New Kitten Help

Yesterday I rescued a 6 week old kitten from the local animal shelter. She is a lovely, furry calico and makes a wonder addition to our family. I have another cat who is 8 years old and so far he is handling the transition very well. I do have a couple of concerns about this little kitten though. It has been quite some time since my 8 year old was a kitten, so it is hard to remember what it was like. My new kitty sleeps an awful lot. Anytime she snuggles up with you on the couch or in the chair she will doze right off. I have tried to get her interested in playing, but she seems to not be playful at all. She will chase after string for a minute at the most. She does follow me around the house and boy does she move slow.

I noticed yesterday that she does have worms and a few fleas here and there. I have an appointment with my vet on Friday. She has vomited a couple of times today. From what I have read online that could be due to the worms. The last time she vomited it was watery and white. Do you think she could be sick?

Could this just be her temperment? Maybe she will just be much calmer than my high-strung 8 year old who chases anything and everything. What do you think?

Six weeks old is really young. I got my two when they were six weeks as well. They slept a lot too, and moved pretty slowly and clumsily because well, really they had just learned how to walk a short time ago. She will become more active and playful in the coming weeks, but kittens do sleep a lot. Mine had worms and fleas when I got them too. The vet will take care of that for you, and your little girl should be right as rain. If you have concerns about her behavior, definitely mention it to the vet, but what you're describing reminds me of the way my two babies were when I got them two years ago. Cany you post a pic? I bet she's really cute!

Thank you so much for your reassurances!!

Here are a couple of pictures of my new "baby". My little girl has named her Tinkerbell.

Awww, she is cute! I just love kittens. I wish they would stay that small longer, but they just grow up so fast. What an adorable little girl.

she's adorable. I dont' know much about raising very small kittens (we got marsh at 12 weeks), but it seems you're doing everything well. One thing, I'd try to get an earlier vet app

I'm thinking that if she has fleas your older cat will also get them. I would ask the vet if you should get flea treatment for your older cat too. Kittens often have worms so yes the vet should deworm her.

If the cat ingests fleas that can cause worms so you might want to also ask him if your older cat may be susceptible to worms as well if he/she has picked up any of the fleas and ingested them.

Originally Posted by RarePuss

she's adorable. I dont' know much about raising very small kittens (we got marsh at 12 weeks), but it seems you're doing everything well. One thing, I'd try to get an earlier vet app

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I'd love to get an earlier appointment, but I live in a rural town and have to drive an hour to my vet. They close at 5:00 and I don't get off until 4:00. I work 30 mintues away from where I live. However, if I feel like Tinkerbell is taking a turn for the worse I will make an emergency visit to the vet.

Arrrgh! She is SO cute - I have a particular thing for calicos/tortoiseshells as we had a lot of them growing up. Isn't she just so edible??? What a muffin...

IMO your kitten needs a vet. 6 week old kittens are a bundle of energy, they sleep in spurts, but they race up and down the halls, up the drapes, over the tops of chairs and across the bed. They do not move "slow" by any measure. I would get this baby to a competent vet pronto and ask for a comple evaluation including blood work. Coming from a shelter she could have been exposed to so many things. People seem to think that feral cats carry disease, but in my experience, it has been shelter kitties that are exposed to diseases depending on the policy of the shelter they come from.

Your kitty is adorable!!! I would also take her to the vet asap.

Well I took Tinkerbell to the vet this morning. She noticed right away that she was not well. She did a Feline Leukemia test and it came back negative. She believes strongly that she has a viral infection like Feline Distemper. Tinkerbell is still at the vet, receiving IV fluids and antibiotics. Please keep my new baby in your prayers.

She is such a sweet little kitten and I do hope she recovers soon. It is good you got her seen, it could have been much worse - they can go downhill so fast at that age. Good luck with your lovely little girl.