New Cat Histories

Series Summary

Cats have been domesticated pets for centuries, providing companionship to people as far back as 9,500 years ago. Despite the stereotype of cats as solitary animals with no need for human presence, many cats have a very social relationship with their owners, providing and receiving affection on many levels. In fact, some people suggest that human owners provide a sort of surrogate mother figure for cats and kittens, and that adult domesticated cats live in a sort of extended kittenhood.

Getting a new kitten or cat is an important experience for many pet owners. Learn about bringing home a new cat and your cat's first veterinary visit in this free video series on pet care. An expert veterinarian will teach you about what to feed cats and kittens, how to stop kitten scratching and what vaccinations your cat will need. You will also learn what to expect for the first vet visit and get suggestions for treating fur balls. Finally, get tips on introducing your new kitten to an older cat and reasons for spaying and neutering cats. If you are interested in getting a cat or kitten, let our expert teach you everything you need to know before you bring your little kitty home.

Video Transcript

"So the first thing we want to talk about is where the cat was obtained. There are several different factors involved with that. Very very important to know the cats background and that helps us do the proper things for the cat in the future. As far as this kitty cat, where did you get this cat? Humane Society. So, when did you pick the kitty cat up then? Yesterday. Did you take the kitty cat home? Or did you go right to your veterinarian to have him examined? Took the kitty home first. Ok, because that's kind of important. Do you have other cats at home? Yes. Sometimes cats that are un-vaccinated, such as this one, and they've been in a Humane Society situation, they can have upper respiratory viruses and some other diseases too. So, did your other cat play with this one? Yes. So what you want to do, I mean first of all its not a good idea, but we can't stop it now that you've all ready done it. So my recommendation is that you just watch your other cat really closely. Now do you know if your other cat's vaccines are current? Yes, they are. They had them within a year? Yes, they have. Ok, good. And then sometimes with the upper respiratory virus, if your cat starts to sneeze, we should see your kitty because we may need to booster the vaccine, and also start him on some antibiotics. First thing you see is them start to sneeze, and then you see a little bit of eye discharge and those are indications that your kitty cat at home caught something from this kitty cat. So consequently you are going to need to treat your other kitty cat, if it comes down to it. There's probably a 50/50 chance that this cat has it. Just because of the circumstances. When they go to a Humane Society, they run into a lot of other cats. This is probably the most contagious of all of the diseases we know of. Because air instills eyes, when one cat sneezes it goes into the other one. So again its kind of a good thing to know about. And in the future maybe we can do it a little bit better so that your other cats don't get exposed. And then also the other thing, I'd like to commend you, because picking a cat up from the Humane Society or one that needs a home like that. Usually those cats are healthier than if you bought a pure bred cat from a breeder. They have what we call high bred vigor. And also, you know, you've given a cat that might have been put to sleep a home. So you are to be commended for that."