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Cat care

Kitten care: the first weeks, vaccinations and a shopping list

Updated

A kitten at home: the first weeks, socialisation, litter training, the vaccination plan, what the law requires and what to buy in advance.

Kitten shopping list from 39,30 €

The first weeks at home

In a new home a kitten first looks for a safe hiding place, so at the start let it settle into one quiet room with food, water, a litter box and a bed. Once it walks around that room with confidence, open the doors to the rest. At first, give it the same food it had at the breeder's and change it gradually.

Kittens climb everywhere, so check windows and the balcony in advance, and put away cables, thread, hair ties, medicines and household chemicals. Look into your houseplants too: some, such as lilies, are very dangerous to cats.

Socialisation

The first months of life are when a kitten gets used to human hands, household noises and other animals with the least effort. Pick it up and stroke it gently every day and let it meet visitors, but do not push: let a frightened kitten hide and come back in its own time.

Play every day with a wand toy or a ball, not with your hands: a kitten that learns to hunt fingers will still pounce on them as an adult. If there is another pet at home, introduce them gradually, first through a door or by scent on a cloth.

Litter training

A kitten soon works out by itself what a litter box is for, as long as it stands in a quiet, easy-to-reach spot away from the food bowl. After meals and naps, carry the kitten to the box, and praise it when it uses it. The box should have low sides so a small kitten can climb in easily.

Scoop the box every day. If the kitten starts going elsewhere, first check that the box is clean, that it likes the litter and that nothing frightens it there, and if it keeps happening, talk to your vet.

Claws, the scratching post and handling

Scratching is a natural need for a cat, so put a scratching post up straight away, next to where the kitten sleeps, and praise it when it uses it. Ban scratching altogether and it will find somewhere else, such as the sofa.

Every day, briefly touch the kitten's paws, ears and face, and brush it with a soft brush once or twice a week. A cat used to being handled from an early age is calmer when its claws are trimmed, its coat brushed and the vet examines it.

Vaccinations and vet visits

The antibodies a kitten gets from its mother protect it only in the first weeks and can also stop a vaccine from working, so kittens are vaccinated several times. The core vaccinations protect against panleukopenia and cat flu, and rabies vaccination is compulsory in Lithuania. Below is a general plan by age; your vet draws up the actual one.

  1. On arrival The first vet visit In the first days at home, take the kitten to a vet, who will examine it, check the microchip and the register entry, look at the vaccinations already given and draw up the rest of the vaccination plan.
  2. up to 4 months Microchip and register The law requires a kitten to be microchipped within four months of birth and before it goes to a new owner, so it should come from the breeder already chipped and registered.
  3. from 12 weeks Rabies vaccination Compulsory in Lithuania for cats older than twelve weeks. Only a microchipped kitten can be vaccinated, and when it is repeated depends on the vaccine maker's instructions.
  4. from 16 weeks The last of the core vaccinations Against panleukopenia (feline distemper) and the two viruses behind cat flu, a kitten is vaccinated several times, every two to four weeks, because the antibodies it got from its mother can stop a vaccine from working. The last of the series is given at sixteen weeks of age or later.
  5. from 26 weeks The booster International guidelines advise repeating the core vaccinations from twenty-six weeks of age, so that kittens in whom the earlier vaccinations did not yet take are protected too.
  6. Every year The yearly health check Once a year a vet examines the cat and decides which vaccinations need repeating. Whether to vaccinate against feline leukaemia virus depends on whether the cat goes outdoors or lives with cats that do.

This is a general plan based on international veterinary guidelines. Your vet draws up the actual vaccination plan, taking your pet's health, lifestyle and earlier vaccinations into account.

Food by age

A growing kitten needs more energy and protein than an adult cat, so choose a food whose pack says it is for kittens. Fresh water should always be available, and a kitten does not need milk: many cats digest it poorly.

How much to give follows the table on the pack and the kitten's weight. The move to adult food comes once the kitten has finished growing; if in doubt, ask your vet.

Kitten food

New kitten shopping list

What you will need in the first days. Each line shows the cheapest offer on sale today in the shops we compare; prices are updated every night.

Total from 39,30 € The sum of the cheapest offers on sale today, covering 10 of 10 lines on the list.

The list is our editorial suggestion and the price the cheapest offer available today, not a recommendation to buy that product. Which size of bed, collar or carrier you need depends on your pet.

When to see a vet urgently

See a vet straight away if the kitten is vomiting or has diarrhoea, refuses food for more than a day, is listless, breathes with its mouth open, has a seizure, has swallowed thread or something dangerous, has chewed or licked a plant that may be toxic, or is injured. A small kitten weakens very quickly.

Sources

This is general information, not a consultation with a vet. Every animal is different: if your pet is unwell or you are unsure, ask your vet.