There are a couple of different ways to see if a kitten has been orphaned or not. One of the most classic signs is that it's clearly by itself. Sometimes you can find them wandering in the road, mud, or ditch, and there's no mother around. Typically, with kittens that are not orphaned, there's usually more than one. So if there's more than one kitten there, the mother may have just stepped out for a little bit. You can watch, but I think if you don't see the mother come back within two to three hours, then it's safe to assume that the kitten is orphaned. We were talking about how to tell if a kitten is orphaned. Another way that you can tell if a kitten's been orphaned is if it's wet, in the mud, and obviously not being taken care of. Mama cats and kittens are usually kept very clean. The mother's very good about cleaning them, so if the kitten's dirty or has eye goop or is obviously not doing well, you will know they've been orphaned. Sometimes they can be in the middle of nowhere with nothing around them. If that happens, then you know that they're orphaned.

There are different types of vaccines. Not all vaccines are created equal, so if you go to a low-cost or if you get your vaccines from a tractor supply, we can't guarantee that the vaccines are, number one, stored appropriately. If the vaccine sits out for any longer than about 10 to 15 minutes, the vaccine doesn't always have as much of a response because the particles can start to die, so you won't get an immune response at all. Low-cost vaccines do have their place, but your vaccines given by a veterinarian, even though they might be at a slightly higher price point, you are assured that they've been stored appropriately and they're given appropriately. Because when you give your cat vaccines at home, you really want to make sure you're giving it at an appropriate time, place, and position on the body, and you don't want to harm your kitten. So while there is a place for that, I am not a huge fan because we can see kittens that are not given appropriate vaccines, or if they're given a vaccine that hasn't been stored properly, and they may not have any protection at all.

Ideally not. We like our kittens and cats to be protected when they enter the environment. I can say that my cats are vaccinated for feline leukemia. They are indoor-only cats and don't go anywhere, but they come outdoors with me. I'm with them, and it's usually for short periods of time in my fenced yard. There's no chance for them to have any interaction. Is that best practice? I should probably vaccinate them. They only go outside maybe once every six months, but if you live in a highly populated kitty cat environment with a feral cat population, yes. Ideally, you need to have your cats vaccinated for both feline FVRCP, feline rabies, and feline leukemia.

If your kitten misses a vaccine, come in when you can, and we will start where we left off. So say you get your first vaccine at seven to eight weeks, and then you miss your 12-week vaccine, but you come in for 16 weeks. At 16 weeks, their immune system is considered an adult. What we usually do to make sure we've got enough protection is I will still give a booster one more time after that. So we kind of pick up where you left off. The only exception to this is with older kitties that are maybe one or two years of age. Their immune system is an adult; therefore, one vaccine should produce enough of an immune response to last for a year.

They're usually very low risks. The biggest side effect we can see is a little bit of pain when we're giving the vaccine. Nobody likes needles, and there is a little pinch. They can be sore in that area for a few days after. Sometimes you can even get some swelling. It's very rare to see a true vaccine reaction, but if it is seen, the first sign you're generally going to see is vomiting within about an hour or two after giving the vaccine. If that is seen, they need to return to the veterinary clinic. Other vaccine reactions we can see are facial swelling or hives. Once again, they're very rare, but in that event, you need to bring them back to your veterinarian. If your veterinarian's office is not open, please go to the nearest emergency veterinary clinic for care.

They do because viruses and bacteria are microscopic, and even if your kitten is not going anywhere, you are. If you have dogs, they're going places, and viruses and bacteria can live on our skin from everything we touch and on our shoes. You can infect your kitten even if they aren't going anywhere. So it's super important that even indoor-only kitty cats that aren't going anywhere have their vaccines to help them stay healthy.

Every three to four weeks up until they reach 16 weeks of age. That way, we ensure we form lasting immunity to protect your kitten. It's once a year after that.

We like to start kitten vaccines between seven and eight weeks of age. You can start them around six weeks. I typically like to wait a little longer just because the maternal antibodies are still hanging around. Then once you start your vaccines, you give them every three to four weeks up until the kitten is 16 weeks of age.

We'll talk about core vaccines first before talking about non-core. Core vaccines are considered the most important thing for your kittens, especially in the United States. They are vaccines for the most common diseases that we can prevent. The first one, of course, is rabies. Rabies can be given starting at 13 weeks and then needs to be given once a year after that. Rabies is transmissible to people, which is why it's so important. It is a hundred percent fatal to animals, so it's super important. Even if your cat or kitten doesn't go outside, it's super important because things can happen. Here in Texas, we have endemic rabies. Skunks can carry rabies and show no symptoms. There was an instance even where a raccoon got inside and bit an indoor kitty cat who had to be put down because that raccoon carried rabies. Fluke things happen, and it's super important to follow. It's also Texas state law. Non-core vaccines would be something like feline leukemia. Feline leukemia is known as the Kitty-Loving Loving Disease because it's transmitted by cats when they're grooming and loving each other. It's usually fatal as well. We recommend it for cats that go outside and interact, but if they're indoor only, they're low risk. Another core vaccine that's super important is our FVRCP, which is basically for feline upper respiratory viruses that can be detrimental to their health and can create emergency situations. Just like we get vaccinated for the flu, or some of us get vaccinated for COVID-19, FVRCP is considered a core vaccine because it is one of the most common transmissible diseases in kittens.