In this article we’ll explain everything about vaccinations for cats
We often hear the question: ‘My cat doesn’t leave the house, does it have to be vaccinated?’. The answer is yes!
What cat vaccines are available?
There are several vaccines available on the market today:
- Trivalent (coryza, panlencopenia and rhinotracheitis);
- Felv (feline leukaemia)
- Rabies
- FIP (feline infectious peritonitis)
- FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus)
The trivalent vaccine is the most important vaccine for cats.
It protects against three potentially deadly diseases that have no treatment, only supportive treatment.
These are viral diseases that do not require close contact to be transmitted.
It is an essential vaccine for any cat, outdoor or indoor.
The first dose of the vaccine should be administered at around 8 weeks of age, when we no longer have enough maternal antibodies in circulation to neutralise the vaccine antibodies.
A second booster should be given 3 to 4 weeks after the first and a third booster 3 to 4 weeks after the second.
It is important that vaccination is completed close to 16 weeks to ensure its effectiveness and that maternal antibodies do not neutralise it.
Vaccination against feline leukaemia can be started at 8 weeks and requires a booster 3 to 4 weeks after the first dose.
It is recommended for cats that cohabit with cats carrying the disease or animals that may have contact with the outside world and therefore with other cats.
It is not recommended for cats carrying the disease, which is why all cats should be tested before vaccination.
The rabies vaccine is only recommended for animals living in rabies-endemic areas, which is not the case in Portugal, or animals travelling to such places.
The feline infectious peritonitis vaccine is currently not recommended because it is not very effective.
The feline immunodeficiency vaccine is still very controversial, since after vaccination the vaccine antibodies and the antibodies formed by natural infection are indistinguishable.
Vaccination is the only way we can protect our animals from possible diseases.
Even if it doesn’t provide 100 per cent protection, an animal that contracts a disease for which it has previously been vaccinated will have milder symptoms, will be easier to treat and the treatment process will be less painful.
Vet.Point – Oeiras Veterinary Clinic
Emergency 24h | 927896112 – 211918923 | geral@vetpoint-ivl.com
