Cat Vaccinations

Cat Vaccinations

Cat vaccinations can dramatically reduce the risk of your cat or kitten catching some viruses which can make them become seriously ill or even dying.

A few weeks after a kitten has been born, it starts to lose the natural resistance to disease it acquired from its mother. Kittens will be exposed to different types of infection through sharing little trays, feeding bowls, playing or fighting with other cats and kittens. That’s often before they even step outside. Once they are out in the open there are numerous ways they could risk infection or disease.

Whether you have a kitten or have inherited a cat, regular vaccinations are the best way of protecting them.

Kitten Vaccinations

Kittens vaccination can start from 9 weeks of age. They will be given two injections three to four weeks apart. After the initial injections your kitten will need to have vaccinations every 12 months to keep up their protection against the diseases. These booster vaccinations are to keep up their immunity; we also carry out a health check at the same time to ensure they are in good condition.

Kittens should not go outside or mix with other cats that have not been vaccinated until after their course has finished and had a chance to take effect. Our vets will advise you when your kitten can go out once they have had their final injection.

Cat vaccinations can help protect against the following:

Feline Viral Infectious Respiratory Disease (Cat Flu)

This can spread very easily by direct and indirect contact between cats. Signs of cat flu are runny nose, weepy eyes, coughing, sneezing and being lethargic. If cat flu is not treated straight away it can make your cat very ill for sometime. In the long-term it may leave your cat with snuffles, breathing difficulties or eye problems for the rest of its life.

Feline Panleucopaenia (Feline Enteritis)

This is a very contagious viral disease which is closely related to parvovirus in dogs. Cats of all ages can be affected, however it is more severe and common in kittens. This disease can cause acute depression, vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration and in quite a lot of cases death. The cats that manage to survive this disease tend to suffer from other illnesses, in particular chronic diarrhoea. The actual virus that causes enteritis can remain active in the environment for a long time. It spreads quite easily from infected cats from their saliva, faeces or urine.

Feline Leukaemia

This is currently the most infectious cause of death in cats in the western world. All ages of cats can be infected; those under the age of 3 are at a much higher risk. Symptoms of this disease vary widely, from damage to the immune system through to persistent anaemia and cancer. Once these symptoms have appeared, successful treatment is very difficult and cats commonly have short survival times.  Even cats which appear healthy can have the leukaemia virus, spreading infection to others when sharing food, water or inflicting bites when fighting with other cats. When a cat is pregnant and gets this virus, her newborn kittens will also be infected once they are born.