Cat insurance

"Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat."

- Mark Twain Notebook, 1894

There are approximately 16 million pet owners in the UK and only 1 in 3 will have taken out any form of insurance against the possibility of incurring vet bills during a cats' average life span of around 12 years. It is estimated that 7 out of 10 cats will suffer from cat flu at some point in their lives. If your cat has not been vaccinated then the likelihood of its survival relies on intensive nursing care and costly medicines.

Prevention is always better then cure but insuring against the possibility of unpreventable conditions and illnesses will give you piece of mind, should the vets bills begin to mount up. Under some circumstances it is possible to insure a young cat for less than 20p per day with special discounts for buying online. This seems like a good idea when you realise that the average cost of a visit to the vets is around £130.

It is important to have your cat vaccinated against disease. It will be the most cost effective treatment against illness.The vaccine works as it stimulates the formation of antibodies against the disease and prevents the vaccinated cat from developing the disease.

Kittens can usually be vaccinated from 9 weeks.

Cat flu

Feline Calcivirus FVC and Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis FVR. This condition is rarely fatal although kittens and older cats pose a greater risk of dying after contracting it. The first symptoms may include sneezing, fever and general depression. This condition is treated with antibiotics and mucolytics to break down mucus, together with multivitamins and liquid food to stimulate the cat's appetite and keep it rehydrated.

Feline panleucopenia or infectious enteritis vaccine

An extremely serious disease which cats should be protected against from 6-8 weeks old. It causes reduced appetite, vomiting, fever and lethargy followed by diarrhea if it survives that far. If it does survive it will require intensive nursing and isolation from other cats. Although protection may last up to 4 years, it is recommended that regular boosters are administered every 1-2 years.

Feline leukaemia vaccine

Leukaemia a devastating disease which can result in problems with immunity anaemia and even cancer. Your cat can be tested first to see that it hasn't already been infected, if it has the vaccine is redundant. Although the vaccine can also provide some immunity against infection with the FeLV virus, it is estimated that 7 out of 10 cats will contract this condition at some time in their lives with only a 70% chance of recovery. The vaccine can be administered from 9 weeks.

Chlamydia vaccine

This vaccination can be given in conjunction with flu virus vaccines. These vaccines are active against the organism chlamydia psittaci which causes flu-like sneezing and conjunctivitis. Kittenss can be vaccinated from 9 weeks of age.

Rabies vaccine

Rabies is an extremely serious disease, although not present in the UK it can be transmitted to both humans and animals by animals traveling to the UK from other parts of the world.

Neutering

This makes sense if you are not going to show your cats.The mael will tend to tend to wander for long periods and often suffer wounds from fights. They also mark their territory including "spraying" objects in the home. Your female will more than likely become pregnant. Neutoring can usually be done around the age of 5 - 6 months.