Expert: Jessica - 7/11/2009

Question
Hello Jessica, We have decided to adopt two Ragdoll kitties (girls) from a breeder that tests her cats for HCM, PKD, Felv, FIV and offers two years of insurance against genetic defects. We met the two little girls two days after they received their second round of vaccines. They were both lethargic, we just held them and they did not try to move at all. One of them sneezed twice. We noticed that they were tiny compared to other kitties (Ragdoll girls as well) we met at other breeders although they were three weeks younger than these ones. The breeder said that this is normal reaction to the vaccines (Rhino Calici and Panleukemia vaccines). At 13 weeks they weight 2 ½ lb respectively 3 lb. I asked the breeder if she feeds her cats canned food or just dry food and she said that it is good to get your kittens  used to canned food because it is easier to give them medicine when needed. We are now concerned that these kitties are in fact not gaining weight and they react to vaccines because they do not have strong immune systems. The other cats seemed fine, some of them were friendly, some of them aloof. Should this lethargy be a red flag for us? How can we make sure the kitties are in fact healthy before commit to adopting them ?
Thank you very much, I appreciate your time. Andreea.


Answer
Hi Andreea.  I would schedule another visit with the kittens.  One visit can go over not so well for any number of reasons, but if your second visit goes badly, I would definitely reconsider adopting these two little ones.  

Vaccinations do cause the body to mount antibodies against germs, and while the body is doing this, it can become quite exhausted.  This is especially true if the vaccines administered are modified live vaccines, which intranasal rhino/calici is, and many panleuk vaccines are.  Lethargy is not seen in all kittens, but it is seen in some, generally ranging from 1-4 days following the vaccinations.  Lethargy in response to a vaccine doesn't indicate that the kitten's immune system is not strong and, in fact, some may argue the opposite.  The stronger the immune response to the vaccine, the worse the kitten may initially feel after she receives her vaccine.  However, is encouraging, as it shows the immunity is underway.

So, I wouldn't necessarily worry that the kittens aren't healthy just yet, but I wouldn't commit to buy them just yet, either.  I think a second walkthrough with the breeder is in order before you may your final decision.

Good luck and best wishes!

Jessica