What vaccinations does my 6-week-old Persian kitten need? Precautions?

Congratulations! What a beautiful kitten! Most vets start a vaccine series between 6-8 weeks of age, and will also deworm or check stool samples at the first visit. Following that, they typically need a visit/booster every 3-5 weeks until they are a few months old. The exact vaccines schedule will be individualized by your vet. They may also recommend parasite prevention or routine dewormers. Other things you can do at home include feeding a high quality kitten food, checking their urine and stool output and getting them used to being handled. Becoming well socialized is very important! Make sure they have plenty of vertical space like a cat tree, handle him gently and frequently - get him used to having his nail trims, etc. Don't let him bite you:) It looks like you are off to a great start!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Vaccines start around 6-8 weeks for kittens. His first Vet visit can be earlier and the Vet can start deworming John. At 6-8 weeks John would get his first FVRCP vaccine (feline rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia). Kittens get this vaccine multiple times, usually every 3-4 weeks until they have been given 3-4. The rabies vaccines is given sometime between 12-16 weeks. I hope this helps!

I would worry a little more about the new kitten passing on diseases to the older cat - viral upper respiratory infections in particular are common. I'd recommend vaccinating both cats with the FVRCP combo and rabies vaccines. If the cats are going to continue to be outdoors then the FeLV vaccine would also be recommended, and I actually usually recommend vaccinating all kittens for FeLV since you never know if their lifestyle might change.

Congratulations on your new kitten! I would recommend taking Smokey for his first veterinary exam one day this week, if possible. At this visit, the vet will check his heart and lungs, palpate his belly, and make sure that he doesn't have any other problems like ear mites or fleas. A fecal exam for parasites, feline leukemia test, and first FVRCP vaccine for feline distemper and other common diseases should be done at this visit. After that, the FVRCP vaccine will need to be boostered every 3-4 weeks until Smokey is 16 weeks or older. He will also need his feline leukemia and rabies vaccines at that time, and can be neutered anytime after 16 weeks of age.

Starting vaccines depends on the age the kittens left their mother. Kittens that were orphaned young and no longer have the antibodies from mom's milk may be vaccinated as early as six weeks, while kittens that were with mom may be vaccinated later at 8-10 weeks of age. There is then a series of vaccines that will be given 3-4 times over a period of every 4 weeks or so to finish the course. Rabies vaccines, which must be given by a vet, are usually given at around 5-6 months of age. Most kittens are spayed/neutered at around 5-6 months of age, before they reach sexual maturity, however some shelters and veterinary clinics do spay and neutered kittens once they've reached a certain size/weight, rather than age. Checking with your vet to see their policy is best.

If she is a warrior kitten, then Artemis is great name for her! Feline core vaccines include FVRCP (feline distemper combo) and a rabies vaccine. At four months of age, she will need two rounds of each vaccine given four weeks apart. You should do the FVRCP vaccine first, then two weeks later the rabies vaccine. The second FVRCP vaccine should be done four weeks after the first one, and the same goes for the rabies vaccine. It's not recommended to give the FVRCP and rabies together at the same time. Have plenty of toys for her to play with, and get interactive toys so you can play with her. I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! I would recommend deworming the kittens and starting their first vaccinations (FeLV and FVRCP vaccinations). These vaccinations will need to be repeated two more times after the initial vaccine. These vaccinations will help develop immunity against Feline Leukemia, Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia. I would also see if you can bring a fecal sample in for both of them to check for intestinal parasites. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.