When should I take my newly adopted kitten for their first vet visit?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Adopting a pet is a great option and certainly helps those pets in need of a home so thank you for looking into adopting! Some shelters will have an affiliation program with nearby veterinary clinics where the clinic will provide you with a free examination to establish yourself there. I would ask the shelters if they have such a program. When going to the veterinarian, I would ensure that you are looking at preventative care (heartworm and flea / tick prevention). The shelter should have most vaccinations up to date but if it is a puppy, you may have to repeat several vaccination rounds. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Congratulations! I recommend at 5 months for the first visit to consist of: fecal test, deworming even if the fecal test is negative, feline leukemia and FIV testing, the FVRCP vaccine every 3 weeks for a total of 2 and the Rabies vaccine. I also recommend spaying and neutering after 6 months of age. I recommend feeding ahigh quality kitten food like Purina Proplan, Hill's Science Diet or Royal Canin until 1 year of age. To watch the weight after 6 months I recommend meal feeding. I wish you the very best!

I would recommend to take Willow to the veterinarian for an examine. Not eating is generally a sign of illness. The doctor will examine her and check her temperature and may recommend diagnostics. Get her in as soon as you can so she can get on the right tract and not get worse. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello. What a sweet little calico kitten. The best we can do about what breed she is will be to call her a Domestic Shorthair. 8 weeks is a perfect time to have her examined physically & for intestinal parasites & start her vaccinations. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Congrats on your new cat! I think it's always a good idea to have a new cat checked out by a vet not long after getting it. Unfortunately people don't always tell the truth, so it's best to have your own exam done. You can ask the previous owners to have Kitty's records transferred from her old vet to your vet so that your vet has the correct information. If they refuse to do this, that could be an indication that the information you received about her previous care isn't correct. Make an appointment with your vet, and speak with the previous owners to have her records transferred. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is the pet peeve of all veterinarians I know. In general, I recommend taking the advice of people who have advanced degrees in animal health and medicine. Breeders have no required certifications or education, and often no actual evidence for their recommendations. In this specific case, I will say that for PUPPIES, I prefer 8 weeks of age. However kittens seem to be able to wean, transition to kibbles, and potty train earlier than dogs. Six weeks with their first vaccine and deworming on board is a perfectly safe and reasonable time to get kittens into their new homes! Best wishes to you, the kittens, and their new families!

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.