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A Healthy Kitten

When you are choosing a kitten it is important to make sure it in a healthy condition.

A kitten is not properly weaned from its mother until it is about eight weeks old.

It then requires two vaccinations, two weeks apart, so your new kitten should be at least 10 weeks old before you take it home.

The vaccinations are for feline enteritis, which is very infectious and often fatal. These vaccinations are essential, so don't be tempted to try and take your kitten home before it has had both of them.

Here are some some simple checks that you can carry out to determine whether or not a kitten is healthy.

The Ears

The ears should be clean and the inside should look slightly moist. You should not be able to see any red-brown wax inside.

The Mouth

The mouth should look pink and clean, and healthy with no sign of soreness or inflammation and there should be a set of clean white teeth.

The Eyes

The kittens eyes should be bright and clear - not runny - and there should be no third eyelids (the little triangles of of white tissue at the inner corners of the eyes - the nictitating membrane) showing.

The Nose

The nose should be velvety, cool and slightly damp. There should be no sign of a discharge or encrustation.

The Body

The body should be firm, and the ribs well-covered, with a slightly rounded abdomen, but no pot-belly (another sign of worms).

The Coat

The coat should be soft, smooth and glossy, and not tangled or matted. Part the fur and check for the tell-tale black specks of flea droppings and for any sores on the skin. Fleas are more likely to be found behind the ears, under the chin and at the base of the spine.

The Anal Area

The area around the anus should be clean, with no staining. Is there any sign of diarrhoea or of worms around it?

Finally, be sure to smell the kitten. Just like a clean human baby, a healthy kitten should smell nice. An unpleasant odour suggests that there is a health problem.