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Guide to Vaccinating Your Cat
Select any of the following topics or just scroll down through the page.
Note: The following categorizations have been developed by the
American Association of Feline Practitioners. The information is taken from
their most recently published vaccination guidelines (2006). References to “The
Advisory Panel” relate to this organization.
Vaccines can be separated into three general groups:
- Core
- Non-Core
- Not Generally Recommended
Core Vaccines are those that are recommended for all cats,
regardless of whether they live indoors, outdoors, or both. With the exception
of the rabies vaccine, the vaccines in this group are usually given together
and referred to as FVRCP (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and
Parvovirus). These vaccines are considered essential protection from common and
easily encountered diseases:
FPV (Feline Parvovirus) -- Also known as Panleukopenia or
Feline Distemper, this disease is almost always fatal. The vaccine is safe and
prevents infection.
FHV-1 (Feline Herpesvirus) – Also known as Rhinotracheitis,
this is an upper respiratory infection common among cats. Although the vaccine
cannot prevent infection, it does limit the duration and severity of symptoms
should your cat be infected (like a human flu shot).
FCV (Calicivirus) – There are many different strains of
calicivirus, some more harmful than others. The vaccine cannot prevent
infection from any of the strains, but it can limit the duration and severity
of symptoms should your cat be infected by one of the strains against which it
protects.
Rabies – This vaccine is required by law. Indoor cats
virtually never contract rabies. Outdoor cats may get rabies from the bite of
an infected animal.
At The Animal House, all cats (except pregnant and lactating
queens) and kittens who are of age receive an FVRCP vaccination upon arrival. A
follow-up FVRCP booster is administered a few weeks later. Since indoor cats
are not at risk of contracting rabies, the rabies vaccination is not given until the time of
adoption.
Non-Core Vaccines are vaccines that are recommended for cats
in certain specific risk categories. This may include cats with suppressed
immune systems or cats that are in multiple cat environments. Non-Core vaccines
are:
FeLV -- The Feline Leukemia vaccine is recommended for cats at risk
of exposure (eg, outdoor cats, those residing in multiple-cat environments in
which incoming cats are not tested prior to entry, and those living with
FeLV-infected cats, and residing with cats in which FeLV infection status is not known or in which introduction
of new cats is common).
Since all Animal House cats are tested for FeLV prior to
admittance, we do not administer this vaccine.
FIV -- Feline immunodeficiency virus vaccines should be considered as
noncore vaccines, with use restricted to cats at high risk of infection (eg,
outdoor cats that fight) and cats not infected with FIV living with FIV-infected cats.
All Animal House cats are tested for FIV prior to admittance.
We do occasionally accept FIV-positive cats, but we believe that FIV cats
(provided they are not prone to territorial disputes) should have every
opportunity to coexist with non-FIV cats. This virus is not easily spread and
the idea that FIV cats need to be relegated to solitary confinement is a myth.
We do not vaccinate for FIV.
Chlamydia -- Vaccination against Chlamydia psittaci infection is
considered noncore. Vaccination may potentially be considered as part of a control regimen
for cats in multiple-cat environments in which infections associated with
clinical disease have been confirmed.
The Animal House does administer the Chamydia vaccine since
it is prevalent in outdoor cats and the majority of our intakes begin as
strays. This vaccine is given with the initial and booster FVRCP.
Bordatella -- Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccination should be considered
noncore but may be considered in cases in which cats are likely to be at specific
risk of acquiring B bronchiseptica infection (eg, prior to confinement in
environments such as rescue shelters, boarding facilities, or catteries in
which bordetellosis has been confirmed).
The Animal House does not routinely vaccinate against Bordatella.
Large shelters administer this vaccine, but our cats are housed in foster homes
and there are never enough cats together in any one home to pose much of a
risk. In addition, many of our rescues come from the York County SPCA and have
been given a Bordatella vaccination upon entry there.
Not Generally Recommended is a group of vaccines that,
although available and sometimes offered or even recommended by individual
veterinarians, have either: 1) not been shown to be particularly effective
against the disease, or 2) are often responsible for harmful side effects out
of proportion to their usefulness. The American Association of Feline
Practitioners’ 2006 Feline Vaccination Guidelines (the most recent publication)
lists the following vaccines as Not Generally Recommended:
FIP -- Only 1 vaccine is currently available, and considerable
controversy surrounds its ability to protect against coronavirus infection or to prevent development
of disease. Since FIP results from a mutation of the coronavirus, there is no
way to prevent the mutation. Study results are contradictive, with some studies
indicating protection and others indicating no measurable protection. In a
field study of 138 cats from 15 cat breeders in which virtually all cats had antibodies
against coronavirus, no difference was detected in the development of FIP between vaccinated cats and cats
receiving the placebo. Therefore, vaccination in households with known cases of
FIP or in environments with active cases of coronavirus, vaccination is simply
not effective. In addition, there are indications that the vaccine may actually
increase the chance of contracting the disease.
The Animal House does not recommend the FIP vaccine.
Giardia -- There are insufficient studies available to support the role
of vaccination against Giardia in preventing clinical disease in cats, the
Advisory Panel continues to place this vaccine in the not generally recommended
category.
Giardia is a treatable disease and the efficacy of the
vaccine has never been proven; therefore, The Animal House does not administer
this vaccine.
There are two main types of vaccines: Killed Virus (KV) and
Modified Live Virus (MLV). There are substantial differences between the two.
KV vaccines are generally safer, as the virus has been inactivated (killed) and
cannot produce the actual disease. MLV vaccines use a modified form of the live
virus and work by actually creating a mild form of the disease in order to
force the body to create antibodies. There are pros and cons to each type and
the decision is primarily a judgment call.
At The Animal House, we prefer to use Modified Live Vaccines,
wherever possible. Our reasoning for this is as follows
MLV vaccines produce immunity much quicker than the KV
vaccines. When vaccinating kittens, fewer shots are required to produce full
immunity. For example, a KV distemper vaccine may take two weeks to produce
ample antibodies to protect against infection; whereas a MLV distemper vaccine
produces immunity in approximately 48 hours. Since so many of our cats and
kittens come in from the outside and their backgrounds and exposure are totally
unknown, we prefer to have the vaccine effective in the quickest amount of time
possible.
MLV vaccines also pose less of a risk of adverse side
effects. KV vaccines have to use additional chemical agents, called adjuvants,
in order to boost the killed virus’ ability to promote antibodies. These
adjuvants are responsible for side effects such as swelling, injection site pain,
allergic reactions, and in some cases more serious conditions such as ataxia
(paralysis) and injection-site sarcomas (cancer). The MLV vaccines carry less
of a risk of these side effects since they do not require the addition of
adjuvants in order to be effective.
On the other hand, the KV vaccines, because they don’t use
an actual live version of the virus, are incapable of causing the disease itself.
Animals vaccinated with the MLV vaccines may sometimes exhibit mild symptoms of
the disease (such as sneezing, nasal discharge, watery eyes). For this reason,
MLV vaccines are not recommended for pregnant or lactating cats or kittens
under 4 weeks of age.
In the end, it’s a personal choice. The Animal House conferred
with several vets and chose to use MLV vaccines. We have been very satisfied
with the results.
Vaccination frequency should also be a personal choice.
Although rabies vaccinations are required by law, pet owners are free to choose
how often to administer other vaccines. At The Animal House, we give an initial
FVRCP upon arrival, providing the cat is no less than 6 weeks of age. We give a
booster between 12-16 weeks of age.
According to the AAFP, studies have shown that the distemper
vaccine (the P in FVRCP) is still effective 7 years after the initial
vaccinations. Remember, unlike the other viruses in the FVRCP, the distemper
vaccine actually provides protection from contracting the disease. The other
viruses in the vaccine do not prevent the cat from contracting the disease, but
rather only reduce the duration and severity of the symptoms. In one study of Herpesvirus
and Calicivirus (the R and the C in FVRCP) antibodies, it was found that 3
years after the vaccination, cats had less than half the symptoms of
unvaccinated cats.
These studies indicate that annual vaccination is
unnecessary. We believe that over-vaccination may even be harmful to pets;
therefore, we do not vaccinate our foster cats again after the initial set of
shots. We leave the decision of how often to vaccinate to their new families.
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