Denver:
2481 N Reading Road, Denver PA 17517
Call (717) 484-0440 |
Text (717) 925-3867
Lititz:
788 Rothsville Road, Lititz, PA 17543
Call (717) 627-3411 |
Text (717) 621-3141
Bringing home a new kitten is exciting—and those first few months are an important time for building the foundation for a healthy life. At Adamstown Veterinary Hospital, we provide comprehensive kitten veterinary care for families in Denver, Lititz, Adamstown, and throughout Lancaster County, PA.
Your kitten’s early veterinary visits are about much more than vaccinations. We’ll evaluate their overall health and development, screen for common kitten health concerns, discuss nutrition and parasite prevention, and help you understand what to expect as your kitten grows.
Our goal is to give you the information and veterinary support you need to help your kitten grow into a healthy, happy adult cat.
We recommend scheduling your kitten’s first veterinary visit soon after bringing them home. Even kittens that appear perfectly healthy can have parasites, infections, or other conditions that aren’t immediately obvious.
During your kitten’s examination, our veterinary team may evaluate:
This first appointment also gives you an opportunity to ask questions about feeding, litter box habits, grooming, behavior, introducing your kitten to other pets, and creating a safe home environment.
Kittens receive some protection from their mother’s antibodies, but that protection gradually decreases. A series of vaccinations helps your kitten develop their own immune protection against important infectious diseases.
A typical kitten vaccination schedule begins at approximately 6–8 weeks of age, with additional vaccinations generally given every 3–4 weeks until approximately 16–20 weeks of age, depending on your kitten’s age, health, lifestyle, previous vaccination history, and individual risk factors.
Your veterinarian will develop an appropriate vaccination schedule for your kitten.
The FVRCP combination vaccine helps protect against several serious feline diseases:
Your kitten will typically receive a series of FVRCP vaccinations during the first several months of life.
Rabies is a fatal viral disease that can affect cats, other mammals, and people. Your veterinarian will recommend the appropriate timing for your kitten’s rabies vaccination based on age and applicable Pennsylvania requirements.
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
Feline leukemia virus can spread between cats through close contact. FeLV vaccination is particularly important during kittenhood, when young cats can be especially vulnerable to infection.
We will discuss your kitten’s lifestyle, household environment, and potential exposure to other cats when developing an ongoing vaccination plan.
Parasites are common in kittens—even kittens that have been kept indoors or appear completely healthy. Depending on your kitten’s age and history, we may recommend a fecal examination and appropriate deworming. We can also discuss prevention for fleas, ticks, heartworms, and other parasites based on your kitten’s individual needs and lifestyle.
immunodeficiency virus (FIV) may also be recommended, particularly for newly adopted kittens or kittens whose health and exposure history are unknown.
Kittens grow rapidly and have different nutritional needs than adult cats. Proper nutrition during this stage supports healthy bones, muscles, organs, and immune development.
At your kitten visits, we can help you determine an appropriate diet, feeding schedule, portion size, and healthy weight goals.
Regular veterinary visits also allow us to monitor your kitten’s growth and adjust recommendations as they develop.
Spaying or neutering is another important part of your kitten’s preventive healthcare plan. The appropriate timing can vary depending on your kitten’s age, size, health, and individual circumstances.
Our veterinary team will discuss when we recommend scheduling the procedure for your kitten and answer your questions about preparation, surgery, recovery, and aftercare.
Kittenhood is also the perfect time to help your cat become comfortable with routine care.
We can provide guidance on:
Positive experiences with handling, carriers, and veterinary visits while your cat is young can make healthcare easier throughout their life.
Kittens change quickly during their first several months. Multiple visits allow us to administer vaccines at appropriate intervals while also monitoring your kitten’s growth and development.
These appointments give us opportunities to identify potential health concerns early and help you make informed decisions about nutrition, parasite prevention, behavior, and preventive care.
Each puppy visit includes a thorough nose-to-tail examination to ensure your puppy is developing normally. During your puppy’s wellness exam, our veterinarian will check and discuss with you:
Other important puppy discussions include:
Vaccinations are one of the most important ways to protect your puppy from serious infectious diseases. Puppies lose the immunity they receive from their mother over time, making a series of vaccinations necessary to build lasting protection.
Every puppy is unique, and your veterinarian may recommend adjustments based on lifestyle, breed, travel, boarding, or other risk factors. At Adamstown Veterinary Hospital, the puppy vaccination schedule we recommend is:
Your puppy may receive
Your puppy’s vaccinations may include:
Vaccinations often include:
We may recommend:
Even indoor puppies can become infected with intestinal parasites, fleas, ticks, and be exposed to mosquitoes that transmit heartworm disease. Therefore, we recommend year-round protection against:
We will recommend the safest products based on your puppy’s age and weight.
Just like humans, proper nutrition during the first year is important for your puppy’s lifelong health. Good puppy nutrition supports:
Each puppy is unique; we’ll help you choose a puppy food appropriate for your puppy’s:
The first several months of life are a critical learning period for your puppy. During your puppy visits, we discuss:
Early guidance can help prevent behavioral problems later in life.
We recommend all puppies be microchipped as soon as possible. A microchip provides permanent identification if your puppy ever becomes lost. Unlike collars or tags, a microchip cannot fall off and greatly increases the chance of being reunited with your pet. Microchipping your pet is a painless and easy procedure that can be done during one of your puppy exams or during spay/neuter surgery.
| Monday | 8 AM to 6 PM |
| Tuesday | 8 AM to 6 PM |
| Wednesday | 8 AM to 6 PM |
| Thursday | 8 AM to 6 PM |
| Friday | 8 AM to 6 PM |
| Saturday | 8 AM to 2 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |