New kitten: first 30 days of health, ID, and records

Quick answer: Week 1: vet visit, baseline exam, deworming, and start of vaccine series. Week 2: a quiet at-home routine, carrier desensitization, and the first records folder. Week 3: continued vaccines per vet schedule, breakaway collar introduction. Week 4: microchip if not already done at adoption, spay/neuter planning, and a digital pet profile set up.

Kittens grow fast and forget faster. The visits, vaccines, and habits of the first 30 days create the foundation for the rest of their life. A calm plan beats a panicked December “wait, when was that vaccine due?” moment four years from now.

Week 1: first vet visit

Within 48-72 hours of bringing the kitten home, schedule a first vet visit. Bring:

• Any paperwork from the breeder, shelter, or rescue.
• A fresh stool sample if possible (parasite check).
• A list of any odd behaviors you have noticed (sneezing, lethargy, runny eyes).
• Questions about food brand, schedule, and litter type.

The vet covers physical exam, weight, parasites, and starts the vaccine schedule if the kitten is the right age. This visit also catches medical issues early — respiratory infections, ear mites, and congenital issues are easier to address young.

Vaccines: the calm shape

Per AAHA and WSAVA, the typical core schedule:

• FVRCP — first dose 6-8 weeks, boosters every 3-4 weeks through 16-20 weeks.
• Rabies — one dose at 12-16 weeks, then per-state schedule.
• FeLV — recommended for kittens with outdoor exposure, two-dose series.

Your vet adapts to your kitten’s age and lifestyle. WSAVA explicitly notes the final kitten dose should not be earlier than 16 weeks to be most reliable.

ID and microchip

Microchipping often happens during the spay/neuter visit at 4-6 months. If you want it earlier, ask. After implantation, log into the registry within a week to add your phone, email, and address — the chip itself does not autoregister. See microchip registration vs the chip itself.

Breakaway collar introduction

Around week 3-4, when the kitten is comfortable in the house:

• Use a lightweight fabric breakaway collar — never a buckle-only collar.
• Introduce during a meal so food competes for attention.
• Check fit weekly — two fingers between the collar and the neck.
• Add a small ID tag (engraved or QR-style) with your phone.
• Watch for distress. Most kittens adapt within days.

Records to start now

A small folder — physical or digital — that grows with the cat:

• Vaccine summary printout from each vet visit.
• Rabies certificate (signed original) once given.
• Weight log.
• Microchip enrollment letter and registry account info.
• Spay/neuter certificate when done.
• Flea/tick/deworming product names and dates.
• Current photo (replace twice a year — kittens change fast).

Socialization (and what counts as exposure)

The feline socialization window is roughly 2-7 weeks. Most kittens come home after that window has partially closed, but careful gentle handling, exposure to household sounds, and supervised meetings with calm visitors during the first weeks still help. Talk with your vet about the right balance between socialization and protection during the vaccine series.

Where Driyu fits, honestly

A Driyu profile holds the digital half of the first 30 days — vaccine summary (dates and lot numbers), current photo, your phone, emergency contacts, vet info. Document storage in the Cloud Vault is part of the Pro plan today; even without Pro, you can keep your vaccine scans in a cloud folder you already use and reference them from your profile. Driyu does not replace your vet. Build the folder while everything is fresh; future-you doing a boarding paperwork hunt at 11 PM the night before a trip will be grateful.