Basic Health Care
Vaccination for Cats
To remain fit, you will need to give your cat a series of vaccinations periodically called core and non-core vaccines. Of these, the former comprise all the basic essential vaccines all cats need, while non-core vaccines are given depending on each individual cat’s necessity, in relation to his age, lifestyle and contact with other cats.
Core vaccines: These vaccines comprise the following:
- Feline panleukopenia: This virus causes a severe disease which is often fatal too. Vaccination helps bring down the incidence of this disease.
- Feline herpes virus: If your cat is infected with this virus, he will have flu-like symptoms and after the clinical signs go away and the virus becomes latent within the body, he will have respiratory tract infections and eye problems.
- To get over this problem, your cat should be in the company of other cats since environment absorbs the virus. However, vaccination reduces the spread of infection and reduces the time the disease takes to spread within the cat.
- Calici virus: This causes cat flu along with oral ulceration. Just as there are different strains of calici virus, so also there are corresponding vaccines you can take for the more serious strains. Cats can still show evidence of calici virus infection despite vaccination due to the presence of different strains and the animal’s ability to have chronic infection.
Non-core vaccines: These vaccines are:
Feline leukemia virus (FeLV): This virus is spread through cat saliva while mutual grooming, sharing food and water or from being bitten by infected cats. Cats can also develop this when infected due to placental transmission, with the virus being spread at the time of mating. This is very common in homes with many cats, so if you have just one cat, he won’t need vaccination. If you have a blood test for FeLV antigen, you can find out the FeLV status of your cat to decide on whether or not he needs vaccination.
Chlamydophila felis: Bacterial infection due to this virus causes conjunctivitis and upper respiratory tract disease, to which kittens are very prone, so they must be vaccinated at a very young age. However, antibiotics also help to get over this infection, though vaccination is a better solution.
Bordetella bronchiseptica: Bacterial infection due to this virus causes respiratory tract symptoms such as coughing or pneumonia and kennel cough among dogs. If you have several cats, they are at high risk for getting this infection, for which strategic vaccination before boarding in a cattery is a better idea. Here, the vaccine is instilled into the nostrils, which then stimulates immunity in the respiratory tract.
Rabies: If you are traveling abroad with your cat, it is well worth giving him this vaccination.
When to have your cat vaccinated: When your cat is nine weeks old, give him his first round of primary core vaccinations, comprising two injections every three to four weeks. If he needs non-core vaccines, your vet will tell you now.
To continue protection against infection, give him the first booster vaccination a year after the primary course and after this keep giving boosters may depend on individual lifestyle and risk. All vaccinations are annual and it is preferred that you have an annual health check done on your cat.