If you have a healthy kitten, it will have eyes that are bright, a coat that is sleek as well as a belly that is plump. A young kitten will be happy to spend the time between feedings, sleeping. As they approach eight weeks of age, they will start to play more. Kittens may fall ill and even die whilst they are being fostered (their normal temperature is 100-102). It is therefore critical to ensure steps are taken to stop disease and to treat it quickly once it occurs.
A kitten at five weeks of age also needs thorough medical monitoring. Although they only receive their first vaccinations once they turn eight weeks, it is vital to deal with fleas and any immune system diseases whilst they are five weeks old.
The first vaccinations that kittens should receive will be when they are between six to eight weeks old. These vaccinations will assist with building up the kitten’s resistance to possibly serious diseases. These vaccines assist by triggering your kitten’s immune system to enable the natural defences of their bodies to be equipped with antibodies allowing them to fight off diseases. It is extremely important therefore that your kitten is properly vaccinated to enable their immune systems to be armed so as to fight off bacterial as well as viral infections. Your veterinarian will send out reminders a couple of weeks prior to your kitten requiring its annual booster vaccinations.
The vaccine that your veterinarian gives your kitten should immunize it against cat distemper (feline panleukopenia), herpes 1 (feline rhinotracheitis), as well as feline calcivirus. When the kitten reaches twelve weeks of age, it must be given a rabies vaccination, then again at twelve to eighteen weeks, it must receive the vaccination against feline leukemia. Ensure that your kitten does not receive cheap or badly stored vaccines. Once the kitten has received its first booster vaccines at year-end, additional vaccinations will not be required for quite a few years, no matter what you might read on the box. Regarding rabies vaccines, it would be best to consult your veterinarian about the local ordinances governing rabies vaccinations.
It is best for kittens to stay with their mothers until they reach eight weeks old but also important for them to be socialized with humans at the same time. To achieve this, you may have to take the mother cat with her kittens, although you may not be able to do this if the mother is a feral cat. Should this be the case, it would best to take the kittens at five weeks of age, without the mother cat so that they may be socialized which will allow them to become adoptable. Do not try to house or confine a mother cat that is feral as this is unsafe.
Should you find stray kittens that are friendly, you could adopt them and ensure that they are cared for and socialized until they reach eight weeks old. After they are eight weeks old, you could either keep them or try to find other homes for them to go to. If you are unable to care for them yourself, it would be best to take them to your local animal shelter so that they may be placed in foster care.
