Taking Your Cat to the (First) Vet Visit

The first outing after your kitten moves in with you should be to the vet. This visit is far better than its reputation, especially in a cat's early years! The reason: the folks in white coats know exactly how to win over curious kittens – with treats and cuddles. It's best to find a vet practice nearby, so you can get there quickly in an emergency too. Letting them know in advance that you're bringing a kitten is also a good idea – vets often set aside extra time so the little one can settle in, and so everyone at the practice can finally cuddle kittens again.

A good vet will discuss the following important points with you, among others:

• Vaccination against the most important diseases
• Deworming
• Choosing food and portion sizes
• Microchipping and registration
• Neutering

It would go beyond the scope of this article to list every possible cat illness, and we don't want to give medical advice here either. It's important that you talk in detail with your vet about necessary vaccinations and microchipping. Ideally, you'll only get your cat once they've already had their first vaccination(s).

Outdoor cats absolutely need to be microchipped and then registered. Whether you do this with Tasso, Findefix or another register is entirely up to you. Just make sure the pet register has a good reputation and reach. It's also worth thinking about a tracker. Especially as the owner of an outdoor cat, you know that anxious feeling when your cat hasn't come home in a while. We developed a collar specifically for the AirTag that, thanks to its network of hundreds of millions of iPhones, makes it really easy to find your cat again. HERE you'll find the NEMO.

A topic that's sparked quite a bit of discussion recently is neutering cats. All – and we really mean all – female and male cats should be neutered at the appropriate age. What do we mean by the right age? We mean that every cat that isn't being professionally bred should undergo this small procedure before reaching sexual maturity. Yes, we think kittens are unbelievably cute – and yes, some of our cats would make wonderful parents to even more wonderful kittens. But shelters and animal welfare organisations abroad are full of unwanted cats. An estimate from the German Animal Welfare Federation also suggests that around 2 million cats live as strays in Germany. With numbers like that, it's clear – the last thing we need is more young cats that can't find new owners. Female cats should generally be neutered at around 6 months, while with male cats you could wait about 4 weeks longer. It's best to ask your vet – they're in the best position to decide when the right time has come.

Another important topic to discuss would be food. The seemingly endless range of cat food raises a lot of questions for all of us – as we've already touched on. What should I feed them? What's healthy? How much should a cat actually eat, and when, and how am I supposed to know what's right for my cat? The answers depend a bit on your new housemate. As a reminder – it can feel like we don't get to decide anything anymore. It's best to ask your vet this question – they know your cat, and together you can work out exactly what suits them best.