What Are the Mandatory Vaccinations for Cats?

Vaccines have the function of preventing cats from developing some specific diseases by creating antibodies. There are all kinds of specific vaccines, more and more. But there are some that are considered mandatory.

In the case of cats, before starting the vaccination cycle, it is necessary that they have been weaned and have managed to achieve maternal independence, since the milk produced by the mother produces certain immunity to the vaccines because they have natural antibodies, thus reducing their effect. Between eight and fourteen weeks of life, the cat should already eat independently. If your cat is, for example, in the ninth week, but has not yet been weaned, you should wait for him to eat on his own, even if it takes a little longer.

Once your kitten eats on its own, you should take it to the vet. He will inform you of the vaccination schedule and on what dates you should give him the injections.

Vaccination schedule.

Below we show you the most typical vaccination schedule, keep in mind that it can change depending on what the veterinarian tells you:

• When the cat has been weaned (approximate age: two or three months old): feline trivalent
• 3 or 4 weeks after the first vaccination (approximate age: four months of life): feline trivalent booster.
• Before the first year: rabies and leukemia (composed of two doses at intervals) this vaccine is not always considered mandatory.
• On his first birthday: feline trivalent booster and, if needed, leukemia and rabies booster.
• Every three years or so (the cat is already an adult): reinforcement of all the vaccinations received.

Find out everything you can before deciding which vaccines you are going to give your cat, ask the specialists.

Before giving the vaccines

Before starting to give your cat vaccines, it is necessary to do the following things:

Instructions

1. When you go to the vet, he will do a series of tests and listen to your pet. Depending on the breed, where it comes from and how you see it in health, the most normal thing is that it passes the feline immunodeficiency test and the leukemia test. This is done to rule out serious illnesses.
2. Before giving your pet any vaccine there is another usual procedure, deworming both externally and internally. This treatment cannot be applied before the cat is about a month old. Once finished, you can start the vaccination period.

What are the mandatory vaccinations for cats?

The first mandatory vaccine for cats is the Trivalent. This vaccine protects against the following diseases:

• Pan leukopenia: Also called Feline Typhus. It is a disease that is caused by a parvovirus. The symptoms cause the cat to be bedridden for long periods of time, suffer from gastroenteritis and a decrease in white blood cells. It is fatal in 80% of cases when the kitten is less than six months old, and in 40% of cases it causes death when the cat is already an adult.
• Calcivirosis: This is a respiratory disease. It is caused by a picornavirus. It produces symptoms common to cat flu.
• Rhinotrachesis: is another contagious respiratory disease that is contracted by a herpes virus. Its symptoms are sneezing, mucus and eye secretions.

The Trivalent vaccine is the first on the list, but it must be accompanied by a booster after  three weeks have passed. It is very important to respect the deadlines, because if we give the first trivalent vaccine and after the estimated time for the reinforcement has passed, we do not give it, the first dose will be useless, having spent money in vain and exposing the cat to all these diseases.

When the cat begins to go outside and communicate with others, we need to vaccinate our cat against Leukemia. Before giving him the injection, it is necessary to do the test mentioned above (Leukemia test) to find out if he is a carrier of the virus. This vaccine is recommended to be applied only when the cat is at risk of suffering from this disease,  that is, cats that go outside, have exposure and contact with other cats (especially stray cats) and those that live in a pack with more cats. Feline Leukemia is a disease with a high mortality rate, is one of the most common among cats and is quite contagious; that is why it is so important that you vaccinate your cat against it. Depending on the risk that the veterinarian determines to your pet, he will advise you that the doses be administered in two intervals or not.

Another vaccine that must be administered when the cat is still a puppy is that of rabies. It is usually applied around 16 weeks and then another dose is usually applied annually or every three years, depending on the state in which your cat is. In some autonomous communities this vaccine is mandatory, but in others it is not. If it is not mandatory in your city, you can put it on voluntarily, as long as the veterinarian recommends it.

There are many other vaccines, but their application varies depending on each cat. Within this group we can find:

• Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV): It is similar to human HIV, but it is not transmitted from humans to cats or vice versa.
• Bordet Ella: This vaccine is administered when there is an infectious disease in the respiratory system. It is applied nasally. It has some side effects, such as liver damage.  Follow the specialist’s instructions before putting it on.
• Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) – This is a deadly disease. The virus mutates once it has infected the animal. Fortunately, it is a rare disease. The vaccine is administered intranasal.

Whether or not to give your cat these vaccines depends on its state of health and what the specialist considers necessary.

It is necessary to expose some of the side effects that vaccines have:

• A recently vaccinated cat shows mild symptoms such as tiredness, diarrhea, and loss of appetite or fever. But these symptoms only last a few hours, after which your cat will recover.
• Some more serious side effects have been found, such as damage to the liver or kidneys, as well as allergic reactions.
• Sarcomas can also appear due to punctures or as an allergic reaction to rabies or feline leukemia vaccines.

Tips

• The Feline Leukemia vaccine has some contraindications, such as a possible risk of sarcomas appearing, so it should only be administered if the cat in question is at risk.  It is very important to follow the recommendations of the veterinarian once your cat has been examined.
• If you are going to travel abroad with your cat, it is recommended that you give it the rabies vaccine, since in some countries it is mandatory.
• It is advisable to give your cat reminder vaccinations. They used to be given every year but, after some studies, it has been found that the effect of the vaccines lasts up to three years.
• If your cat’s health condition is complicated, it is very likely that it has a different vaccination schedule or, as needed, other vaccines that are not listed in this article.