Market Veterinary Centres are members of The International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) - the veterinary division of the Feline Advisory Bureau - and we are proud to be offer completely separate cat friendly facilities. Our separate and segregated cat only in-patient wards have been specially designed to make your cats stay with us as enjoyable and stress free as possible, in order to help us achieve this we use Feliway plug-in diffusers in our catteries to ease anxiety.

Vaccinations

The arrival of a new kitten is an exciting moment for all the family but it is important to remember that they need protecting from infectious disease. As long as their mother was regularly vaccinated kittens will be protected from the common infectious diseases during the first few weeks of life. However this protection gradually wanes and kittens should be vaccinated from 8 weeks of age. They then need a second injection 3-4 weeks later and will require a yearly booster to maintain protection. If you are unsure whether or not your cat or kitten has had its vaccinations bring him or her to see us and we can make sure they are protected against common feline diseases.

The vaccination appointment gives us an excellent opportunity to give your pet a thorough health examination and to answer any questions you may have.

Vaccination protects against Cat Flu, Enteritis, and Feline Leukaemia Virus.

Worming

Regular worming is important for both your pet and family's health. There are a number of safe and effective ways to keep your pet worm free and we will happily give advice and tailor a worming regime to suit you and your cat’s lifestyle.

Neutering

We strongly recommend that you cat is neutered. Apart from the obvious benefit of preventing unwanted pregnancies having your pet neutered reduces the risk of disease and can help prevent antisocial behaviour. Cats can be castrated or spayed from 5 months.

Fleas

Fleas are common parasites cats and modern, warm houses unfortunately mean that they are now active the whole year round. This coupled with the fact that the fleas found on your pet represent only the tip of the iceberg - for each adult flea on your pet there will be at least 20 developing in the environment - means that regular preventative treatment is essential to keep your pet and house flea free.

Effective flea control means treating your pet and its environment and we are happy to provide advice on how to maintain a flea free home!

Effective flea control is also essential for the good health of your pet – as well as causing itchy and uncomfortable skin fleas can act as an intermediary host and spread tapeworm.

Ticks

Unfortunately ticks are extremely common in the countryside of North Devon and can potentially transmit infectious diseases. Once attached Ticks bury their head into the skin and feed on your pet’s blood. They grow to many times their original size as they feed.

Preventative treatments for ticks in cats are available and we will be happy to discuss these treatments with you. If you discover a tick on your pet we strongly recommend that you do not simply pull it off – often the head and mouth parts detach and are left behind in your pet's skin. The Market Vets Team will happily remove ticks from your pet, show you how to use a tick remover and discuss preventative treatments.

Please contact one of our surgeries for more information or why not book a free parasite check with a member of our nursing team?