A big one is heartworm and flea and tick prevention. We know that external parasites are a big deal. Internal parasites, things that we can't see, are like heartworms. Even if you have a strictly indoor kitty, we still recommend that because mosquitoes transmit heartworms. We know that mosquitoes can be inside our house.

We recommend starting around six to eight weeks, and then we recommend that they come back every three weeks for boosters. They're not going to be fully vaccinated until they've completed their full kitten shots. Also, during that time, we are checking to ensure that they are growing and developing properly. They come to see us until they're about four months old.

Any questions that you have. Of course, bring them. Write them down. We encourage you to write them down so that you'll remember them. We give a lot of education. But if you have questions about their nutrition, about how they interact with your other family members or your other pets, those would be good questions to ask us. If you have questions about just what they're doing at home, how they're acting, then ask us, and we're happy to help.

When you come here to the Animal Hospital of Statesville, you will get lots of education. We talk about how to care for your kitten. We talk about the first set of vaccines and deworming that there they are going to get. They can carry or have intestinal parasites that can be contagious to you and me, so we educate on that. And your kitten's going to receive a complete physical exam, and we make sure you know how to take care of them at home. We’ll ensure you have a proper carrier and have them set up and ready to go in that.

If the kitten is with Mom, then we wouldn't necessarily recommend that until they're closer to about six to eight weeks—at the age of weaning. If they are abandoned and not with Mom, we would recommend bringing them in right away. That way, we can evaluate them and see what their needs might be since their mom's not providing them.

Fading kitten syndrome is where a kitten is born and looks healthy and fine, but the kitten starts to decline over the next few weeks. The kitten becomes sick even to the point of death. The best way to prevent that would be to make sure Mom is as healthy as she can be before giving birth to pass that healthy immune system along to her kitten and any antibodies that she might have from appropriate vaccines.

Signs of a healthy kitten would be a kitten that's interactive, playful, eating and drinking well, and having regular bowel movements. You might not notice those things right off. You want to ensure they have energy, and they're interactive, and you don't see any obvious discharge, runny nose, sneezing, or other things like that.