The first year of a kitten’s life is critical for long-term health and wellbeing. With the right preventive care, nutrition, and early behavioural guidance, kittens grow into confident, healthy adult cats. This guide outlines the key aspects of kitten health care, from vaccinations and parasite control to feeding, desexing, and insurance.
Vaccinations protect kittens from highly contagious and potentially life-threatening diseases while their immune systems mature.
In South-East Queensland, it is important to protect against:
If you expect your kitten to be an outdoor, or indoor-outdoor cat in the future (even a slight chance of this), additional vaccines such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) will be recommended by our veterinarians.
Parasites are common in kittens and can impact growth, digestion, and overall health if left untreated. While some parasites can cause gastrointestinal disease, malnutrition, anaemia and be passed onto humans, others can be life-threatening for your pet. To reduce the risk of zoonotic disease (diseases transmitted by your pet), we recommend regular deworming, disposing of your pet’s stools on a daily basis and good hygiene practices for the whole family.
Common intestinal parasites include roundworms, hookworms and tapeworm.
Always use parasite treatments specifically labelled safe for kittens.
We recommend streamlining your kitten’s parasite protection with an easy top-spot treatment that covers all parasites. Visit the team to find out what product will suit your kitten best.
Proper nutrition supports healthy growth, vision development, and immune function in kittens.
Ad lib feeding, while in favour with many cat owners, can cause long-term weight gain. Feeding at set mealtimes can help in avoiding this.
Fresh water should be available at all times. Avoid kitten milk after 8 weeks of age as it is not an essential nutrient and can cause tummy upsets for many kittens.
⚠️ Avoid cow’s milk, raw diets without veterinary guidance, and foods toxic to cats such as onions and chocolate. ⚠️
Kittens benefit greatly from gentle handling and positive early experiences.
Most kittens instinctively use a litter tray. We recommend you have one tray per cat plus one extra. These should be in various safe areas throughout the house.
Keep trays:
Scratching posts should be introduced early to encourage appropriate scratching behaviour.
Desexing is an important part of responsible cat ownership and helps reduce unwanted litters. Entire cats are more likely to spray, roam the neighbourhood and have fight-related injuries. Desexing also reduces the risk of reproductive cancers.
Our veterinarians can advise on the ideal timing for your kitten.
When it's time for desexing, your kitten will stay with us for the day. The surgery is performed under a full general anaesthetic with pain relief on board. While your kitten might feel back to their normal self by the next day, rest is required for 10-14 days after the procedure, with female kittens visiting us again at this stage for their post-op stitch removal appointment.
Kittens are curious and accident-prone, making insurance a valuable consideration early on.
Insurance policies may cover:
Take time to compare policies and understand exclusions, waiting periods, and benefit limits. If you choose a GapOnly branded pet insurance, our friendly team can process your claim at the time of the visit so that you only pay the “gap” fee.
Routine veterinary visits, parasite prevention, and appropriate nutrition all play a vital role in your kitten’s development. If you have any concerns about your kitten’s health or behaviour, your veterinary team is always your best resource.
Please enter your search...
Please enter a search term.