HEALTH & WELLNESS

Some information about vaccinations and parasite prevention:

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FVRCP Vaccine - (also called Feline 3 in 1 Distemper Combo).

This vaccine protects against the following diseases:

• FVR (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis) is an upper respiratory infection.  

• It is very contagious and can cause severe disease, including death from pneumonia in young kittens.

• C (Calicivirus) is a common respiratory disease in cats. The virus attacks the respiratory tract, the mouth, the intestines and the musculoskeletal system.

• P (Panleukopenia or distemper virus) is an often fatal virus that causes severe fever and illness.

• Booster shots for this vaccine are recommended every 15-21 days through 16 weeks of age and then yearly

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Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) Vaccine

Your veterinarian may also recommend this vaccine, although not all do.  After the initial vaccine, boosters are given four weeks later and then yearly after that.

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De-worming and Parasite Prevention

It is important to continue to maintain your cat on a de-worming schedule and to use a monthly flea and parasite prevention medicine.

It is important to discuss with your vet any periodic parasite preventatives that may need to be administered.

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Regular Veterinarian Checks . Consult your veterinarian about the ongoing medical care for your cat.  If you do not have a relationship with a vet, we have some suggestions.  

DreamCatcher Feline Rescue firmly believes that having a cat’s claws removed is cruel and can causes serious problems for your cat’s future health and behavior. When a cat is declawed, the last bone in each of its 10 toes is being amputated. We believe that this non-reversible surgery is inhumane, and it creates serious problems that you and your cat will live with for its entire life, including:

• Declawing can alter a cat’s gait, leading to later problems with its hips and other joints. A cat’s claws also play a large and positive role in its muscle tone and agility.

• Declawing robs a cat of its ability to defend itself. If a declawed cat unexpectedly escapes from the house, it will not stand a chance against a large dog, a bigger cat, or a predator. Although it still has teeth, by the time the cat gets in close enough to bite, it may be too late.

• Declawing may lead to litter box problems.  Declawed cats often associate the pain of digging in litter after surgery with the litter box itself and will avoid it, choosing softer carpeting instead.

• Declawing sometimes leads to biting problems. When cats lose their ability to give a quick warning scratch, they will often resort to their second line of defense: a good, hard bite.

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There are many alternatives to declawing, such as regular nail trimming, vinyl nail caps, training your cat to use a scratching post and using various products to keep your cat from scratching the furniture. The Internet is a fabulous resource with plenty of good information on this subject. Just do a search on “alternatives to declawing my cat.”

We encourage you to have your cat micro-chipped.  All shelters and veterinary clinics will scan to find a lost pet’s microchip before considering the pet a stray.  In most cases, great efforts are made to unite the pet with its family when a microchip is present.

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The micro-chipping process is quick, inexpensive, and not painful for your cat. Your vet can provide this service as well as any of the low-cost spay/neuter clinics.  At the very least, you are encouraged to use a pet tag on either a stretch collar or a safety collar for quick identification of your found pet. 

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Even if your cat is kept indoors, there are times when your family pet can sneak out an open door or window.  Taking a few early precautions can save much heartache for you and your family.