Question about Vaccinations & my Kitten

Hey all,

First thread/post here on these forums. Anyways, lets get down to business.

I am getting my first kitten in a few weeks, it hasn't had any of its shots.It will be about 7-8 weeks old when I get it. I am currently unemployed and won't be able to get my kitten its shots that it will need.

If I keep it inside and away from other cats until I get its shots, will it be fine? Whats absolute longest it can go without shots?

I am currently staying with my uncle and he has two adult cats. For now, my kitten will be sharing the litter box and food/water bowls with them. They've had their shots and have flea collars.

Any help would be appreciated, and if this is in the wrong place/doesn't belong here just let me know.

I've had cats before, but never a kitten that I'm fully responsible for.

Originally Posted by Hey You

Hey all,

First thread/post here on these forums. Anyways, lets get down to business.

I am getting my first kitten in a few weeks, it hasn't had any of its shots.It will be about 7-8 weeks old when I get it. I am currently unemployed and won't be able to get my kitten its shots that it will need.

If I keep it inside and away from other cats until I get its shots, will it be fine? Whats absolute longest it can go without shots?

I am currently staying with my uncle and he has two adult cats. For now, my kitten will be sharing the litter box and food/water bowls with them. They've had their shots and have flu collars.

Any help would be appreciated, and if this is in the wrong place/doesn't belong here just let me know.

I've had cats before, but never a kitten that I'm fully responsible for.

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Firstly, welcome and congratulations.

If it is possible to have the kitten stay with it's mom until it is 12 week old that would be best. 7-8 weeks is really too young to be separated from mom.

I would recommend you do whatever you can to get the kitten it's shots as soon as you possibly can - not just to protect the kitten but also the two cats that will be sharing litter, bowls, etc. If the kitten is not from a place you can be sure of healthwise, it could be a risk to the other cats and that's why it should be vet-checked and vaccinated asap. You should also keep it separate from the other cats until it is checked. If possible keep it in your room and away from the other cats until then.

I think you meant the other cats have "flea" collars. PLEASE - remove the flea collars from the cats. Flea collars are dangerous things and many kittens have died from having them on. Hartz are particularly dangerous.

I appreciate you are unemployed and it isn't easy to pay for flea meds from the vet. Make sure the little one doesn't have fleas when you bring it home.

You can pick up some diatomaceous earth (DE) from a garden centre or farm supply place to deal with fleas. It is relatively cheap. Just sprinkle it into the carpets and work it down into the fibres with a broom. Leave it a few days before vacuuming. This is the chemical free way to deal with fleas. It must be the human/food grade DE though. It is completely safe for mammals and if the cats ingest any, the only thing it would do for the cats and kitten would be to rid them of any internal parasites.

Also, most kittens are born with worms so your kitten will also have to be dewormed. The current cats can also get worms from the kitten if they are sharing litter and bowls.

This is a long post but if you have any other questions, throw them out here.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Firstly, welcome and congratulations.

If it is possible to have the kitten stay with it's mom until it is 12 week old that would be best. 7-8 weeks is really too young to be separated from mom.

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Yeah it may be. My kittens the only cat that's still reliant solely on his moms milk. The rest of the litter is eating can food already. I thought 8 weeks was a good time. I think they are trying to get rid of them (the kittens) ASAP.

I would recommend you do whatever you can to get the kitten it's shots as soon as you possibly can - not just to protect the kitten but also the two cats that will be sharing litter, bowls, etc. If the kitten is not from a place you can be sure of healthwise, it could be a risk to the other cats and that's why it should be vet-checked and vaccinated asap. You should also keep it separate from the other cats until it is checked. If possible keep it in your room and away from the other cats until then.

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Well my uncles two cats are currently living with the mom and babies (my uncle just put down a pet deposit on his place), so the cats are used to each other etc. At first the mom the and kittens had their own litter box, but I'm not quite sure now. I believe all 4 cats (+the babies) share a litter box now.

I think you meant the other cats have "flea" collars. PLEASE - remove the flea collars from the cats. Flea collars are dangerous things and many kittens have died from having them on. Hartz are particularly dangerous.

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Well I'm not going to put a flea collar on the kitten, but I should remove it from the two adult cats?

Also, most kittens are born with worms so your kitten will also have to be dewormed. The current cats can also get worms from the kitten if they are sharing litter and bowls.

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So I assume (by looking around online briefly) that he'll get dewormed when I take him for his shots?

Thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by Hey You

Yeah it may be. My kittens the only cat that's still reliant solely on his moms milk. The rest of the litter is eating can food already. I thought 8 weeks was a good time. I think they are trying to get rid of them (the kittens) ASAP.

Hopefully you can convince them to keep the kitten even for another week or 2.

Well my uncles two cats are currently living with the mom and babies (my uncle just put down a pet deposit on his place), so the cats are used to each other etc. At first the mom the and kittens had their own litter box, but I'm not quite sure now. I believe all 4 cats (+the babies) share a litter box now.

If they are already living together and sharing boxes and bowls, then there should be no problem.

Well I'm not going to put a flea collar on the kitten, but I should remove it from the two adult cats?

Actually, yes. Flea collars shouldn't be put on any cat. Are the other cats indoor only? If not, then there is a good chance of bringing in fleas, otherwise not so much.

So I assume (by looking around online briefly) that he'll get dewormed when I take him for his shots?

Thanks for the reply.

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Yes, generally vets will deworm a kitten when they get their first shots. Try phoning around to see if there are any places that will give you a break on the cost since you are unemployed. It's worth a try anyway.

You may want to check with local pet stores as well. One of the smaller pet stores in my area, brings in a vet every month who offers low cost vaccinations. I think Petco and Petsmart offer similar programs.

As for the checkup, I just googled some of the vets in my area and the one I found, people have been going to for 20+ years and really love the services provided plus at low cost. Some of them also said the vet was willing to work with them financially, so you may want to Google or Yelp some vets in the area.

I also do flea prevention with my cats even though they are indoor only, since we can bring in fleas on our pant legs and stuff from the lawn. Also, there is that new line of Flea products, Pet Armor Plus, which is supposed to be similar to Frontline, but at much cheaper prices (around $25 for a 3mo supply versus $39.99 or more for a 3 month supply).

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by PrincessEsme

I also do flea prevention with my cats even though they are indoor only, since we can bring in fleas on our pant legs and stuff from the lawn. Also, there is that new line of Flea products, Pet Armor Plus, which is supposed to be similar to Frontline, but at much cheaper prices (around $25 for a 3mo supply versus $39.99 or more for a 3 month supply).

Hope this helps!

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It is true that we can bring in fleas on our clothing but the DE would take care of that.

We here at TCS caution folks about using over-the-counter flea meds (or any meds for that matter) without first talking to a vet at least. There have been too many deaths of our wonderful pets because of overdoses or bad products. Ask a vet before using any OTC meds.

Thanks for the advice guys, no worries I won't be purchasing any meds or anything like that without talking with a vet. I will be extremely cautious with him


I'll be searching around here and in my town for programs like you too mentioned.


Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Hey You

Thanks for the advice guys, no worries I won't be purchasing any meds or anything like that without talking with a vet. I will be extremely cautious with him

I'll be searching around here and in my town for programs like you too mentioned.


Thanks again.

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There is another request I have - pictures please!

Originally Posted by Yosemite

There is another request I have - pictures please!

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Sure thing, heres a quick pic I took a couple of days ago:

Originally Posted by Yosemite

It is true that we can bring in fleas on our clothing but the DE would take care of that.

We here at TCS caution folks about using over-the-counter flea meds (or any meds for that matter) without first talking to a vet at least. There have been too many deaths of our wonderful pets because of overdoses or bad products. Ask a vet before using any OTC meds.

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Thanks Yosemite for the heads up. I just assumed people would consult a vet first, as I do since I use a prescription based drop.

Hey guys,sorry to bump the thread. Figured it was to use this thread again then create a new one.

Possibly in a couple of weeks, I'll be going home and taking my kitten with me. I have an adult cat living at my house and he is a outdoor/indoor cat.

If I take him (my kitten) home in a couple of weeks, he won't have his shots or a vet check him out yet.

Should I keep my kitten seperated from my adult cat until I get its shots? Even though my adult cat has had its shots and everything?

Hi!
The article on Introducing Cats might help. From what I have read, most sites recommend keeping them apart until they have vaccinations.