Feline Vaccinations

Periodic vaccinations, or immunizations, are an important part of your cat's preventive health care plan.
Let's start by explaining what vaccination does for your cat.

In very simple terms, vaccination provides protection for your cat against the agent (usually a virus or bacteria) included in the vaccine. For instance, a rabies vaccine protects your cat against developing rabies.

To be more specific, vaccination (or immunization) is the act of introducing a virus or part of a virus, in an inactivated safe form, to your cat's immune system in an attempt to allow the immune system to develop protection (in the form of antibodies) against the virus in question before your cat is exposed to the naturally occurring, more dangerous form of the virus.

In recent years, there has been some concern about potential vaccine reactions which has caused some changes in the way we vaccinate our animals today.

Currently, there are a group of "core" vaccines, which are vaccines considered to be required by all cats.

There is also a group of "non-core" vaccines which may or may not be necessary, depending on your cat's individual lifestyle and risk of exposure.

Which vaccines need to be given and how often they are given will vary from one cat to another. Your cat's veterinarian can help you decide which vaccines and what vaccination schedule is appropriate for your cat.

Core Vaccines:

Rabies: Because rabies is a disease which can infect people as well as cats, almost all states have laws requiring rabies vaccinations.

Feline Distemper and Feline Upper Respiratory Viruses (Calicivirus and Rhinotracheitis): This vaccine actually protects your cat against several different diseases all in one vaccine. You may sometimes see this vaccine referred to as an FVRCP vaccine, or sometimes just feline distemper. This vaccine is considered a "core" vaccine because of the insidious nature of the viruses. They are extremely contagious, easily contracted, and can be spread through contact with inanimate objects, air-borne particles, or on clothing and skin.

Non-Core Vaccines:

Feline Leukemia: Feline leukemia is recommended for those cats which have risk of exposure. Often, these are cats which live part or all of their lives outside and socialize frequently with other cats. Generally, cats which live their lives indoors are not a high risk for contacting the virus which causes feline leukemia. Testing for feline leukemia can be done with a simple blood test and knowing your cat's leukemia status is recommended, whether vaccinating for leukemia or not.

Feline AIDS: Like feline leukemia, feline AIDS is a contagious viral disease. As with leukemia, those cats which live part or all of their lives outdoors are at a higher risk of encountering feline AIDS. There is a blood test which can detect the AIDS virus, and testing for feline AIDS is frequently done in conjunction with testing for feline leukemia. It should be noted that cats which are vaccinated are likely to produce a positive feline AIDS blood test after vaccination. It can be difficult if not impossible to differentiate whether a positive test is due to vaccination or exposure to the feline AIDS virus itself. It should also be noted that feline AIDS (to the best of our knowledge) is not transmissible to people.

Coronavirus/Feline Infectious Peritonitis: There are some questions about the efficacy of this vaccine.

Bordetella: Bordetella is likely a secondary cause of infection in some respiratory infections. Vaccination may be useful in situations where large numbers of cats are housed together, especially if faced with an outbreak of respiratory symptoms. Facilities such as shelters, catteries, and other types of cat colonies may benefit from this vaccine under the right circumstances (in addition to focusing on husbandry issues, such as sanitation, ventilation, and overcrowding).

Microsporum canis: Microsporum canis is one of the fungal organisms responsible for causing ringworm. (There are several other fungal organisms which cause ringworm in addition to Microsporum canis.) There has been some question about the safety and efficacy of this vaccine. It has been withdrawn from the market and is no longer available.

Chlamydia: Chlamydia is a rare cause of respiratory symptoms in cats. The vaccine may be helpful in a cattery or shelter situation where Chlamydia has been proven to be a cause of disease outbreaks.

Giardia: Giardia is one of the causes of protozoan diarrhea. The vaccine is generally used as an adjunct to treatment and does seem to shorten the duration of the disease and ease the symptoms. The vaccine is not licensed to prevent disease outbreak.

Your veterinarian will help you decide which of these vaccines are necessary for your cat, based on your cat's lifestyle and individual risk levels.