How Regular Feline Vaccines Keep Your Cat Safe and Healthy

To give your pets the best chance for a long and healthy life, you should check with your veterinarian to see what vaccinations your pets may need each year. Feline vaccines are given on a schedule, and when you buy or adopt a kitten, you should establish veterinary care immediately to protect your pet. A cat vaccine, like human vaccines, stimulates the immune system to produce disease antibodies that protect cats from being affected by environmental pathogens. If an immunized cat is exposed to dangerous pathogens, vaccination ensures that it does not get sick; the antibodies react quickly to attack the disease, keeping your precious new pet safe and sound.

vaccines

Most veterinarians agree that kittens should receive the following vaccinations between 7 and 9 weeks of age:

• fpv

• Calicivirus (FCV)

• VHF

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At 12-13 weeks of age, they should receive boosters of these vaccines and then again at 16-18 weeks of age. At these times, they should also be vaccinated against feline leukemia (FLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (feline AIDS). At 12-14 weeks of age, the kitten will also need a rabies shot. Kittens’ vaccination schedule should be supervised by a trained veterinarian because kittens’ immune systems are immature and unable to mount a good antibody defense against the vaccines we administer. Because it is not really known when to vaccinate, veterinarians give a series of three or four injections so that at least one of them works.

Vaccines for adult cats-

Once your kitten is grown, you should continue to protect her from deadly diseases by immunizing her for adult cats. One of the benefits of requiring annual vaccinations, like rabies, is that vets can see the pet once a year, allowing them to catch the disease before it progresses to a deadly stage. Many veterinarians detect diseases while examining pets before booster shots. By law, rabies shots are required annually, but studies have shown that one shot will provide up to three years of protection. However, to make sure your cat stays healthy and safe, an annual rabies vaccination and exam is important.

Most veterinarians recommend that cats receive annual booster shots for two years through adulthood for these diseases: feline panleukopenia, feline rhinotracheitis, and feline calcivirus. After that, every four or five years is fine. Indoor cats require booster shots less frequently than outdoor cats, so be sure to ask your vet about this.

New vaccines-

Pharmaceutical companies are working on more advanced vaccines for dogs and cats. New advances even include intranasal vaccines that are placed in the cat’s nose, which means fewer injections. Heska Corporation in Fort Collins, Colorado recently launched two intranasal feline vaccines for panleukopenia, calcivirus and rhinotracheitis. You will need to pay attention to your pet’s vaccinations so that they enjoy a long, safe and healthy life.