Cat vaccination

Why vaccinate my cat?

Vaccinations can help protect your cat against some potentially fatal diseases, such as cat flu, feline panleucopenia virus, and feline leukaemia virus.

Vaccinated cats are less likely to catch diseases and won’t spread them around.

When should my cat be vaccinated?

Your cat should be vaccinated as a kitten and then get regular annual boosters throughout its life to maintain immunity.

Vaccinations for kittens

When kittens are born, they are initially protected from certain infections by their mother's milk, but this protection only lasts for a few weeks. You should therefore start vaccinations for your cat from nine weeks of age. This timing is important – too early and the antibodies they receive from their mother will interfere with the immune response to the vaccine, preventing it from working properly. Too late and kittens will be left susceptible to infection.

Kittens can start their vaccinations from 9 weeks of age and will need a second injection, usually 3 - 4 weeks after their first jab (but at least 12 weeks old).

If the second dose of the primary course is missed (more than 5 weeks), your puppy may need to be given the primary two-dose course again to ensure ongoing immunity.

It’s important to keep your kitten away from unvaccinated cats until they’ve had their full course of vaccinations and are fully protected. This is usually two weeks after the last dose of the Basic Vaccination Scheme.

Booster vaccinations for cats

After having their initial vaccinations as a kitten, your cat will need regular booster injections throughout their life. This is to help keep them protected as over time their immunity could otherwise go away. If you do not keep on top of your cat’s vaccinations they will be more at risk of catching infectious diseases.

If the annual booster vaccination is missed, your cat may need to be given the primary two-dose course again to ensure ongoing immunity.

We recommend the following vaccination for your cat:

There are three main diseases that your cat can be vaccinated against. These are:

Cat flu

Cat flu can be caused by two viruses; feline herpesvirus (FHV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV) which affects the upper respiratory tract and manifests itself much like human flu. Cat flu signs include sneezing, nasal and eye discharge, conjunctivitis, and mouth ulcers.

Also, FHV can cause skin and eye problems (keratitis) and FCV can cause painful joints, chronic gingivitis, and stomatitis (inflammation of the inside of the mouth) - leading to dehydration and anorexia.

Although in some cases the disease is manageable with supportive care, it can leave your cat with ongoing issues and recurrent flare-ups are common, so we highly recommend vaccinating your cat against this disease.

Feline Panleukopenia Virus (FPV)

Feline panleukopenia (also called feline parvovirus, feline distemper, or feline infectious enteritis) is a highly contagious, often fatal, viral disease, causing diarrhoea, vomiting, and a high temperature. Cats are at risk through contact with other cats or the environment. The virus can also be transmitted on an owner's shoes from the ground outside, so even cats kept indoors are at risk. Unfortunately, this virus can survive for more than a year in the environment and is resistant to many disinfectants. Feline infectious enteritis attacks the cells of the gut and bone marrow, causing severe diarrhoea and compromised immunity, leaving the cat lethargic, severely dehydrated, and vulnerable to infection. Feline infectious enteritis often proves fatal to kittens.

Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV)

Feline leukaemia is a retrovirus transferred from cat to cat via saliva or bites. It attacks the bone marrow causing leukaemia and immunosuppression, leaving cats more susceptible to other infections, anaemia or tumours. During the early stages of the disease, cats may not show any signs of illness but later you may notice weight loss, lethargy, pale gums, poor coat, fever, diarrhea, and recurrent respiratory tract infections. The disease is only passed via bodily fluids, therefore indoor cats may not require a vaccination against feline leukaemia. We will discuss with you the risks involved to your cat. You may choose to give a full cover anyway, to protect them if they do accidentally get outside, or if they are exposed to other cats in environments such as a cattery or veterinary surgery.

Rabies

Rabies is a serious viral illness that can affect any warm-blooded animals, including humans. Infection is usually by a bite from an infected animal. The virus causes inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). There is no treatment for cats and once clinical signs occur the outcome is fatal.

Fortunately, rabies is not present in wildlife in the UK, although a strain of the virus called European Bat Lyssavirus (EBLV 2) has been found in some bats in the UK. If you find a bat, dead or alive, the advice is not to touch it. If it appears sick, in difficulty, or dead, then call the Bat Conservation Trust on 0845 1300 228 or www.bats.org.uk

Under the Pet Travel Scheme, should you plan to travel abroad with your cat, a Rabies vaccination will be required and an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) will be issued unless you have a pet passport issued in an EU country or Northern Ireland.

Your cat must be at least 12 weeks old for this vaccination.

If you are taking your cat to the EU or Northern Ireland, you must wait 21 days after the primary rabies vaccination before you travel.

The validity of rabies vaccination is 3 years.