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Steve Hatchett | 10 years ago
Both Cats Used An Extra Large Sized Litter Pan Since The Time Both Were In…

Both cats used an extra large sized litter pan since the time both were in our household.

4-6 weeks ago Scout stopped using the litter pan and started going on our carpet. We found that she had a UTI. From all indications the UTI has cleared up.

We have a follow up appointment on the 31st to confirm. However, Scout continues to go on the carpet even though we purchased an additional litter pan. The litter has no fragrance. Tux uses whatever litter pan the mood hits him which irritates me. I have to think that this is a behavioral issue that perhaps was initiated by the UTI.

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Pawbly | 10 years ago
Yesterday, I Switched My Kitten, Si, To Prescription Diet Canned Food. He Seems To…

Yesterday, I switched my kitten, Si, to Prescription Diet canned food. He seems to like the food but he exhibits an odd behavior. When he is done eating, he tries to cover it up as he would if he were in the litter box. Any ideas?

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Pawbly | 11 years ago
Hello,

My Managers Lab Just Had A Litter Of Puppies. The Puppies Are 1/2…

Hello,

My managers Lab just had a litter of puppies. The puppies are 1/2 lab and 1/2 mix. I ended up getting one of the last boys, hes just under 10 weeks old. I am aware that he has not had any vaccinations yet. I have heard that he was supposed to have his first shots around 8 weeks but I have started seeing more and more articles that say to wait until 12 weeks to get his first shots in order for his immune system to react better. Can you help me out please??? I am a very loving father to my dog and I only want the best for him

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Zachary,

    Congratulations on your new puppy!

    They are a big responsibility, a bit of work, and an enormous amount of joy.

    I applaud your sense of responsibility and desire to provide the best you can for him.

    Here is my advise for all new parents.

    Bring your puppy to see the vet ASAP. I say within the first three days. I also ask them to bring a fresh fecal sample as many puppies come with intestinal worms. (I tell my clients that it is part of the package so don’t be upset, just be proactive!).

    I will review the patients history, perform a full examination and discuss our vaccine protocol. If there is no history of vaccines, and especially if we are not sure of what the moms vaccine history was I will recommend vaccinating ASAP. I have seen many puppies arrive at their new home and within a few days become very sick from a disease that we can vaccinate for. Nothing is more heartbreaking than seeing a newly adopted puppy get very sick. And some puppy illnesses have a high mortality rate.

    So, my advice is to go to the vets as soon as you can, and voice your concerns with them. We are chock full of advice and a career of learning from others mistakes that hopefully you and your puppy can avoid.

    Oh, a few other words of caution.
    Your puppy does not have an active adult immune system until they are 6 months old. SO avoid all public spaces where any unvaccinated or ill dogs might have been. That includes pet stores, community areas, etc.

    Your puppy is likely unvaccinated and can pick up any disease.

    I have lots of puppy information on my blog
    http://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2013/02/puppy-primer-first-instructions.html

    I hope this helps.

    Enjoy your new addition.

    Sincerely,
    Krista

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Gary Thomas | 11 years ago
I Have A Feral Cat That Has Given Birth To 5 Kittens In A Old…

I have a feral cat that has given birth to 5 kittens in a old shed out back. This was 5 or 6 weeks ago.

There was another cat that is much more tame that also gave birth to 4 kittens in our yard leaves. These kittens and the mother were brought inside about 1 – 2 weeks old. They were exposed to people and are pretty tame. The mother comes in and out by the cat window. We did this so that we could possibly find homes for them.

We would also like to do the same with the other 5 kittens but the mother is very feral. The 2 mother cats I believe were from the same litter and live in the woods out back.

The cats in the back began to escape and wonder. 2 were abandoned and we thought we would try to incorporate them with the other litter. It was easy and we have made sure the other mother is not overwhelmed. They immediately began to eat solid moistened kitten food. They are a little older then the others. They are all now very friendly with humans and again hoping to find them homes. They are all in a childs play pen, modified, doing well and all beginning to try solid food. Mother is still coming in to check them and feed them. Sometimes we have to remove the 2 "outside" cats so that the mother is not overwhelmed and the cats not really eating solid food have milk, the "outside" cats are at least a week older and stronger.

So.. We happened to come across the other 3 kittens under a palate of landscaping stone. The mother was still around and had not abandoned them like we had thought.

We moved them back into the sheltered shed. They hissed a lot but once we were handling them they were ok. We have been going out there and holding them whenever the mother is not around cause she gets bent out of shape and attacks us.

FINALLY THE QUESTION.
We would like to remove the kittens in the shed and put them in a crate to acclimate them to humans in hope of finding them homes. They are all very beautiful and unique kittens. So we have a separate crate for these cats and I am pretty sure they have learned to eat solid food cause the other 2 from this took to it and had learned. We did not want to put all 9 kittens in the same pen now cause we did not want to overwhelm the one mother, what are your thoughts? Should we put them in a crate where the mother cant get to them and feed them food an water, making sure they do eat?

Any thoughts?

Also, we would like to trap and get this feral mother fixed so there are no more kittens from her, any thoughts about how we should do this or a place that could do this inexpensively? When can we do this? Did not want to do it while she was nursing.
Same goes with the other mother cat. When can we get her fixed, how old should her kittens be and when can we give them away?

I live in Delta PA area.

Thank you

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello Gary,

    Thank you for your question, and thank you for being so proactive and compassionate to these kitties.

    I think that in general you have a very good plan and it sounds like you are doing everything just as I would recommend. I think that 9 kittens is too much for one mom if they are all nursing (it sounds like they are not though). A mom that has too many kittens nursing can get hypocalcemia (we call it eclampsia). This can be life threatening.

    By 4 weeks old the kittens should be able to be transitioned to kitten food. I would recommend leaving dry kitten food, wet kitten food, or softened dry food with kitten formula out every 4 hours. If the kittens continue to nurse I would start to rotate them so they have more individual time with you and a better ability to be encouraged to eat.

    We estimate the age of kittens by one pound per month of age up to about 7 months old. A one pound kitten is about 4 weeks old.

    If a kitten is not socialized and tamed by about 6 to 8 weeks old it gets increasingly more difficult. Spend as much time and attention that you can with them before this age.

    Please be warned that unvaccinated cats and kittens can carry rabies. It can be deadly to them and to you.

    I would also recommend that you contact your veterinarian and any local rescue groups for help in humanely trapping, spaying, vaccinating, de-worming, feline leukemia and feline immuno-deficiency testing, and microchipping. Many of the non-profits or rescues have low cost options for these.

    I have included information about some local groups below.

    Of course, if you would like to talk to me, or anyone else at Jarrettsville Vet about any of this you can find me at the link below.

    For help on affordable pet care;
    http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

    Alley Cat Allies;
    http://www.alleycat.org/

    Animal Rescue in New Freedom Pa;
    http://www.animalrescueinc.org/

    Krista Magnifico, DVM
    Owner Jarrettsville Veterinary Center
    Jarrettsville, MD
    http://www.jarrettsvillevet.com