Our Oakland vets believe that vaccinations play a key role in keeping your cat healthy throughout their life. Below our vets explain what happens if you don't get your cat vaccinated.
The Importance of Vaccinating Your Cat
As with the vaccinations that have been designed for people, cat vaccines protect your companion animal against a variety of serious conditions that could threaten the overall health or longevity of your feline companion.
While getting your cat vaccinated may seem like an unnecessary expense especially if your cat is rarely outdoors, or if money is tight, your cat's shots are likely to cost far less than treatment for the particular illnesses vaccines protect against.
How Cat Vaccines Work
Vaccines give your cat a defensive level of antibodies, allowing their body to build immunity against specific highly contagious, serious diseases. Once your cat has been vaccinated, the body gets a disease-enabling organism to stimulate the immune system and tell the body how it should fight those diseases in the future.
Although pet vaccines aren't 100% effective, they can help your pet fight off illnesses or recover much more quickly if they do become infected.
Not All Cat Need Every Vaccine
Not all pets will require all of the vaccines that are available. Speak to your vet about your pet's lifestyle in order to find out which vaccines are best for your cat. Your veterinarian can tell you which ones will benefit your pet the most based on factors such as their age, lifestyle, and where you live. Rabies vaccines for pets over 6 months of age are required by law in most places across the US and Canada. This vaccination must be kept up to date and a certificate will be provided to pet owners once their cat has been vaccinated.
Why should I vaccinate my cat?
By proactively vaccinating your pet and keeping your cat up-to-date on their booster shots, you can preserve and protect your pet's health from dangerous, deadly diseases.
Many vaccinations are mandated across the United States, such as rabies.
If you travel with your cat, stay in pet-friendly hotels or have your cat boarded or groomed, vaccinations may be required and can prevent your furry friend from contracting contagious diseases from other animals, in addition to inadvertently spreading infection. This is also true for pet sitting services and other businesses.
Outdoor vs Indoor Cats
While it may seem obvious that outdoor cats face an increased risk of contracting serious diseases, it can be easy to dismiss the need for indoor cats to be vaccinated. But don't be fooled, it only takes a second for your feline friend to escape out of an open window or door. Many cat viruses can linger on the ground or on surfaces for long periods of time. Meaning that even if you get your escaped kitty back into the house quickly, there is still a risk of exposure. Not only that, but there is also the risk of wildlife sneaking their way into your home, and posing a health risk to your pet. For these reasons and more it is essential for your feline friend to receive their cat shots to help protect their long-term health.
Core Vaccines for Cats
Recommended for most cats living in the United States, core companion animal vaccines are designed to help protect your pet by preventing diseases that are commonly found in your area. These diseases are spread easily between animals (and in some cases, from animals to people) and have a high fatality rate.
Core Vaccinations for Cats
- Panleukopenia (Feline Distemper or Feline Parvo)
Panleukopenia is an extremely contagious viral disease that is closely related to the canine parvovirus. Caused by the feline parvovirus this disease is life-threatening to cats. This virus attacks the rapidly dividing blood cells in the body, including the cells in the intestinal tract, bone marrow, skin or developing fetus. Panleukopenia is spread through the urine, stool, and nasal secretions of infected cats, or from the fleas of an infected cat.
- Feline Calicivirus
Feline calicivirus is a common respiratory disease in cats and kittens. This illness attacks the cat's respiratory tract including the nasal passages and lungs, as well as the mouth, intestines and the cat's musculoskeletal system. This illness is highly contagious in unvaccinated cats, and is often found in multi-cat homes, or shelters. This respiratory illness can be very difficult to get rid of once it has been contracted, and vaccinating your cat against feline calicivirus is strongly recommended.
- Feline Herpesvirus Type I (Rhinotracheitis)
Feline Herpesvirus (also known as feline viral rhinotracheitis -FVR) is a major cause of upper respiratory disease in cats, as well as inflammation of the tissues surrounding the cat's eyes. Once a cat has been infected with FVR it becomes a carriers of the virus. While most carriers will remain latent for long periods of time, stress and illness may cause the virus to become reactivated and infectious.
- Rabies
Rabies is typically transmitted through a bite from the infected animal and is one of the few diseases that can be transmitted to people from their pets. The rabies virus causes acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and will gradually infect the entire nervous system of the animal or person causing death. In many states, including New York, rabies shots are mandatory for dogs, cats and ferrets, without exception.
Lifestyle Vaccinations
Lifestyle vaccines for cats protect them against diseases they may be exposed to if they lead particular lifestyles such as cats that spend a great deal of time outdoors. The following are lifestyle vaccines that you may want to consider for your four-legged friend.
Lifestyle Vaccines for Cats:
- Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
Feline leukemia is spread by saliva and can be transmitted from cat to cat through mutual grooming, bite wounds, mother's milk to kittens or through shared litter box use.
This disease is the leading viral killer of cats and kittens. While it can hide undetected for long periods of time it weakens the cat's immune system, increases their susceptibility to other diseases, and is the most common cause of cancer in cats.
Kittens are at high risk for contracting this disease and should be vaccinated against Feline leukemia starting at 9 - 12 weeks of age. This vaccine requires booster shots to maintain its effectiveness. Cats that live in multi-cat households, or that spend time outdoors should be regularly vaccinated against this disease.
- Chlamydia (Chlamydophila felis)
Chlamydia can cause respiratory disease and conjunctivitis (eye infection) in cats, and is easily spread between cats that are in close contact with each other. We recommend that all cats living in catteries, breeders and shelters be vaccinated against this illness. Speak to your vet to learn whether your cat is susceptible to this condition.
Booster Shots
Depending on the vaccine, adult cats should receive booster shots either annually or every three years. Your vet will notify you about when your pet should be brought back for booster shots. Booster shots are essential for maintaining your pet's immunity.
When To Get Your Cat Vaccinated
Knowing when your pet should have their shots can be somewhat confusing but most vets are happy to provide you with phone or email reminders. To learn more about when cat shots should be scheduled visit our pet vaccination schedules by clicking below.
Vaccine Protection
It's important to note that your kitten will not be fully protected by their vaccines until they’ve received all of their vaccinations - when they are about 12 to 16 weeks old. After your vet has administered all of their initial vaccinations, your young pet will be protected against the conditions or diseases covered by the vaccines.
We recommend keeping your kitten in restricted to low-risk areas (such as your own backyard) if you plan to allow them outdoors before they have been fully vaccinated against the diseases listed above.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.