Whether you adopted your new little ball of fuzz and cuteness as a stray who wandered onto your property or from a crowded animal shelter setting, kittens can present a few health issues that veterinarians commonly diagnose during the first wellness examinations. Luckily, some of these pesky problems are usually easy to treat. Failure to treat them, however, can pose detrimental threats to your kitten's health. Learn about four of these health issues, how to spot them, and how your veterinarian can cure them so that your feline friend is happy and thriving in no time.
1. Intestinal Parasites
When you schedule your kitten's first wellness checkup, the veterinary receptionist will probably instruct you to bring a fresh stool sample from your kitten to the appointment. Intestinal parasites are prevalent in kittens. The parasites are often passed from the mother cat to her kittens, but they can also be contracted through ingestion of stool from an infected cat. Roundworms are the most frequently diagnosed intestinal parasites that affect kittens, but they are also susceptible to tapeworms, giardia, hookworms and coccidia. You may not see them in the stool with your naked eye. If your kitten has an intestinal parasite infestation, you may observe any of the following signs:
- Diarrhea
- Failure to put on weight
- Pot-bellied appearance to the abdomen
- Weight loss
- Blood or mucous in the stool
- Vomiting
Left untreated, intestinal parasites pose dangers to your kitten's health, and many of these parasites are transmissible to humans. Once the specific parasite is identified through a fecal analysis, your veterinarian will prescribe a deworming medication to kill the parasite. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully. Many of these medications must be administered in multiple doses in order to kill the current adult parasites as well as future adults when the current eggs hatch. Cleaning the litter box diligently during the treatment period will be crucial to prevent reinfestation.
2. Ear Mites
Ear mites are microscopic arthropods that make themselves at home in a cat's ears, where they feed off of wax and other debris. They are highly contagious between cats and dogs, and an ear mite infestation is extremely itchy. Your veterinarian will be able to confirm the presence of ear mites by viewing inside your cat's ear canals with an otoscope or by swabbing a sample of debris from the ear to inspect under a microscope. You will likely know that your kitten may have ear mites when you observe the following signs:
- Persistent scratching at one or both ears
- Shaking her head
- Failure of the affected ear to stand upright
- Dark brown debris that resembles coffee grinds in the affected ear
- Foul odor emanating from the affected ear
Left untreated, the ears become inflamed and infected, and the eardrums are at risk for permanent damage. Your veterinarian will treat your kitten with prescribed ear drops that will kill the mites and their eggs. As with the intestinal parasite treatments, be sure to follow the dosing schedule as instructed for complete resolution. If you have additional cats or dogs in your household, you will need to treat those pets as well.
3. Fleas
These tiny bloodsucking parasites are one of the most common nuisances to target kittens, cats, puppies and dogs. Your veterinarian will be able to spot them easily by combing your kitten with a flea comb, and you can perform the same diagnostic ritual at home. Alternately, you may notice the following signs if your kitten has fleas:
- Tiny specks of black flea dirt on your kitten's skin and coat
- Your kitten's persistent scratching or biting at herself
- A flea crawling or jumping on your kitten's skin or coat
Left untreated, a flea infestation can pose a risk for anemia in your kitten. Even if you spot the fleas before your kitten's checkup, be sure to turn to your veterinarian for safe treatment. The medication that he or she opts to administer to your kitten will depend on her age or weight. Never apply a flea remedy that is labeled for use in dogs to your kitten or cat. These canine products contain higher concentrations of permethrins that are deadly to the feline species.
4. Upper Respiratory Infection
While some cat owners refer to signs of upper respiratory infections as those of kitty colds, which may imply something no worse than a human cold, upper respiratory infections can be deadly to kittens if proper treatment is not sought sooner than later. Upper respiratory infections are either viral or bacterial in nature. They are contagious to other kittens and cats through the moisture droplets expelled when an infected feline sneezes and through direct contact with saliva and nasal or ocular discharge from an infected cat. Some notable signs of an upper respiratory infection include the following:
- Sneezing
- Yellowish or greenish discharge from the nose
- Yellowish or greenish discharge from the eyes
- Diminished appetite
- Difficulty breathing
If you observe any of these symptoms before your kitten's scheduled wellness appointment, contact your veterinary clinic to request an earlier appointment as soon as possible. Upper respiratory infections can be challenging to treat once they have advanced, but when treated early with antibiotics to avert secondary infections, most cases clear up within the time frame of the antibiotic therapy.
There are some more serious health problems that your veterinarian will address with you during your first visit. Feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus are two incurable diseases that compromise a cat's immune system. Both diseases are transmissible to other cats, and your veterinarian will perform blood tests to screen your kitten for these diseases. Other serious feline diseases, including rabies, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus, are prevented through core vaccination protocols as recommended by the American Association of Feline Practitioners. Be keeping up with your veterinarian's recommended schedule of visits to the clinic throughout your kitten's first four months, you will help to ensure a good start to a long and healthy life for your new companion. For more information or advice on your kitten, visit an animal hospital, such as Center-Sinai Animal Hospital.
