When young kittens suckle their mothers milk, protection against diseases is passed on to them, as long as the mother has been vaccinated herself. After weaning, the maternal antibodies start to decrease in number in the kittens' blood and their immunity to these diseases decreases.
At the age of 9 weeks, the immunity of the kitten has decreased significantly and it is now vulnerable to disease. For this reason, the kitten is vaccinated at this point, and then three-four weeks later in order to ensure complete protection. During this time, it is important that the kitten does not encounter the disease, so make sure that you keep him indoors, away from other cats.
Vaccinations contain a weakened or dead form of the disease which stimulates the kitten to mount an immune response against the disease, without developing illness. When the kitten subsequently meets the full-blown form of the disease, its body remembers it and can defeat the organism before it causes illness.
If a kitten is not vaccinated, it is very vulnerable to disease and may die if it encounters one.
After a kitten's first vaccinations, regular boosters are needed. These are normally performed once a year and your vet may send out a reminder when it is due. Boosters are essential if you wish to leave your cat in a cattery or take it to shows. The annual booster also provides an opportunity for your vet to give your cat a thorough check-up and pick up any illnesses before they become major.
For more information about the different diseases, please click on the name.
The standard cat vaccination is against Feline Infectious Enteritis and Cat flu caused by Feline Herpes Virus and Feline Calicivirus. You should also get your cat vaccinated against Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV).
Chlamydia is only really found in breeding catteries and other multi-cat households. Your vet will advise you as to whether this vaccination is necessary.
If your cat is to travel abroad, he should be vaccinated against Rabies as well. This is one of the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS).
A vaccination against Bordetella is also available. This is one of the bacteria involved in kennel cough in dogs. It is unlikely to be a problem in most cats.
Indoor cats are still at risk from infection. Some diseases (like Infectious Enteritis) can be brought in on the shoes of humans and then infect the indoor cat. That said, the risk of exposure is lower so an annual booster may not be necessary. You should talk to your vet and discuss the risks and benefits of different vaccination regimes. The vaccine manufacturers do recommend yearly boosters so any alteration from this may require you to sign an informed consent form.
Lots of people are worried about side effects from vaccination, with some owners opting not to vaccinate because of their concern.
Mild side effects (such as a local swelling around the injection site and slight lethargy) can occur following vaccination. This is because the vaccination stimulates an immune response in the cat (that is how it works). This should only last for a day or two.
Some cats will be allergic to a component of the vaccine, in which case vaccination may induce an anaphylactic shock. This is a very rare occurrence but, if it does occur, take your cat back to the vet immediately. This reaction will not completely preclude vaccinating again as long as proper precautions are carried out.
In the USA, there have been some instances of tumours at the site of injection but this is not a major problem with vaccines in the UK. The main vaccine of concern is the rabies vaccine which is obviously used less commonly in the UK than in the USA.
If you suspect that your cat has had a reaction to a vaccine, this should be reported to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). Your vet will have a Suspected Adverse Reaction (SAR) form that they can fill in to do this.
Overall, the risk of an adverse reaction is very small and the risk of disease caused by not vaccinating your cat is far greater.
There are many calls for vaccinations against Feline Immunodeficiency virus (Feline AIDS/FIV) and Feline Coronovirus, which causes Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). For various reasons, these viruses are very difficult to formulate vaccines for.
Feline Infectious Enteritis / Cat 'flu / FeLV / FIV / FIP / Rabies
