Immunity levels do decline over a period of time and therefore it is essential to vaccinate your pets against these life-threatening diseases every year. It is also a requirement of catteries that your pets are up-to-date with their vaccinations & they may refuse them if you can't prove this.
The 3 major diseases we vaccinate against in the UK are cat flu, feline enteritis and feline leukaemia. There are 2 main considerations that decide which vaccinations a cat should receive: the cat's age and the environment they live in.
We recommend the following vaccination schemes:
Kitten Course
The kitten course involves two injections, given 3 weeks apart. The earliest age for the first vaccination is 9 weeks.
We recommend that all cats be vaccinated against cat flu (calicivirus and rhinotracheitis virus) and enteritis (feline panleukopaenia virus). This also includes indoor cats, since it is possible for owners to transport the viruses inside the house on their clothing/shoes etc.
For cats that go outside, we strongly recommend vaccination against feline leukaemia virus as well. This virus is spread by direct contact between cats, and is the second most common cause of death in young/middle-aged cats after road traffic accidents.
The cat flu, enteritis and leukaemia vaccinations can be given at the same time.
The kitten achieves sufficient protection from the vaccinations 1 week after the second vaccination. At this point, it is safe for the kitten to go outside.
Annual Booster
Cats require an annual booster, which is given up to 15 months after the last vaccination. If the cat has not had a vaccination within the last 15 months, Intervet (the vaccine manufacturer) recommend restarting the vaccination course and giving a course of 2 injections 3 weeks apart (i.e. treating the adult cat as if he were a kitten).
The component of the vaccine is the same each year (cat flu, enteritis +/- leukaemia).
If you require further information on the vaccination process, please contact the clinic or book online today.