From that point on, your cat needs the Rabies vaccination either yearly or tri-annually depending on which vaccination they get. Update: Rabies was recently diagnosed in Cleburne county in a puppy adopted out from Cleburne animal shelter!

All cats should be vaccinated against Rabies by 4 months of age to be protected. This is the core vaccination for cats, covering some of the most deadly feline diseases. Feline leukemia is usually spread by a carrier cat coming into contact with an unprotected cat. Bites, or even mutual grooming, can spread the virus. There are no obvious signs of infection in early stages. Symptoms include having less appetite, losing weight, not grooming as frequently, and sleeping more.

It is caused by a parasite called Giardia intestinalis. These single-celled parasites are not to be confused with the common intestinal parasites: roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms. Even though the infection rate is high in cats and dogs, clinical disease is less common. Infection is rare in healthy cats. It is more common in densely populated groups of animals, such as in a pet store or animal shelter.

Kittens have been shown to shed more Giardia cysts in their feces than older cats. Infection can also occur from drinking water that has been contaminated.

These microscopic parasites attach themselves to the intestinal wall and cause foul-smelling diarrhea. The stool will range from soft to watery, and may contain blood. Infected cats tend to have excess mucus in the feces.

Sometimes, vomiting can occur. Ingestion of the cyst stage of the parasite leads to infection. Eventually, the cat is able to pass infective cysts in the stool, where they can contaminate the environment and infect other cats. Because of the prevalence of Giardia in the cat, the presence of cysts in the stool does not necessarily indicate that a problem is present.

When the cysts are present in a cat with diarrhea, it is important. Kittens and unhealthy adult cats are at risk for death from dehydration caused by diarrhea. The prognosis is good in most cases.

Unhealthy or older animals and those with weak immune systems are at increased risk for death. Ask your veterinarian about the Giardia vaccine. It is generally recommended that all cats be tested for both antigens and antibodies serology prior to administration of a heartworm preventive.

Currently there are no drugs approved for treating heartworms in cats. One of the drugs for treating dogs has been used in cats, but there are potential side-effects. Another problem is that when the heartworms die they pass through the pulmonary arteries to the lungs.

This can result in sudden death. Roundworms are one of the most common intestinal parasites found in cats. They can be a common cause of illness and death in kittens. These are large-bodied round worms, about inches in length.

They do not attach to the wall of the intestine; they are literally swimming within the intestine. The scientific name for the feline roundworm is Toxocara cati. Another less common roundworm, Toxascaris leonina, can infect both dogs and cats.

Roundworms are sometimes called ascarids and the disease they produce is called ascariasis. Roundworms are not usually harmful to mature cats, but large numbers may cause life-threatening problems in kittens and adult cats with compromised health conditions.

In kittens, common signs include abdominal discomfort, a pot-bellied appearance, depressed appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, or poor growth. Milk-borne infection is the major cause of roundworm transmission to kittens. Swallowing eggs that contain infective roundworm larvae may infect both kittens and adult cats.

These eggs may come from the feces of infected cats or from the tissues of intermediate hosts. Common hosts for roundworms include earthworms, cockroaches, rodents, and birds. After several weeks, the larvae return to the intestine to mature. The distinctive eggs are easily recognized under the microscope. Roundworm eggs are usually plentiful but, in some instances, it may take more than one fecal examination to find them.

Treatment is simple and inexpensive. After administration of the deworming medication, the worms will pass into the stool. Because of their large size, they are easily identified. Two-to-three treatments will be needed; performed at week intervals. Kittens are then dewormed again with each visit for kitten vaccinations. None of these treatments will kill the immature forms of the worm or the migrating larvae. The prognosis of a roundworm infection is good if medication is given promptly.

Roundworms can be a health risk for humans. The most common source of human infection is by ingesting eggs that have come from soil contaminated with cat or dog feces. Children are at a greater risk for health problems should they become infected. A variety of organs may be affected as the larvae travel through the body. In suitable environments, the eggs may remain infective to humans and cats for years.

The scientific names for the most common feline hookworms are Ancylostoma tubaeforme and Ancylostoma braziliense. On rare occasions, cats may become infected with the dog hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum. Cats tend to have relatively fewer hookworms than dogs. The feline hookworms tend to be less aggressive bloodsuckers than the canine species.

Hookworms are more common in warm, moist environments. Conditions of overcrowding and poor sanitation contribute to re-infection. Feline hookworms tend to feed along the lining of the small intestine.

When they suck blood, an anti-coagulant substance is injected at the feeding site. The cat suffers blood loss from ingestion by the hookworm, as well as bleeding into the bowel. Blood-loss anemia is attributed to hookworms is a more significant problem in kittens than adult cats.

These eggs are not visible to the naked eye. Larvae will hatch from the eggs and persist in the soil for weeks or months. When larvae are swallowed by the cat, hookworm infection is established. In dogs, prenatal infection may be a significant problem. Research has not shown prenatal infection to occur in kittens. With a microscopic exam, the eggs are easily identified by their unique appearance. Since the eggs are produced on a daily basis, hookworm infection is usually fairly easy to diagnose.

The number of eggs does not necessarily correlate with the number of worms present. In fact, the number of eggs passed can be greater with smaller numbers of worms present.

Feline hookworms do not infect humans internally. The tiny larvae can burrow into human skin, causing a disease calledcutaneous larval migrans. Sometimes called ground itch, this skin infection does not lead to maturation of the larvae. Because contact of human skin with moist, larvae-infected soil is required, infection rarely occurs when good hygiene is practiced.

Tapeworms are intestinal parasites of cats and dogs. Because they are classified as cestodes, they belong to a different family of worms than hookworms and roundworms called nematodes. Several types of tapeworms are known to infect cats; Dipylidium caninum is by far the most common.

The tapeworm uses its hook-like mouthparts for anchoring to the wall of the small intestine. Eventually, adult tapeworms may reach several inches in length. Fleas are the intermediate host for the tapeworm. Tapeworms are unable to complete their life cycle without the presence of fleas.

Regardless of whether fleas have been seen on the animal, the cat must have ingested a flea in order to have tapeworms. Consequently, tapeworms are more common in environments which are heavily infested with fleas.

Lice are also reported as intermediate hosts for tapeworms but they are uncommon parasites of cats. Tapeworm eggs must be ingested by flea larvae. Contact between flea larvae and tapeworm eggs are facilitated by contaminated bedding or carpet. Adult fleas do not participate in this part of the tapeworm lifecycle. The cat then chews or licks his skin as a flea bites; the flea is then swallowed.

Tapeworms are not particularly harmful to the cat and few symptoms are attributed to their presence. Tapeworms may cause debilitation or weight loss if there are large numbers present. A cat will occasionally scoot or drag his anus across the ground or carpet due to the anal irritation caused by the proglottids. This behavior is much more common in dogs than cats. Occasionally, a tapeworm will release its attachment in the intestines and migrate to the stomach causing the cat to vomit an adult tapeworm several inches in length.

Most commonly, guardians recognize that the cat has tapeworms and brings this to the attention of the veterinarian. These proglottid segments look like grains of cooked white rice. Each of these proglottid capsules contains up to 20 tapeworm eggs. Available treatments are safe and effective. The deworming medication may be given as a tablet or as an injection. Side-effects are rarely reported with the newer medications. Control of fleas is the key to preventing tapeworm infection.

With the advanced flea control products which have become available, it is now much easier now than in previous years. Depending on the type of product you use and the presence of other pets in your home, your veterinarian will help you decide whether you also need to treat your house and yard for fleas.

Humans can become infected with tapeworms, although infection is rare because it is established by ingestion of a flea. Most reported cases have involved children. The risk for human infection with Dipylidium caninum is small but does exist. Routine fecal examinations and wormings can help control this parasite in multi-cat homes and shelters or other areas where it may be a problem.

While there are several types of mites which may infect cats and dogs, Otodectes cynotis is the mite most commonly seen. Ear mites are an external parasite which causes significant discomfort. Ear mites can live on any part of the body, although they generally live in the ears. This is the most common cause of inflammation of the outer ear canal in the animals. They are most often seen in kittens and puppies, but they can affect cats and dogs of any age and are extremely contagious.

The mites feed on tissue debris and secretions from the ear canal lining. With repeated irritation, the ear canal thickens and debris builds up within the ear canal.

This debris, caused by mite waste products, dead tissue and fluid resembles coffee grounds. In long term cases of ear mites in cats and dogs, there are often secondary bacterial and yeast infections creating even more stress on the animal and making treatment more difficult. In chronic cases of ear mites in cats and dogs, there are often secondary bacterial and yeast infections that complicate the treatment, creating more stress on the animal.

Damage to the ear could include a thickening of the skin or infection which is caused by the cat or dog damaging the skin by scratching, and bacteria entering these wounds. The life cycle of an ear mite lasts about twenty-one days from egg to adult, entails going through four stages:.

Although some cats and dogs show no outward signs of ear mite infestations, the mites can be diagnosed as described above. In most cats and dogs with ear mites, if you briskly rub the ear canal area the animal will respond by automatic scratching movements of the back leg.

Triggering this automatic scratching movement seldom occurs in animals that do not have ear mites. Your veterinarians will check for ear mites as part of the routine physical exam, especially in multi-pet households. Skip to content Vaccination Prices. FREE Veterinary express exam with multiple vaccinations. Not all pet microchips are created equal. There are important differences to consider when selecting a microchip.

Using these microchips safeguards pets and helps to increase the possibility for a pet to be reunited, should it ever become lost, compared to pets that only wear collar tags. There are several different pet microchip systems in use today in the United States. They differ according to the frequency of the microchip and whether the microchip is encrypted. Encrypted microchips are not ISO-compliant, and can be read only by a scanner designed to read that specific, encrypted microchip.

If a veterinarian or animal shelter does not own that specific scanner, it limits the chance of that microchip being read and the possibility of that pet being reunited with its owner.

At Tender Loving Care we only use microchips that contain an individual, preprogrammed code that is permanent, unique worldwide, and cannot be altered. Heartworm is a parasitic roundworm that is spread from host to host through the bites of mosquitoes. The heartworm is a type of filarid, a small thread-like worm. The definitive host is the dog but it also infects cats, and other animals, such as ferrets and even, under very rare circumstances, humans.

Heartworm infection may result in serious disease for the host. Heartworm disease is preventable with such products as Iverhart or Heartgard Plus! Protect your dog or cat from heartworm disease by giving medication once monthly, year-round or as directed by your veterinarian.

It can happen. Fleas and ticks can silently invite themselves onto your pet and into your yard and families home.

These pests can then harm your pet by laying eggs and maturing into adult fleas and ticks. The FVRCP vaccine for cats is easily accessible at any small animal veterinary office and is also administered by veterinarians and under the guidance of veterinary professionals in shelters and rescues who work with cats.

You do not need to see a specialist to have your cat receive this vaccine. Each of these viruses have a unique shape or presence in the body, and the immune system then produces a protein match in response called an antibody. That antibody is a memory protein that the body can call on again if the cat is ever challenged with the same virus.

This process in itself is a great start, but not enough for significant protection. This vaccine, given weeks after the first, and then every 3 years after, triggers that next level of protection.

In other words, the booster simulates the presence of the viruses again. A group of feline experts within the American Association of Feline Practitioners put together very specific guidelines to help direct when and how often kittens and cats should receive this very important core vaccine. Here is a timeline to help provide some clarity for pet parents:. Once one of these two scenarios are completed, then the next vaccine is given one year after the booster, and then every three years after that.

Veterinarians do not recommend administering this vaccine to pregnant cats. As with any vaccine, there are always some rarely seen side effects. If these signs persist after a few days, please call your veterinarian.