** UPDATE: We do not currently have any kittens available for adoption. We do however work closely with Homeless Hounds and Australian Animal Rescue so would recommend reaching out to them if you are interested in adoption **
You might not realise that here at the Toorak Rd Veterinary Clinic we successfully run a kitten adoption program. Kittens can be brought to us as strays, as the result of unplanned pregnancies, they are sometimes handed over to us from rescue groups or by people who find them in boxes or bins! Your staff here at the clinic will raise them, sometimes for months and from as young as two weeks of age meaning they require feeds every two hours. They are taught to use a litter trays and most importantly, are socialised with people and animals alike as they grow and develop into the perfect cats for your household! A huge amount of time, love and energy goes into raising these gorgeous kittens. As staff, we absolutely love having these little guys and girls around no matter where they have come from and how cheeky they might be!
Before they can find their forever homes our kittens are vaccinated, microchipped, desexed, given appropriate parasite control for things such as worms and fleas and are always fed using the best possible diet for their life stages.
We raise all of our kittens to be indoor only, although if you’re lucky enough to take one of them home you are able to decide to raise them as indoor and outdoor cats. If your kitten is going home to spend time outdoors they will need to be given FIV (feline aids) vaccines before they can go outside safely. It is our recommendation to you that all kittens and cats remain indoors or have an outdoor enclosed cat run, for not only their health and well-being, but also to help preserve the population of our native animals. Free roaming, outdoor cats also have a much higher rate of cat fight wounds and being hit by cars – scenarios we see at the clinic far too often!
Things to Consider Before Adopting a Kitten
Any of your staff at Toorak Rd Veterinary Clinic are able to chat to you about raising a kitten, including the challenges and rewards involved, to help you decide if welcoming one into your family if the right choice for you at any given time.
It is important to note that cats can live on average from 18 to 24 years of age so there is a significant commitment involved when adopting one. Despite being considered ‘independent’ animals, don’t forget that their food, parasite control, vaccinations and any medical treatment they require in their lifetime will have to be provided through you! Like any pet, they will require you to care for them their entire life and their long life span can mean you will need to prepare for the same commitment time frame as raising a child!
The yearly cost of having a cat just including food, cat litter, vaccinations and parasite control can be upwards of $600.00, please remember that this is without anything going wrong! As your cat gets older the cost of living for your pet is likely to also increases, as after seven years of age they are considered seniors and will require twice yearly health checks as well as yearly blood testing to ensure healthy kidney, liver and organ functioning as they mature further. Purchasing your kitten is the least expensive part of the entire process so it is a decision that needs to be carefully considered.
All in all, cats are fantastic companions and if you’d like to talk to any of the staff here at the clinic about the adoption process, introducing a new kitten to your home and what it means to own a cat please call us anytime. Our clinic cat Twistie was one of our adoption kittens we just couldn’t part with and he’s the light of our lives here at the clinic so rest assured all the kitten we raise will make wonderful companions!
