Your Kitten's First Vet Visit: A Calm Checklist

Start earlier than you think

The RSPCA's kitten timeline starts before your kitten even comes home: in the first eight weeks, the breeder or rescue is typically organising the first kitten vaccinations, and this is the right time for you to be finding a vet - before you need one urgently. Walking in as a new client with a sick kitten is much harder than registering with a healthy one.

Know the schedule landmarks

The RSPCA's guidance gives the first year a clear shape:

• First vaccinations - organised in the early weeks, usually by the breeder or rescue before homing.
• Second vaccinations - around 12 weeks of age.
• Neutering - the RSPCA suggests booking this at around four months.
• Worming and diet - questions to raise with your vet at the 12-week stage, along with any behaviour concerns.

Your vet may adjust this timing for your kitten - the point of the visit is to leave with your kitten's version of this schedule, not a generic one.

Bring better questions

A first visit goes fast, and it's easy to walk out remembering none of what you meant to ask. Write your questions down the week before: feeding amounts and how they'll change, worming, microchipping, when the next visit should be, and anything you've noticed at home - eating, litter habits, energy. Vets do their best work with specifics.

Make the carrier boring

One practical kindness: get the carrier out days before the visit, door open, with bedding inside, so it smells like home rather than like the vet. A kitten who walks into the carrier calmly starts the appointment calm.

Keep the questions and the answers in PawLine

This is exactly what the PawLine app is for. Log your questions as they occur to you during the week, then save the vaccine dates, weights, and your vet's advice with your kitten's profile after the visit - so the 12-week appointment builds on the first one instead of starting over. You can find this in the PawLine app.