Recommended Cat Vaccinations

Your veterinarian will let you know when they are due and what vaccinations are recommended for your cat. Also, kittens will require vaccinations that may not be recommended for senior cats. Below I've outlined different vaccinations that may be recommended for your cat.

Kittens:

Kittens require a series of FVRCP vaccinations. The vaccinations usually start between 6 and 8 weeks of age and need a booster every 3-4 weeks until they reach 16 weeks of age. At that time the kitten is old enough for a rabies vaccination and the immunizations are then recommended annually.

Why boosters? Lets go back to biology class - remember the bell curve? While kittens are nursing they receive immunity from mom, assuming she is vaccinated, when the kittens are weaned the immunity starts to decline. We want to vaccinate at just the right time to give the kittens the proper immunity. Since we don't know exactly when that is we give a booster series.

Senior Cats:

Seniors are not as susceptible to feline distemper so some veterinarians have started to recommend this vaccination every other year. Your senior pet should still see its doctor every year for annual check ups. The concern for seniors starts to change from contracting a life threatening illness like distemper to life threatening illnesses such as kidney disease, diabetes, or cancer. It seems there is always something to worry about.

FVRCP:

This is a combo vaccination that covers numerous diseases with one injection. What do all those letters stand for?

• FVR = Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis:
This a horrible upper respiratory infection that is airborne and highly contagious among cats. It causes sneezing and coughing with discharge from the eyes and nose, also infected cats will have loss of appetite and a fever. Young kittens and senior cats are more susceptible to this infection and many require hospitalization to recover.
• C = Calicivirus:
This is another upper respiratory infection with symptoms similar to feline viral rhinotracheitis. These infections account for 95% of upper respiratory infections in cats. The disease is spread through direct contact with an infected cat or objects, for example a food dish or toy.
• P = Panleukopenia:
This is also known as feline distemper. It is highly contagious and deadly among cats. It is similar to the parvovirus seen in dogs. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea, weakness, dehydration, tremors, and loss of coordination. A low white blood cell count is also common. Cats with feline distemper need to be hospitalized and have intensive care. Mortality rate is high. The vaccine has worked wonders in preventing this and other highly contagious diseases.

Feline Leukemia:

This is a virus that is highly contagious among cats. It is spread through the saliva, urine, tears, and milk. Most cats contract the virus through fighting or as a nursing kitten. Exposed cats may carry the disease for years (not showing symptoms) while spreading the disease to other cats. The virus suppresses the immune system, causes severe anemia, and cancer.

Symptoms include but are not limited to: fever, anorexia, weight loss, and anemia. All cats should be tested and all cats that live outdoors, or could potentially be exposed to a cat that goes outside, vaccinated. There is no cure for Feline Leukemia, the symptoms can be treated and supportive care given, but the cat will continue to carry the virus. If your cat tests positive for Feline Leukemia but seems otherwise healthy it can continue to live a long life. A positive cat should live as an indoor only cat so as not to spread the disease to other cats.

Feline AIDS:

Just as the name implies, Feline AIDS is the cat version of human AIDS. This is a immunodeficiency virus, it suppresses the immune system. This virus only effects cats, if your cat is diagnosed with Feline AIDS or FIV, you will not get the human form of AIDS from your cat. Fighting and bite wounds are the most common way the disease is spread among cats.

Symptoms include but are not limited to: chronic infections or bouts of illness, anorexia, diarrhea, vomiting, pale mucous membranes, and chronic fever. Your veterinarian can test for the virus. There is a vaccination, however, once your cat has been vaccinated against FIV it will test positive for the virus in the future, for this reason some veterinarians do not recommend the vaccination. If your cat tests positive for FIV it can continue to live a long life. It is recommended that FIV positive cats live indoors only and be isolated from other cats in the household.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP):

This virus is highly contagious and is spread through the urine, feces, and saliva. There are two forms of FIP, the wet form and the dry form. If your cat has the wet form you may notice an enlarged abdomen due to fluid build up. Other symptoms include: anorexia, depression, weight loss, and dehydration. The dry form has similar symptoms along with lesions on the eyes. FIP can be hard to diagnose and cats who contract this virus rarely survive.

Rabies:

Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system and is always fatal. There is no known cure for rabies, to confirm a case the brain tissue must be examined. In the United States raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes are the main wild animal hosts for the illness. Symptoms generally include behavior change, difficulty swallowing, hypersalivation, depression - stupor, and hind limp paralysis.

The disease is spread through the saliva of infected animals and can be transmitted through a bite or an open wound. Vaccinated pets who are exposed to rabies should be re-vaccinated and observed for 90 days, un-vaccinated pets exposed to rabies should be euthanized or kept isolated for 6 months. Keep all pets current on their rabies vaccinations - this will protect humans and animals.

• One final thought, there is a risk that your cat could develop a cancer called Vaccine Associated Sarcoma.
This is rare, if your cat is not vaccinated its chances of getting sick from one of the diseases listed above is much greater then developing a cancer due to vaccinations. The risk of tumors developing because of vaccines has prompted most veterinarians to vaccinate in the hip area rather then in the scruff of the neck. It is difficult to surgically remove a tumor in the shoulder area due to all the muscle and bone. If a tumor developed in the hip or leg area the veterinarian has more room to work. If your veterinarian vaccinates in the scuff of the neck ask him/her to please give future vaccinations in the hip area.

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