New shelter cat: Vet check-up needed? What are the best foods & treats?

Hi and thanks for your request. When it comes down to food, I usually suggest to try with a high quality commercial diet based on main brands as Hill's or Royal Canin. The reason is because these can provide a complete and balance nutritional support and there would not be any supplement to be given. If she likes Core (which is a good quality brand) then I would recommend to continue as you are doing as it seems she gained weight on this.

The first wellness check should be at the age of 6-8 weeks, coinciding with the first course of vaccination. The next wellness check should be at the age of around 13-16 weeks when he gets his rabies vaccine. After that I would have a wellness exam done every 6 month to a year. The best kitten food in my opinion would be canned kitten food from a reputable brand (not a store brand). I personally like Fancy Feast and kitten food from Hills and Iams.

Hi there! Hunny Cat is very cute! I believe it's better to feed cats canned food. It has more moisture and adds a little bit more hydration to their daily intake. Later in life, cats can commonly develop kidney disease and/or urinary bladder disease. In both cases, cats will benefit greatly from the increased water content of a canned diet. The canned food is a lot better too to help keep an indoor cat's weight in check. All indoor cats have a tendency to become overweight, as they don't exercise as much as feral cats. Since cats usually will ingest the canned food right away, it is easier to portion the food out and also provide cats with meal times. This is very helpful to increase their metabolism, and to help discourage them from gaining weight. Far too often, we see cats being fed a pile of dried food in a bowl where they eat buffet-style on and off all day long. This can easily lead to weight gain and obesity, as well as all sorts of health problems. Nutro is good food, and so is tiki cat, weruva, science diet, royal canin, and iams/eukanuba, Purina is also good. I just like for pets to have a balanced diet. Grain free isn't really a necessity, but thus far in cats, we're not really seeing too many issues. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!

I recommend to try a different food. Offer both canned and dried options. Cats can be very finicky about their food. Also call the shelter and ask what food she was eating and if she was eating well. Some brands that cats tend to like (although do know that some of these are more like fast food but first it's important just to get Owl eating): Royal Canin, Purina ProPlan, Fancy Feast and Frsikies. Food purchased from a larger retailer like Petco may be able to be returned if she won't eat it but do check the policy first. Also place the food where she is hiding. Try hand feeding her versus leaving her alone. If she does not eat by tomorrow, have her examined by the veterinarian to make sure she is ok. Congratulations of adding Owl to your family. Most cats will be comfortable within 1-2 weeks. I hope this helps.

Glad to hear you decided to get yourself a kitty! Some cats take longer to get used to their owners than others. It is great that she gets along with dogs, as so many cats and dogs are not able to functionally coexist. The best think you can do is just give Crystal some time and let her come to you. Any time she comes to you, take it very slowly and offer her love and treats. Cats respond similarly to positive reinforcement as dogs, but has to be done with a little more finesse. In terms of the food, any type of food labeled for cats is OK, with some brands being of higher quality than others. By six months of age, you should be able to feed regular adult cat food instead of kitten food. If you are thinking of letting your cat outside, I would make sure that she is fully vaccinated against FeLV in addition to the FVRCP combo and Rabies. Obviously allowing cats to go outside puts the at a greater risk for illness and injury. Depending on the cat, sometimes they simply don't function well as indoor only. I don't know if you rescued her or got her from a previous home, but if she was already indoor-only I would not change this. If she was outdoor-only, I would consider all the pros and cons and also strongly think about the type of neighborhood / environment in which you live. If there is a high likelihood of being attacked by a wild animal or being struck by a car, I can't say I recommend it.

Congrats on your new cat! I think it's always a good idea to have a new cat checked out by a vet not long after getting it. Unfortunately people don't always tell the truth, so it's best to have your own exam done. You can ask the previous owners to have Kitty's records transferred from her old vet to your vet so that your vet has the correct information. If they refuse to do this, that could be an indication that the information you received about her previous care isn't correct. Make an appointment with your vet, and speak with the previous owners to have her records transferred. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Congratulations! I recommend at 5 months for the first visit to consist of: fecal test, deworming even if the fecal test is negative, feline leukemia and FIV testing, the FVRCP vaccine every 3 weeks for a total of 2 and the Rabies vaccine. I also recommend spaying and neutering after 6 months of age. I recommend feeding ahigh quality kitten food like Purina Proplan, Hill's Science Diet or Royal Canin until 1 year of age. To watch the weight after 6 months I recommend meal feeding. I wish you the very best!