By the way, my number one tip for kittens is to "gentle" them. Take 2 minutes EVERY SINGLE DAY and touch their ears, touch the paws, touch the face, touch paws, push gentle for the claws, etc. Do it every single day when they're young and they get used to it. This makes it easier to trim their nails, check their ears, or mouth, or pill them later in life.

Y’all are the best. I’ve had kitty companions my entire life but didn’t know 1% of what I’ve learned from Helpful Vancouver Vet’s KZfaq channel. Endless gratitude to you for helping me be a better family member with my kitties. 🐾🐾

Sir Lancelot is such a damn good-looking cat, it's unreal.

heres something that i wish someone had taught me before getting my cat as a kitten: desensitize your kitten to a lot of things they may be exposed to during their life, especially as they get older and lose mobility or get sick, such as being in the carrier, car rides, taking medication, nail clipping, wiping their fur and tooth brushing, for example my cat is healthy now, but was going through a pretty rough patch recently.. the frequent car rides & daily medications were stressing him out so badly and making things worse, i felt like i had failed him... dont make the same mistake :(

About accepting sleep deprivation with kittens: Last summer I found a very sweet tortoise colored girl in our communal entrance hallway. Since I have already had a cat, I brought her to my sister to another city. She is now 10 month old, vaccinated, spayed and very energetic. But an amazing thing about her is from the very beginning she always went to sleep with people. Once lights are off, she goes to her place, lays down and falls asleep. Of course, she is happy when someone goes to the toilet in the middle of the night and tries to play with this person, but she doesn’t bother them when they go back to sleep. Such a good girl

Hi Lancelot!

This man is the Bob Ross of cats. I absolutely love him. As a long time lover of cats, I say EMBRACE the crazy kitten phase! It is precious. They run around all crazy and cute! Every plant knocked over, every glass of water, and even every vet bill... It's worth it!! 😻

Lancelot's voice is so beautiful! Such a big, fluffy old boy.

These videos are therapy i swear

Squish the cat

The pricing is real! We had an emergency clinic beside my house and I was forced to go there because I didn't have a vehicle. The exam was veryyy cheap but I knew something was up when they immediately tried to pressure me into extremely invasive procedures and an assortment of shots. Ended up getting a second opinion at another vet and they saved my cat's life! The other clinic made me actually cry but shouted in the middle of the waiting room that my cat had cancer, turns out she has an autoimmune disease that is extremely manageable and non-life-threatening! Cost is always a great thing to pay attention to.

About kittens being more energetic and eventually growing out of waking you up in the middle of the night... I have an 11 years old cat that didn't get the memo... She plays with pretty much everything that moves, prefers things that make noise, sleeps less than me (and I sleep 7 hours per night)... She never grew out of kitten phase 😂

I would really appreciate a more detailed video on how to pick a veterinarian. There must be some specific questions that one can ask or things to notice about the vet and the facility.

I just rescued a senior cat who was terrified of everything. She is 4-paw declawed (I have never done such a thing to a cat!). She trusts me now, but it's been a long haul. I'm determined to give her a long, healthy, happy life. She's very sweet! 😻

I am SO LUCKY that the veterinarian near me is also amazing! Unfortunately, they're also pricey, but that's ok. Good vets aren't cheap and cheap vets aren't good!

4:05 that little meow! Sounds like a duck quacking lol!!

Tip for kittens playing at 3am.....wear them out right before you go to bed. Playtime will make a difference. Playing with them with feather wand toys can get them wound up during playtime then when they are worn out, hurry and go get a few hours of sleep! 🤣 Works for me!!

Get two kittens preferably siblings! They will be toys for each other. Then I recommend a tunnel. Endless amusement for you and fun for them.

Sir Lancelot, such a handsome and regal boy! =^_^=

We need more veterinarians like you, doctor!

Even within a vet practice you will find doctors with varying bedside manners, levels of patience and specialties. My vet practice has all good doctors and I didn't specifically request one until I happened on Dr. S who is patient in answering my questions and seems to have a particulary good chemistry with Otto (he's a cat owner himself), now he is his official doc. Prepare questions in advance of your vet visit, whether you write them on paper or text them to yourself. I hate it when I get home and I forgot to ask something when I had face to face time with the vet. I think this is especially important for kittens and geriatric cats at opposite end of the age spectrum. Dental maintenance. Just please start early. And finally --- let your cat be who he or she is. You might get a cat with preconceived notions on how they will behave, how they give and receive affection, where they sleep (not all cats are going to snuggle your neck at night), etc. They're individuals with their own personalities and quirks.

16:27 - Lancelot’s cotton candy impersonation! 😹😹😹

isn’t this guy the squish that cat guy

Just one more suggestion… find a vet through your friends who specifically have cats. The vets I’ve gone to have “specialized” with felines and were clearly fond of cats on top of that. One of them used to stop in to say hi - to my cat more then me - whenever we were there for an appointment, even when it was with one of their colleagues.

My orange Siberian girl is so fluffy, her nickname is The FLÖÖF. She still gets annoyed that I brush her. I remind her being fluffy and beautiful takes upkeep. 😆

The first cats we had were sisters. As kittens they were perfectly fine with each other, growing older there were from time to time problems . The fights were not really severe, but I wished for more cuddly times together. But the two girls were happily waiting together looking out of the window waiting for us to come home from work.. They possesed the whole house : 6 rooms, beds, sofas, wide window sills from where they were overlooking the garden: birds, cats, spuirrels you name. We still love you , little girls. 💖🐅🐈💖 You were wonderful girls. 💖🐈🐅💖

I'm late to the video but for those who don't know, Lancelot is a very handsome cat who's also a hero. Watch the video about him!

A other tip with about any pet you are thinking of adopting. Question your self if you are quite sure you can take care of them for there entire life. (from feeding, grooming, exercising, medical check-ups and treatments.) but also that if you are not capable at a later point to do any of them for any reason. Take care that there is someone that might be able to do so and involve them before that point in the life of your pet. It's your pet from the moment you choose to adopt and until it dies it's your responsibility for a good life. if you are not sure please do not adopt. how sad that might sound.

A friend of mine is just finishing her vet training, and it‘s CRAZY regulated here in Germany. It was basically the same as a human doctor‘s education-a multi-year university degree with TONS of theory and multiple practical phases, just with a focus on all sorts of animals instead of humans.

Sir Lancelot likes the sound of your voice

Sir Lancelot is such a charming fellow!

You are SO CORRECT about that pricing structure. My main vet costs a bit more for exam costs, but every time I've gone to my backup vet for urgent care, everything but the exam fee has cost waaaay more. Their bills have taken me aback pretty much every time. I don't have any kittens, but thanks for the throwback to when my old cat gave me giardia or something like that. It was a long time ago, but I'll never forget how nasty that time was.

Best tip is to get two so they can play with each other and keep each other company and be friends. It’s less stressful for other animals already in the house and for you if you get two. Plus they’re so much fun to watch play together for many years to come. We like barely watch tv anymore and just watch the cats play instead:)

Hello my favorite youtuber and beautiful old cat 💛

As a current veterinary student and former vet tech, I personally would be more apt to try to educate clients to have their cats indoors for both safety and environmental reasons. Definitely my FIV+ boy was not going back outdoors after I decided to adopt him. And he's been just fine with the lifestyle change. I do come across a lot of people in Missouri, even vets, who have outdoor cats so the information on age is definitely interesting to take note of.

Lancelot is the bestest co-host! 😍

I prefer not to provide my psychiatrist extra work by the anxiety caused when my cat doesn’t come home ! There are critters around my urban home that are known to snack on cats, or just treat them as fun chew toys! Micro chip kitty. If they are lost you have a chance of bringing them home!

I love my vet. She was not the best but she is young and willing to inform herself on things that are new to her. She also permits me to bring my cat in a leash because I trained her from a young age.

I'd like to add a few things. First, start clipping your cat's toe nails when they are very young so they get used to it. This will save you a lot of blood down the line. Second, if your kitten is an only cat, it will be tempting to tussle with them with your hands and let them attack your hands. Bad idea. Just trust me on that. As they grow up, you can anticipate a lot of random and relentless attacks on your hands and arms with a lot of blood letting. People will think you are a drug addict with track marks or that you cut yourself, or that you routinely climb into rose bushes with thorns. Just use interactive toys. And finally, make sure you carry your camera around the house with you at all times. Because even when you're using the bathroom, you will want to get videos of your kitten chasing its tail in the bathtub, or bringing you its favorite toy and dropping it at your feet. You might pass out from the cuteness, but if you watch the video of it later, you might be able to stand it without passing out. :)

This youtuber is incredible, the advice also helps loads, thanks!

Thank you for this! Our rescue cat gave birth about a month ago. (She knocked out our window screen before we could have her spayed.) Every little kitten care tip helps.

Thank you so much for the video and Sir Lancelot is so handsome!❣🐾❤

Geez, can we just clone you and have you stationed everywhere!? At least North Florida. ❤❤❤ I am very jealous of your clients.

Sir Lancelot says "More petting, less talking!" Thanks for making these videos, though!

The first rule of dealing with kittens is to worm your kitten. "But she was wormed last w-" Don't care. "But she's been indoors her whole li-" Don't care. When in doubt, WORM YOUR KITTEN!! Fabulous video as always Dr Uri - I've been in this game for ten years and practiced on three continents and I still always learn something new from your channel!!

THANK YOU for speaking to the worm issue. My kitten was dewormed BUT still had a HORRIBLE case of worms. (He was found on the streets, so did not come from a breeder, either.). And this is so gross, but the kitten was sleeping with me in my bed, right up around my face and head, and I started seeing the little worms in my bed and that's when I realized he still had worms. ICK!! We got it handled but yikes! So yes, make sure they are dewormed a few times. He also had giardia, so we had to medicate for that and it took a pretty long time to get him cured. He was still a terror though. LOL! It did not effect his energy level.

Hello Sir Lancelot, Claudia, and Mr. Pirate. :) I'm still adjusting to the loss of my 15 year old cat, Cosmo. I will adopt a couple fur buddies again, a bonded pair if you will. Thank you for your continued support of the caring kitty lovers community.

Lancey's floof spikes at the end cracked me up 😆

So nice to see Lancelot lead the discussion on kitten care! Hi Lancelot!! You look so handsome, what a gorgeous face! He is just lapping up all the love!! Beautiful 🥰😻Thank you Dr. Uri for this very informative video. I've always gotten my cats as kittens and there trying moments but all fun and loving!!My rescue Angie is a different story but we got thru the ruckus with love, patience and prayers. I was not giving up on this kitty or rehoming her. Once in love, always in love!!!😻 But knowledge, your videos, love, patience, determination and yes, prayers!!! All helped. ☺️Thank you again, my prayers to Ukraine, a very beautiful country and the bravest person ever.🙏

Wow. I am speechless. Uri, a great, big, THANK YOU! While I don't have a kitten/cat right now, the best thing for any new guardian is a healthy, comprehensive feline education. Your videos exceed that! Item 2 is my primary dilemma where I live. I won't rush into being a kitty guardian without feeling secure about my vet's competency level. You are the best! All your kitty companions agree. Re: Indoor vs outdoor cat, my neighbor was bent on letting her Maine Coon roam outside. She had the cat for only a few years. Now, I never see him. To me, there are just too many unknown things that can go wrong outdoors.

Thank you ! Excellent advice as always. When I first had a young rottweiler ( I know this is about cats ) I asked if she could just practice sitting in the waiting room. 1- they were fine with that, 2- to get her used to the place - 3 to listen to the staff answering questions about other animals. I hope this idea might help someone else, You could do it with a cat -its a bit harder, but it could help you choose a good vet.* i adopt older cats.

I choose to keep my two boy cats indoors only. I'm glad you don't judge those of us who choose this life. My boys are happy, and we play all the time. My house looks like kitty city with trees and toys and tunnels!!

A video on how you would approach choosing a vet would be so insightful 🙏

My kittens are 5 months. This is super useful

Start *scratching their bellies* from day one as a part of patting and play, so they don't develop _" touch my belly and die"_ attitude. My now full grown cats (brothers) love belly rubs and not only purr loudly when getting them, they will flop in front of me and expose their bellies for rubs 'in a wanton fashion'. Oh and if they ever do claw you as a kitten, correct them! A quick slap on their paw and a strongly worded _No!_ will let them know not to do that … and they understand and learn. *I don't have a single scratch on me.* Of course sometimes I'm trapped having to use both hands and a foot to rub two cat bellies and their dog dad's belly simultaneously.

I’ve found clinics that charge more for exams have more equipment on site and charge less for labs because they only order the tests they need at the moment. If a vet clinic doesn’t run basic labs on site, skip them for one that does.

I am registered with a chain vet that is embeded in a pet store here in the UK. I get reduced cost checkups, vaccines and parasite control, and the vets are excellent. 2 of my cats have suffered with long term issues, one had age related kidney failure and the other had a neurological issue that resulted in balance issues and eventually seizures. I was only once overcharged, and that was by a new vet who wasn't aware of the issue with my second cat and decided to do a full exam on her when that wasn't necessary. The only issue is that they don;t provide 24hr care, but they are partnered with a nearby vet hospital that they can refer complex cases to. This happened with my 3.5 year old who suffered actue kidney failure, likely due to anti-freeze, and he needed 'round the clock care and monitoring (it was ultimately unsucessful).

Oh the sleep deprivation! Not in the middle of the night but every morning 5 am, like an alarm clock. Luckily daylight savings is next week and 5 will be called 6 so a lot closer to my regular alarm, but 3 months with 5-6 hours of sleep are tiring but still worth it, because the cats are very sweet and cuddly.

Someone explained to me today. The doctor could have gotten passing grades but were on the low end of the class. There is no way to know that by looking at the degrees and certificates on the wall. Do your research rather than picking a Vet with a blindfold on. My vet is a half hour away and in the next state. As my vet I love him. He is patient when I’m worried about my babies and doesn’t fault me. He also doesn’t dumb it done so I won’t worry.

Each of my cats have widely different toy/play preferences. The younger cat loves chasing plastic springs, she'll even fetch them! She will almost never touch soft toys. The older cat loves soft toys. She'll carry them around while meowing and bring them up to my bed. She also pays more attention to screens and loves playing phone games It's interesting how different their preferences and play styles are

Thank you so much for educating us.

TY Dr. Uri. Love from Toronto from Indy and Peach my two sweethearts.

I enjoy listening to you give advice on all aspects. You're informative and honest. I feel like I'm listening to my neighbor or best friend. Thanks for your videos!😊

Yay! New video, so helpful as always

My friend has an outdoor cat that isn't spayed and she keeps dragging her feet on doing it. How do I get her to get her ass in gear and go to the vet already?

Thank you, Dr. Yuri, for this amazing advice! I hope that more people find this video and that your advice helps them with their kittens!

Very helpful video again :) thank you :)

Thanks, Doc.

Thank you for all the Advice, i really learned a lot from you. I hope you can keep doing this for a long time to come, because there is always something new to learn.

Thanks from the USA you rock!

I don’t spay or neuter my cats but I watch them as they go outside. If they seem to like a cat, I keep them away. But I haven’t had to and it’s gone well for me.

I had to rescue 2 kittens.Then 2 years later an old sick momma cat had kittens.I had to bring them inside my house because they kept crawling up into my car.One got killed so I brought the other 2 inside.They are 9 months old now.

I learned a long time ago when my Chick had cat acne that you should put food and water in glass bowls, not plastic. My understanding is that plastic is very germy and doesn't clean as well as glass. I could be wrong, but it worked for my little Chick. I think it works for people as well. 🤗

I love Sir Lancelot's colouring especially his black nose, what a handsome boy. Are cats happy if they're an "only child" ?

We've had a bad experience with a vet during the pandemic lockdowns, he was both the doctor and owner, he was rude to my wife, he told us one thing and did another, and worst of all he injured out skittish cat and misdiagnosed her asthma. Later on he nearly resulted in the death of our friend's cat, luckily she made it to a hospital but that of course cost a fortune and the trauma to the cat was immense. When our other cat was having a renewed episode with his kidneys, his regular vet could not take him in, so I went with some friend's recommendations and found a new vet. They have been great ever since. Although my biggest tip to anyone is to look into let insurance.

An example of two very different vets in one small town. One office had a vet that could identify what's wrong by exam only, then only used tests as needed. She was right every time. The other office had a screaming dog in the back and nobody responding. It felt horrific.

I'm so glad you mentioned the quality including the Humane Society. That's where I'm going with my new cat.

Hugs to Sir "L". Handsome boy! Am now a mommy to a Siberian kitten - " Flavio". This makes 3 cats for me} a 15 yr old DSH; a 4 yr old female Savannah - and the kitten. I appreciate your discussion as to determining a competent vet. I took my senior to a specialist to get a 2nd opinion on a clinic's diagnosis of early-stage KD. Expensive but worth having board certified specialists do tests and provide more guidance. My new kitten "Flavio" I'm taking to a practice that is regarded highly by many cat/dog/animal owners. I appreciate having choices for me and my pets. Listening to your discussion about worms in kittens; wondering if that is "Flavio's" though the breeder wormed him. Am bringing stool sample of all cats keeping in mind worms are easily transmitted. This boy "Flavio" - he can eat! Three times a day this 4 month old polishes off a can and a half (3.5 oz) of RC - Mother & Baby kitten food plus rationed amounts of accompanying dry kitten food. He has big feet and the breeder predicts a 20 - 25 lb. cat. I understand from researching and meeting his parents that these are two armfuls of cat! He's large for a kitten and has a wonderful clownish personality. It's a week now that we all are learning about him and each other - at this point all cats remain in the same room - tolerance is coming along nicely. The Savannah remains the holdout growling and hissing but very curious; Flavio is eager to engage in play. Would enjoy hearing more discussion re: choosing a Vet. Thank you for your great topics and knowledge!

I would love to see a video about what’s the best and healthiest cat food brands.

How did you keep Sir Lancelot so compliant for so long??? Kudos

Your channel is the best. I'm learning so much about being the best cat mom possible. My girl, a Siamese mix of almost four, is a treasure. Very loving; moreso as she gets older. She was a real scamp as a kitten, until she was spayed at around five months. That calmed her right down. She was born of a feral mother/barn cat. Consequently, she has a congenital virus that causes chronic dental/oral problems. Once a year, she must have deep teeth cleaning's. Very expensive. On top of this, she now also has chronic cystitis, which requires very expensive Royal Canin Urinary food: $45.00 per six lb. bag, and Meloxicam as needed for pain! I'm very worried about present and future expenses accordingly. We love each other dearly, so there's no question about keeping her. Does anyone here have suggestions about how to keep her conditions, and expenses under control?

That cat is beautiful

After we got our kittens from the rescue we ended up taking them for their follow-up appointments to a vet 45 mins away because I didn't know any of the local vets well enough yet but I knew that vet and their practice. Our rescue also gave us a list of suggested vets and ones to avoid based on their experiences which was a helpful place for us to start when looking for a local vet. Also: The local vet we did choose even has an online tour of the facility (introduced through COVID times) so you can see the practice before deciding if you want to get to know them more and you can request an appointment online which is also so nice.

Hi doc, thanks for the really helpful video. What are your views about outdoor cat mediated wildlife loss? Especially with birds.

Some mammals do hatch (looking at you, monotremes). But they still drink mother's milk and get the immune joy. 🤓

How do you suggest dealing with the veterinarian shortage? Many of our local vets, and of course those are usually the best vets, are not accepting new patients or are booked out 2-3 months. As a result we've had to take our new kitten to the local no-appointment, walk-in vet because that is all that is available. Veterinary hospitals are even worse, our kitten ate and threw up some plastic and the only local Pet ER that was even taking patients (the others are so overbooked that there is an Instagram page showing the few Seattle pet hospitals that aren't full) and the wait times of 4-12 hours are normal on the few that are accepting patients. All of these things conspire to make a pet owner very frustrated and nervous.

This is perfect, my new cat has long hair. He's grooming it well, but I'm prepared to help.

This is quite an informative video. My latest cat toy which really gets him going is a plastic shopping bag pushed along by a mop on the tiles. I think he likes the noise. Of course I don't let him eat / chew the bag (for obvious reasons). Before the bag he used to chase the mop when I was mopping. One thing I do find is that he doesn't like toys that are black. I made a toy out of old socks and scrunched up newspapers / rags. There is no scent on them (i.e. Washed) but he doesn't really show much interest in black items but will play with white or coloured items. Do you have any idea why he wouldn't like dark coloured toys ?

yes, please do a video on how to know if your vet is a good one; I need to know this for my fur babies🐈‍⬛💗

Hello, to improve the quality of your videos, raise your voice because the sound is low, I am Egyptian, and I follow you. I apologize if there are mistakes. I am also a cat lover

I find it amazing that people think a kitten sleeping all the time isn't a red flag. By the time you get a pet kitten it's not a baby anymore, his/her mum dealt with the newborn phase when they sleep all the time, what you've got now at 8-12 weeks (when kittens are usually adopted) is the cat equivalent of a preschooler/school kid. If someone said 'my 4 year old sleeps all day' my immediate response would be 'What does the doctor think is causing that?' Also I was always told the 6 months desexing operation was just to make the vet's life easier because it's just harder to operate on a tiny kitten. Here the rspca do desex kittens before they are adopted but I assumed that was a compromise to make sure it's going to happen and not get forgotten.

I am already doing all of these awesome tips, including puzzle feeders. However my cat just loves to chew on rubber and silicone, when she gets to it. I bought her pencil-thick chew-sticks from the dog department and she loves them, but she still prefer rubber. Gladly she doesn't chew on electiric wires or other plastics.

That's interesting. I've seen some other videos that completely condemn the idea of outdoor cats. My own cat is indoor/outdoor, for the most part she chooses where she wants to be.

7:12 Just wanted to say that in Brazil, there is a government agency that regulates veterinarians!

By the way, what would you recommend as far as FIV/FELV testing as far as age & how many times? I've heard different things, although I usually just default to AAFP recommendations. Does Canada do FELV vaccination and would you recommend to outdoors cat owners?

When my human kittens are super quiet for more than 30min in a row, they're probably sick, too. The neighbors have an unneutered indoor-outdoor tom who keeps spraying my doors and windows, much to the annoyance of everybody in my house, feline or human. (Mine's supposed to be indoors but she does escape once or twice a month. She is spayed)

I have been treating my 2 kittens with tape worms.They were wormed at the vet but then they came up worms.

Would you please do a video on feline CH , it's probably just my algorithm but I've seen an up tick in the massive Facebook pages that just clip other people's videos together about it. A lot of the comments are people saying they dont think the cat has a good quality of life and as someone who has a wobbly cat that's completely spoiled and knows they used to be put down for this condition i think a video from someone as knowledgeable and skilled at explaining things would really help.

About litter boxes. We have two cats... we used to have 2 litter boxes, but they more or less ignored one of them and always went to the same box. So we decided to have only one litter box (it's fairly big one though) and our cats seem to be happy with that. Is that an exception to the rule, or are we doing it somehow wrong?

Do you have recommendations about pet insurance? Vet bills can really add up, there really does need to be an HMO for cats.