Kitten advice please

I haven't had kittens in 20 years & we're getting 2 little ones soon!

I have a few questions that I am looking for opinions on...

The kittens are 6 weeks old, is that too young to take them from their mother?

What brand of kitten food do you like best?

When should I bring them for their first check up?

They will be indoor cats, is it really necessary for them to get shots?

I was planning on keeping them in one small room for a while so they can get acclimated but not sure how long is necessary & I don't know what to do once they are out.
My old cat would hide in the basement celling & we couldn't get her out.
Are there any tricks to keeping them out of places like that, we don't have a door to the basement.

Any other suggestions or comments would be helpful.
Thanks!

Kitten advice please

We have had good luck with Science Diet. We do free feeding dry and occasional wet food as a treat. That way we can leave her for a few days without any visits from people. We give her wet once a week to keep her regular though and make it easier if we need to give her meds.

You should bring to vet ASAP. And often, even though they are indoor. Right now I can't bring my cat to the vet because she won't let them touch her. It's horrible when she is sick. So if you bring them all the time then hopefully they get used to it.

IMO, you should at least get the first few rounds of shots. Not sure if the later years shots are worth it. But, the rabies shots are important. We were told that the vet would not treat our cat's fractured tooth because she was behind on her rabies shot, because if she scratched anyone she could have potentially passed it on and then it would be reported to the town and the town would impound and 'dispose' of her. Same for if she was to get loose and the town picked her up. If we couldn't provide proof of the shot they would 'dispose' of her.

We don't let our cat in the basement. Too many hiding spaces for my comfort. In the beginning we kept her in a bedroom for a few days, then after a few days let her walk around in larger and larger areas while we were home, but put her back in the bedroom when we were away from home. Then eventually let her into more of the area by herself.

Good luck and pictures please.

Kitten advice please

Shots for kittens or puppies DO not start until 8 weeks. Both should be with mom until that time. Its always a good idea to have them tested for leukemia and Aid and vaccinate if neg. Rabies are required by law. I would have them have all the core shots 3-1, deworming and Leukemia. shots are 8 wk, 12 wks and 16 wks. Once they get older and never go out you can think if just rabies.

enjoy and GL and congrats

Message edited 5/28/2015 10:31:05 PM.

Kitten advice please

Shots will be at 8 weeks. I am adopting a kitten from someone on here and have adopted kittens in the past. According to the vet of the new kitten I am adopting, the kittens should be with their mother until 8 weeks to be ready socially and they're still nursing, usually, too.

Re: Kitten advice please

Some say that kittens should be with their mom until 12 weeks for optimal adjustment but at least 8 weeks if possible.

As for shots, It is my understanding that legally you need to give the rabies shot. We got our kitten checked out as soon as we got her. Let the vet look her over, take some blood and make sure nothing is going on. After that it is usually once a year which i dont think is excessive to make sure everything is ok. Some say you dont need to give the shots if they're an indoor cat but i'' tell you that my cat was behind on his shots and he got lost for three weeks. I kept thinking of the worst case scenario. Thank goodness he was ok but hindshight, getting the shots is peace of mind.

Yes, you can keep the little ones in a small room when you're not around. They're kittens and they're going to get in trouble exploring :D