This involves a blood test to look for the antibody levels. If they are moderate to high, vaccination may not take place that year but if they are low a booster will be required.

“It is important to note that some establishments such as boarding kennels, will not be able to board your dogs based on a titre test alone. They often require full vaccination history.”

There will be a cost to performing the titre test as well and it might not be lower than the cost of an annual booster.

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Should Your Cat Get The Feline Leukemia Vaccine

Feline Leukemia vaccine is classified as a non-core vaccine under the World Small Animal Veterinary Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners feline vaccination guidelines, meaning that the need for vaccination is dictated by geographical location, lifestyle and exposure risk.

Indoor cats that never encounter other cats should not be at risk of picking up Feline Leukemia, so vaccination may not be necessary. However cats that roam outdoors, coming into contact with other cats, are likely to be at risk, so vaccination may be recommended. Every cat owner should discuss this topic with their own veterinarian, making a decision based on the individual risk of the cat.

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Its important to distinguish FeLV from another retrovirus infection, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus , and from Feline Infectious Peritonitis , a type of coronavirus infection. These disease names may sound similar to a cat owner, yet they are entirely different diseases, and will be discussed in different articles.

When Should Kittens Be Vaccinated

Your kitten will need two sets of vaccinations to get them started – their first set at nine weeks old and a second booster set at three months old. After this, kittens and cats usually need ‘booster’ vaccinations once a year.

Until your kitten is fully vaccinated , you should keep him or her inside.

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What Is The Kitten Vaccination Schedule

All kittens need vaccinations to help keep them healthy. Vaccinations, by definition, protect your kitten from contracting specific diseases. Cat vaccinations are divided into two types:

• Core cat vaccinations are those that protect against especially common and/or particularly dangerous diseases and are recommended for all kittens and adult cats.
• Non-core vaccinations are not necessarily recommended for all cats. Instead, these vaccines are recommended only for those cats that are at high risk of infection. In the case of non-core vaccinations, your cats lifestyle must be evaluated to determine the risk of disease and whether the risk associated with vaccination is greater than the risk of your cat getting the disease.

Why Does My Kitten Need More Than One Vaccination

Immediately after birth, a kitten receives a temporary form of immunity through the colostrum, which is the milk produced by mother cats shortly after birth, laden with protective antibodies. This first milk is produced only for a few days after birth and contains proteins called maternal antibodies. For about 24-48 hours after birth, the kitten’s intestine allows absorption of these antibodies directly into the blood stream. This passive immunity protects the kitten during its first few weeks of life when its immune system is immature, but in order to remain protected against these diseases, the kitten must produce its own, longer-lasting active immunity.

“In order to remain protected against diseases, the kitten must produce its own, longer-lasting active immunity.”

Vaccinations stimulate active immunity, but they have to be given at just the right time. As long as the mother’s antibodies are present in the kittens bloodstream, they prevent the immune system from responding effectively to the vaccines. When a kitten is ready to respond to vaccinations depends on the level of immunity in the mother cat, the amount of antibody absorbed by the nursing kitten, and the general health and nutrition of the kitten.

To keep up the cats immunity through adulthood, vaccines are repeated once every 1-3 years depending on individual circumstances and vaccine type.

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How Much Does A Rabies Shot Cost For A Cat

For those who have a cat as a pet, your veterinarian is going to more than likely recommend they keep up to date with their shots. One of these shots includes the rabies shot.

This shot is highly recommended for cats that tend to stay or roam outdoors.

The cost of this shot will vary on your geographical location, the cats age and the vet clinic.

Fvrcp Vaccine Side Effects

Side effects of FVRCP vaccination are rare and usually very minor, such as transient episodes of dullness, with mild pyrexia, and perhaps mild bouts of sneezing. Occasionally there may be minor swelling and discomfort at the injection site. As with any injected product, exceptionally rarely, an allergic anaphylactic reaction can occur, with more serious signs. As a veterinarian qualified for over thirty years, I have never witnessed this after a cat vaccination.

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