Is 7 weeks old too young for a kitten?

[7rider]

Thanks, all. I feel a little better about this schedule, then.

No pets in the house now. But perhaps a dog in the future. One of our first tasks is scheduling a vet visit. I'm not sure what vaccines momma cat has gotten - if any - so a full range of tests/vaccines will be high on the agenda.

[spokewench]

Enjoy your kitties! I think you'll be okay taking them at 7. THey are soooooo cute

[7rider]

Thanks.

Here's another one - there are 2 calico-y tabbies and 2 black ones. We'll take one of each. Here's the black one with big brother from another litter looking on.

[indysteel]

They've so cute! Have fun with them!!!! DH and I have two ourselves, including one we adopted at about 9 weeks this past summer. She's the apple of our eye!

[SheFly]

Adorable! I think you'll be ok, too. We adopted our 2 at 9 weeks last year also. Now they are spoiled ROTTEN

SheFly

[makbike]

They are so cute!!!!!

7 weeks is a good age to bring them home. They should be weaned by now and need to be socialized. Take them home and enjoy them.

I would suggest that you have both kittens tested for FIV/FELV first. If the test comes back negative for both by all means start their vaccinations. I would also suggest you take in a "fresh" stool sample and have it sent off to rule out nasty intestinal parasites.

Enjoy your new additions. May you guys have many, many wonderful years together.

[westtexas]

Congrats on the kitties! I adore them.

7 weeks is a great time to take them home, especially since you are getting them as a pair.

I also second getting them tested for FIV/FeLV. This doesn't have to be done when you take them to the vet for their first shots (usually given at 8-12-16 weeks). Although you are not bringing them into a house with other cats (and thus having risk of disease transmission from them to your existing cats or your existing cats to them), it's a good thing to know overall should things go awry down the line. FeLV tests can actually show up negative for the first 6 months of life due to the presence of maternal antibodies and if you get them tested too early you may think you have a negative cat when you don't.

Some common things you might see with guys this age is the development of a runny nose or runny eyes and these should be addressed by a veterinarian right away as they are a sign of a secondary bacterial infection in response to several viruses that tend to affect young, unvaccinated kittens. With supportive care and antibiotics, they do great.

You can also discuss spaying and neutering with your vet when you bring them home. We routinely perform these procedures on kitties as young as 6 weeks, and research shows no benefit to waiting and no detriment to doing it that early.

Lastly, the only other thing I can suggest is make sure you kitten-proof your home! They will try to eat anything and everything and I always suggest that until they have matured, it's best to put them in a safe, enclosed room (or even a dog crate/kennel) while you are away to keep them from ingesting things they shouldn't.

Congrats!! and good luck