Congratulations on your new kitten!

Your kitten’s first visit to Crossroads Animal Hospital starts your kitten off on “the right paw” and establishes the relationship between you and our health care team. We are excited to meet your new kitten and provide you with the best kitten care, guidance, behavior advice and information you will need to ensure that your kitten grows up strong, healthy, and happy!

When you pick up your kitten, remember to ask what and when he or she was fed. Replicate that schedule until your first kitten visit with us. We will recommend the ideal long term feeding schedule for your kitten during your first visit.

Getting Started with Your Kitten’s First Wellness Exam

The first step you can take is to visit us so that we can perform a comprehensive “nose-to-tail” physical exam on your kitten. Please bring your kitten to see Dr. Jordan as soon as possible after you receive your kitten. Kittens need vaccinations every three weeks until they are four months old to protect them from panleukopenia, respiratory infections, and other serious diseases.

The first visit has many benefits

  • Establish a relationship with you and your kitten.
  • Extensive physical examination of your new kitten by Dr. Jordan to ensure your kitten is healthy as well as a blood test to check for feline leukemia and FIV, which are serious viral infections of cats and kittens.
  • Establish a vaccination schedule and optimal plan for parasite testing, prevention and treatment, including heartworm prevention. This is tailored to your kitten based on his environment and potential for exposure to parasites and infections.
  • Provide an occasion to answer all of your questions and/or concerns about kitten care, such as the best food for your kitten, how to litterbox train your kitten, and any other questions.
  • Discuss spaying or neutering your kitten and advise the optimal time for this surgery. The best age is usually four to five months old.

When visiting with your new kitten for the first time, please bring the following with you:

Your kitten in a carrier.
Any prior health information that the seller, shelter, or another provided to you, such as information about the history of vaccines, deworming,, etc.
A stool sample so we can check for intestinal parasites.