5 Weeks Old - Vaccines

Basil, Tarragon and Rosemary at 5 Weeks old

At five weeks old, the ears are up, thinned and pink.   Only the medium hair kitten has a little thickness around the edge of his ears.  The tail is 5 inches long.  They weigh in at about 1 lb 5 oz.  Solid food is given 2-3 times a day, still in a mush form.  I have found a mix of cream of rice, canned kitten food and milk replacer works well.  Since these kittens started on a bottle so young, they come to me looking for one in-between meals and sometimes after a meal, and of course I oblige.  Litter box use is improving, but the other day I changed brands of litter and Tarragon wasn't happy about that and decided to use a towel in his proximity, instead.  Still so young, they need help cleaning themselves.  A warm damp washcloth is the perfect replacement for mom cat's rough tongue.  Usually there is some food dried on around the mouth, on top of their head and various other places.  Also, the dust from the litter coats their fur and a quick overall wipe down and a soft brushing keeps them clean and soft.  When that isn't sufficient, then I get some help to clip their nails and give them another full bath.

Testing and Vaccines
 

Considered big enough to see the veins, the kittens went to the clinic and had their blood drawn.  Basil is watching her results, phew, FIV/FeLV is negative.  This feline virus is considered highly contagious to other cats, and usually results in a slow death as the immune system fails them.  But these kittens are healthy and will get their first set of vaccines to protect against this illness as well as a few others that are life threatening.

Rosemary the evening after vaccines.

What a big day, a drive in the car, poked and stuck, this little girl is having a rough night.  She needed a little extra loving.  Her siblings had snuggled up to each other and were fast asleep, but she couldn't get comfortable.  Usually the vaccines will cause the kittens to be tired, have some aches, and also a loss of appetite for 24 to 36 hours.  If it is longer than that, if there is vomiting or other unusual behaviors, they should be seen by a vet right away.