Vaccinations for Cats and Kittens
Vaccinations are important for your pet’s overall health and are also the basis of preventive veterinary medicine. Young or old, your pets will benefit from a regular vaccination protocol that protects them from potentially dangerous diseases.
How often does my kitten need to be vaccinated?
Your young kitten has an immature immune system and needs a series of vaccinations to build up an adequate immune response. Usually the first vaccine is administered when they are between 6 and 8 weeks old. We then recommend a series of vaccinations every 4 weeks until the kitten is 16 weeks of age, to ensure adequate immunization.
How often does my adult cat need to be vaccinated?
Once the kitten vaccination series has been completed, we recommend a booster vaccine one year later and then every 3 years for core vaccines.
Does my kitten only need core vaccines?
Core vaccines are recommended for indoor cats. For outdoor cats, we recommend adding the Feline leukemia and Rabies vaccines to the core vaccines.
What is the FVRCP vaccine and what are the core vaccines for cats?
The FVRCP vaccine for cats is considered a core vaccine that protects against Feline Viral rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia. These viral diseases make up this core cat vaccine. Our clinic believes that all domestic animals should be vaccinated against rabies because this disease is fatal and transmissible to humans. We therefore consider the rabies vaccine a core cat vaccine.
Is it important to vaccinate my cat if he only lives indoors?
We recommend that all domestic cats get their core vaccinations plus the rabies vaccine, even those who don’t go outside.
Are there any risks associated with cat vaccinations?
Any living being can have an allergic or adverse reaction to vaccines, but this is very rare. Cats usually tolerate vaccines very well. After their shots, the veterinarian and his team will then provide information on the normal and undesirable side effects your pet might experience after being vaccinated.