a 7 week old kitten

hey

i adopted a 7 week old kitten just today because the kids (a 13 yr old, 11 yr old, 4 yr old) have always wanted a cat, and a friend of one of the kids was giving away kittens they had just had.

ive read that 7 weeks is too young for a kitten to be taken away from its mother, would this be a problem? also, what do i feed her?

im also curious about how i took her home about 3 hours ago and i have not heard a peep from her since. she is very wary and nervous, but that is not unexpected, is that also simply because of this?

do i need to take her for a vaccination any time soon and what for? im not sure if the first owners had her vaccinated for anything yet but ill ask if necessary.

thank you!

Hi, Welcome to the wonderful world of cats!  Kittens do better in pairs. They always have a companion to play with and it keeps them out of trouble. I am unsure if 7 weeks is too young to be taken from the mother cat. I am assuming the kitten is weaned and eating solid food. Did they tell you what they had been feeding it? Kittens eat kitten chow or canned kitten food, but knowing which brand they were feeding it would make the transition easier. No cow milk because it causes diarrhea in cats. Plenty of fresh water at all times so that the kitten has easy access to it. 

Any time you have a new kitten, they are scared at first. They miss their Mom and littermates. If you have a small radio you could put it near the kitten for comfort. Stuff animals work great too the first week or so. Soft and comfy. Keep in mind they play a lot at that age and may chew it a bit. For a few days you may need to just sit and spend time with the kitten, talk softly and pet or hold him/her. I bet your kids are so excited! I still remember my first kitten when I was 5. Pet stores carry tons of cat toys that also can help make a new kitten comfortable. Especially interactive toys that your kids could use to play with it with. My kids are younger than yours, my cat had a kitten. He is 4 weeks old and my kids (3 year old twins) are learning "soft and gentle" and love using the interactive feather toy to get the kitten to chase it around. 

It is always a good idea to take a new kitten to the vet for a checkup and deworming. They vet will be able to tell you which shots the kitten will need on what schedule. In many areas, the local spay/neuter clinics offer "Wellness Days" where they give checkups and offer discount shots and such. Most have kitten packages where you pay 1 price for everything the kitten will need in the first year. (Shots, deworming, spay/neuter) Unsure of your area, but in my area my local spay/neuter clinic only charges $114 for a kitten package that covers everything over the course of the first  year. 

karly227 said:

 
hey

i adopted a 7 week old kitten just today because the kids (a 13 yr old, 11 yr old, 4 yr old) have always wanted a cat, and a friend of one of the kids was giving away kittens they had just had.

ive read that 7 weeks is too young for a kitten to be taken away from its mother, would this be a problem? also, what do i feed her?

im also curious about how i took her home about 3 hours ago and i have not heard a peep from her since. she is very wary and nervous, but that is not unexpected, is that also simply because of this?

do i need to take her for a vaccination any time soon and what for? im not sure if the first owners had her vaccinated for anything yet but ill ask if necessary.

thank you!

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Re eating - ask the owners what did she ate.   Kitten food - labelled kitten food, wet and dry.   Pate type canned is useful (counts as wet). Wet is usually of better quality, so its often good enough even if its not labelled kitten food-  Children food is often OK to use, Gerbers unflavored are renowned for it, but there are other brands too. goat milk is always ok as supplement.

Do ask, but prob she hasnt been vaccinated - take the so calle core vaccine + rabies,    probably hadnt been dewormed either...

Be very mommy to her!

some cheese, youghurt dont hurt.  Minced meat from cows. chicken.

I think 7 weeks is a little young to be separated from mom, but she'll probably be fine.
Feed her kitten food until she's about a year old, wet or dry. Wet is usually better, but dry is cheaper if you're on a budget. Try to get the highest quality you can afford. When I was finding food for my last kitten, I looked for the one with the highest protein content. Feed her asmuch as she'll eat for now, kittens burn a lot of energy! If you feed dry, you can "free-feed" (leave food out at all times).
Let me know if you have any more questions! I'm in no way an expert, but I did quite a bit of research/googling on kitty nutrition before I got my last kitten (he was a scrawny little guy when I got him).

She'll be nervous for a while, she's adjusting. This is her first time being away from her mama and siblings. Give get some time, she'll come out and play!

As to vaccinations, you'll need to ask get former owners of she's been vaccinated. It's a good idea to bring new kittens to the vet in either case, though.